What feeders and waterers do y'all use?

[~KH~]

I use a bucket with nipples, too, and a PVC feeder. I just got chicks here in CA, but used the others for 4 or 5 years in Idaho without any issues. It's probably a lot less humid where I was than where you are but I wouldn't think that would matter with the PVC feeder.

 

[~KH~]

PVC is an idea. Those should last for a while. Do you have any issues with them scratching food out or rain splashing back up in it?

I found much less waste with them throwing food out of the PVC feeder (I've only used the upright ones with one feeding hole as I've only had a few hens at a time) and they've always been in the coop area so out of the elements.

 

[kerbotx]

I provide dry feed in a hanging feeder with a DIY plastic guard that somebody else here on BYC posted a while back, but I also like to give wet feed about twice a day. (I've done fermented feed in the past, just not doing it currently.) This summer, I installed a 10' rain gutter for their wet feed, with a few holes strategically drilled for drainage - and I LOVE it! Not sure what winter will bring, but I'm game - best $4 investment ever.

As for water, that's more problematic; I would love to switch over to a pvc pipe/nipple system, but I can't get the older girls to go along with it. Chicks that grew up with it are great with it, so I do have a few nipple-waterers coke bottles & one cooler around for them. Otherwise, it's just large pans with rocks or bricks holding them down. They love standing in them on hot days just as much as drinking from them!

 

[chickmom3941]

We started with a 5 gallon vat fitted with the nipple/waterer thingies, and the chickens never really seemed to like them much. Any time there were water puddles in the yard, like after a rain, they really seemed to prefer drinking from those. Seemed much more natural and easy for the chickens. When the first winter was approaching we had to figure out a way to keep the water from freezing. We bought a 1-gallon heated dog water dish, and never looked back! We placed it on a large concrete block to help keep it cleaner. It has worked great for 4 years now, and the chickens seem to love drinking from it much more than the nipples. We just unplug it in the summer and use it year-round. I would highly recommend it!

 

[ngennetta]

We use the horizontal nipples. Had them for years, and they work great! Don't leak, dont freeze, and the girls always have fresh water. In the winter we do add a bucket heater. https://www.heritageacresmarket.com...-1/products/horizontal-poultry-nipple-waterer

 

[theuglychick]

I'm liking the pvc feeders more and more.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm low tech, plastic buckets in summer, rubber buckets or pans in winter for smashing out the ice. Dumped and filled daily. Clean as necessary.

I forgot to mention my feeders which are plastic pans and rubber bowls, not much different than my waterers.

 

[shawthorne44]

Our feeder is similar to the bucket with pvc elbows pictured above. The youTube video I'd seen used a square bottom bucket and bolts/nuts to hold the elbows on. We only had a round bottom 5 gallon bucket, so DH used lots of glue to attach four elbows. They wanted nothing to do with it for the first few days, but after the smell was gone, they seemed to prefer it. It amuses me to see them stick their head in there. A tote like pictured above would have been good. If the bucket ever dies, I will remember that.

For water we have a homemade chicken water fountain attached to a water hose which has a gizmo on it that lowers the pressure. They seem to like it well enough. We live in Texas and I figure continuous water is extra important so I wanted something that didn't require me to remember something.

 

[kie4]

5 gallon waterer with gamma lid and horizontal water nipples (amazon for the nipples)
View attachment 1126682
5 gallon no waste feeder
View attachment 1126686 View attachment 1126687

Exactly the setup I use. Nothing gets spilled and it costs $6 per bucket. Bucket lasts a long time before needing a top up.

 

[FlyWheel]

After going through three of the plastic founts in as many seasons I finally switched to the galvanized metal ones for water. I tried nipple feeders once but I use collected rainwater and when mosquitoes would lay their eggs in it the larvae kept clogging the nipples. The founts just spill them into the drinking area where the chickens gulp them up.

As for their feed, I ferment so a dry-feed dispenser is not an option. So I built a feeding trough which I fill every morning and let the ladies free feed through the day.