Whats your favorite waterer?

[JayJo]

Thanks so much. I don't quite have the space you two do in your coops -- 6 pullets in a Garden Coop, but both of you have helped tremendously. There is hope Your technological skills are mucho appreciated.

I also have 6 pullets in a Garden Coop and have been very happy with the smaller version of the Chicken Fountain. I have it attached to the wall under the coop. The piping runs out underground a white RV supply hose, a water filter and then the hose bib on the other side. Very easy to add probiotics or acv or whatever when needed and otherwise it's set and forget. It's usually a little damp on the footer board under the waterer but nothing that causes a smell.

 

[mizsteffieb]

I also have 6 pullets in a Garden Coop and have been very happy with the smaller version of the Chicken Fountain. I have it attached to the wall under the coop. The piping runs out underground a white RV supply hose, a water filter and then the hose bib on the other side. Very easy to add probiotics or acv or whatever when needed and otherwise it's set and forget. It's usually a little damp on the footer board under the waterer but nothing that causes a smell.

Do you have pics of your setup? I can't wait to get my chickens outside and out of my house. Just need a little bit warmer weather and a few more feathers!!!

 

[JayJo]

Here's a photo I just took. This is the area right under the coop. The chicken waterer is held onto the hardware cloth by wire that wraps around and twists to the back. I retrofitted the waterer and wished I'd have put it in when I built the coop because it was a lot of work digging under the buried hardware cloth. (Although I am now completely convinced that this coop is raccoon proof.) Let me know if you have any more questions.

By the way we've been really happy with the Garden Coop. It's spacious and the chickens are happy in it. It's easy to keep clean and everyone who sees it comments about how nice it looks. I'm sure you'll love yours. Hope your chickens get to live in it soon!

 

[HennyPenny2]

Here is one of my horizontal waterers using a 5 gal. bucket.

 

[aart]

Here's a photo I just took. This is the area right under the coop. The chicken waterer is held onto the hardware cloth by wire that wraps around and twists to the back. I retrofitted the waterer and wished I'd have put it in when I built the coop because it was a lot of work digging under the buried hardware cloth. (Although I am now completely convinced that this coop is raccoon proof.) Let me know if you have any more questions.

By the way we've been really happy with the Garden Coop. It's spacious and the chickens are happy in it. It's easy to keep clean and everyone who sees it comments about how nice it looks. I'm sure you'll love yours. Hope your chickens get to live in it soon!

That hose coming off the elbow is constantly on from a water source?
Is there a pressure regulator?
What is your climate/location?

 

[JayJo]

That hose coming off the elbow is constantly on from a water source?
Is there a pressure regulator?
What is your climate/location?

Yes, it's hooked into the hose bib, which is constantly on. Actually it's hooked into a Y that's hooked into the hose bib. The side it's hooked into is constantly on. I have a garden hose attached to the other side of the Y which I turn on as needed to water plants. Haven't had a leak or a fail and it's been hooked up for several months. There's not a pressure regulator. I remember that I had the same question. I asked the manufacturer and he answered it to my satisfaction. But unfortunately I can't remember the answer right now.

I'm in northern California, very mild climate. It sometimes freezes and sometimes gets hot. I have not had any issues. Someone on here was posting that the Chicken Fountain didn't work for them because it got too hot. Since mine is in a mild climate, in the shade of the coop, which itself is in the shade of a large tree, and all of the underground hose is insulated, this has not been an issue for me. The nipples did freeze up a few times this winter. The manufacturer sells a retrofitted cap with copper nipple inserts that plays well with a standard poultry water heater that you can buy on Amazon. I bought all this but before I got around to installing it, the temperatures came back up. If you were in a hard freeze area you might have trouble with the hose line freezing up. It's not an issue for me so I haven't researched it.

 

[mizsteffieb]

Yes, although it snows like crazy here near Boston, we don't usually suffer sub zero temps. We did this year. I will have to plan accordingly. Probably will run an extension cord in the winter for whatever heating device I plan to jerry-rig. This is stressing me out a bit for safety, technical, reliability, and difficulty reasons. Really appreciate everyone's input and the photos help a lot.

 

[azjustin]

Horizontal nipples!

Pros: No freezing, long life (still have originals from 5 years ago), easy to install in anything that looks like a bucket, no hanging things from the roof so can be installed in 55 gallon barrels.

Cons: No pictures of chickens that look like contortionists while drinking out of vertical nipples.

 

[aart]

Horizontal nipples!

Pros: No freezing,......

LOL....@azjustin ....Does it ever even get near freezing in Tuscon?
I agree tho VN's freeze way faster the HN's.

 

[azjustin]

Oh yeah, we can get pretty cold in the winter (in relative terms for Tucson..lol). I'm actually on the outskirts of Tucson and about 1k feet higher so we don't get the city heat and get full wind exposure. It snows a couple times a year here and we have plenty of hard freezes, but nothing crazy like Michigan!