What type of waterer and feeder is best?

[ncCHICKS]

I was thinking of either doing a PVC pipe feeder or a wooden trough type. The little plastic feeder I have is empty by the time I get home, but it's the biggest one my feed store carries

Also, what size waterer is good for 5 chickens?

 

[ncCHICKS]

No ideas from those wiser than me

 

[eggonomist]

I like the PVC pipe idea, it would also be easier to clean. i built a 4 inch one but have yet to locate a nice way of attaching it to the wall. As for waterer, i have about 3 dfferent but I use the large galvinised type and hang it from a chain, it stops the birds sitting on the top of it and pooping in the water. Also by being ona chain I can adjust the height easily to acomidate all ages of birds. I also ahve some wall sconces you are supposed to put plants in, they have a nice drain ont he bottom so I'm going to load them up with feed for my free rangers and attach them to the outside wall so I can just add a few scoops of feed or scraps as I wander past.

 

[bills]

I'm surprised there isn't a plethora of suggestions on this question?

I have a 2 gallon galvanized feeder, which holds plenty of food for 6 hens for several days. I hang it from a chain. This type should be available from most feed stores, or places like Buckerfields.

My waterer is a 1-1/2 gallon galvanised, which I have resting on top of a kitty litter tray. I screwed wooden slats over the top of the tray, so any spilled water goes into the tray and not into the litter. This is plenty of water for 6 hens, and has never run out even in the hottest days of summer. I refill it every morning, as they enjoy cold clean water...

 

[EliteTempleton]

Feed:
I saw a thread on here where someone used plastic rain gutter material, and if I didn't already have a feeder, I'd copy that.

It had a piece on the bottom with end caps and was about 2' long, with holes drilled along the top for them to get to the food. Then in the center another hole was cut to fit a vertical piece of gutter much like a down spout, and then they simply top it off when they get eggs.


Water:
I use a 3 gallon plastic heated waterer in the winter and a 2.5 gallon galvanized one in the summer. To avoid wasting the fresh water supply I just spray out the tray with the hose as needed.

However, on a different thread(this site is like an encyclopedia, ya just have to find the right page

) someone said they were using the bottle feeders with the ball on the end, you know what you are used to seeing for rabbits? I guess once you teach them to peck the ball to get water its all gravy from there. If I were to start over I'd try that, because its much cleaner and very easy to re-fill. Plus you can just have more as needed. I'd get the type you can screw soda bottles into for the bottle and then use the 24oz ones. Another advantage is if they learn to use these then if you need to travel with them their water won't get all over. The only disadvantage I can think of is that it might be harder to keep the water from freezing in the winter that the other ones. However maybe some heat tape would be the answer?

 

[funkychickenowner]

the float waterer they have at tractor supply works great for me just cut down a bucket to the correct height for the chickens and hang it and hook up a hose in freezing temps it wont work but for the better part of the year it has been awsome. the float is about $9.95

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...06|14614|28397?listingPage=true&Special=false

 

[patandchickens]

I've made various feeders out of buckets or other cylindrical, usually lidded containers, with a buncha 1" holes cut in the sides right down by the bottom and pans of various provenances that are about 3-4" wider than the container popriveted to the bottom of 'em. How big you want your feeder depends pretty totally on how often you want to refill it -- some prefer to refill it more often for hygeine reasons, others prefer to refill it less often for convenience.

The PVC feeders look nice, I may try one next time I have to build a feeder; the wooden trough types you'd want to think about building some sort of anti-roost device to keep poo out of 'em.

I use a 1-gallon waterer for 4 chickens and it holds up pretty well -- I refill it every day or two in summer, less often in winter -- so I'd say for 5 you might want a 2 gallon, possibly a 3 gallon if it's somewhere it won't get too slimy or gucky between being rinsed/refilled.

Both feeder and waterer work best if placed *high*, the height of the chickens' backs, like up on blocks or something. I also put a piece of plywood underneath, with no bedding intentionally on it, which further reduces the amoutn of bedding kicked in and also makes it easier for chickens to find any bits of food they bill out of the feeder.

There are really LOTS of different ways to feed and water chickens that are pretty much equivalently fine, though. (Although also a few Bad Ideas). Plenty to choose from

Have fun,

Pat