Will you give me some ideas for securing the feeder and waterer?

[PunkinPeep]

I have six week-old pullets - six of them. I use the little metal slider feeder with the head holes in it and a plastic waterer where you fill the canister and it screws upside-down onto the dish. You know what i'm talking about, right?

Well, i need some ideas for keeping my girls from knocking them over. It started when i put them up on a couple of 2x4s. I guess they get so excited that they end up knocking everything down. So i thought that maybe the 2x4s were just too narrow, so i put the feeder and waterer back on the ground until i can find something better to prop things up on, and the next time i went out there, everything was knocked down again.

Would love to get some ideas on what to do. I tried to do a search, but i didn't really come up with anything.

I'm a newbie, so no bit of information is too elementary for me.

Thanks,

Beth

 

[Chirpy]

I feel your pain... we've all been there. I put the same feeder up on two 4x4s with them just slightly apart so the feeder kinda sits in between them. It has worked Ok, I am always happy when they go out to the coop and I can use the hanging waterer and feeder.

Here's what I do for my chick waterer:

My husband used old boards to put it together and then I set it up on 4x4s. It has worked very well to keep 'stuff' out of the water.

 

[PunkinPeep]

ooh, that's cool. i like those ideas. i think i even have some of that screen-like material you have under the waterer. i might try that. thank you!

anybody else have some more tips?

 

[BigSkyChickens]

We secured our feeder to a 2x4 with a zip tie, and put shims underneath (perpendicular to the 2x4) to keep it from tipping over. Enjoy your chickens.

 

[cgmccary]

Hello Beth:

This may sound kind of stupid but I duct tape mine down on the 2 X 4s. It works for a little while longer. It has just enough stick to keep them down for now. I change out the duct tape when I clean them. I graduate to a larger waterer as they grow. They are soon able to knock over the one gallon plastic waterers so I move to the 3 gallon one-- It never gets knocked over. I eventually move to larger, taller feeders as well. As they grow up, I give 'em bigger feeders & waterers.

Chicks I have with mother hens simply will destroy and turn over a "chick feeder" in minutes scratching and all. I have to duct tape it on a 2X4 and then slide a 2X4 in front and in back of the one holding the feeder-- this prevents the hen from turning it over (so three 2X4s with the middle one with the long chick feeder duct tape down). I sit the water up high so the hen won't soil it and just put brick steps or wood blocks so the chicks step up to take a drink. It works.

 

[chicks4kids]

I'm a newbie chicken owner myself, but personally, I have hungs my feeders and waterers. That may work for you...they can't spill them, only just bump 'em a little.

 

[Big C]

You may want to consider a larger feeder for 6 week olders, something that hangs:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...10551_10001_34406_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1
also if you do a search on the BYC threads there are many many home made solutions.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Oh wow! Thanks so much for all your ideas! Duct tape is so simple (and reportedly essential for a real Texan), but it never occurred to me.

All these ideas have given me lots of ideas for solutions for my girls.

Again, thanks a million.

Beth