What feeders and waterers do y'all use?

[Ol Grey Mare]

 

[theuglychick]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I might try a few of each out and see which holds up the best. It's discouraging that the ones I have didn't last longer. They weren't super expensive but not necessarily cheap either. Especially to need to be replaced so soon.

 

[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

 

[jreardon1918]

We built a a PVC feeder. It is 3" x 3'. Some day I will attach a larger piece at the top to expand its capacity. This holds about three days of feed for 7 chickens. It has an end cap on the top to prevent water getting in. The bottom is a 6" end cap. The chicks have to bend their heads down in and they waste very little. Note the picture shows no waste feed on the ground. The water bucket has three horizontal nipples. No drips. I clean the bucket out every two weeks.

 

[theuglychick]

I'm liking the pvc feeders more and more.

 

[aart]

Used and built many different feeders and waterers,
these are what works best for me in my coop:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-almost-waste-free-funnel-bucket-feeder.67218/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples.67256/

....and for crates:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...nipple-waterer-for-wire-crates-by-aart.72704/

....and as an extra in coop:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/2-nipple-quart-water-bottle-holder.67773/

 

[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.

 

[Birdinhand]

I have a very similar plastic waterer bucket with nipples and it works great compared to an open water source where they kick dirt in and it gets all biological. I'm having a hard time figuring out what you mean by dry rot. are you saying the plastic of the waterer nipples is breaking down? it's hard to imagine them waring out very fast and they are easy and cheap to replace. the feeder I use is nothing special, I do hang it pretty high to make them work a bit to get to it so they waste less food.