# Best waterer?



## Chippets

We bought one of those little plastic waterers for the chicks when we got them - it looks like a plastic water bottle upside down on a red base. Anyway, we then moved to a 4H waterer that was difficult at best to use - you had to flip it upside down to fill and replace the base by twisting it onto three tabs. Well. It kept leaking into the brooder. Next I bought a galvanized 2 gallon waterer that has a vacuum seal when you place the top down over the base and twist it on. You can't use the handle on top of that one to lift it or hang it though and when I lift it from the base it also spills water everywhere. I'd like something easy to fill, preferably from the top, that I can pick up from the top as well. The only feed store I have locally is Murdoch's and I've about tried all theirs. Advice would be appreciated!


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## clintdaniels83

Rain barrel and PVC with nipples installed. And tada auto watered!!


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## Chippets

Ah. We're in a drought and it doesn't rain much here. I don't think that will work here, but good idea for future reference!


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## JC17

I have heard nipple waterers are good. Waste less water, and the water stays cleaner. You could attach the nipples to pvc or a bucket (supplied with hose water).


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## Clearcut23

JC17 said:


> I have heard nipple waterers are good. Waste less water, and the water stays cleaner. You could attach the nipples to pvc or a bucket (supplied with hose water).


Exactly. I made a waterer out of a 6 gallon food safe brew bucket I no longer use to make beer. 5 chickens and 5 nipples on the bottom. Just refilled it for the first time since I made it 3 weeks ago. I have it hanging on the run. No more spills no more birds pooping in it.


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## Chippets

That sounds great - but I've never seen one. Can you upload a pic? I'm sure my McGuyver husband can make one.


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## Clearcut23

You can find them on eBay for cheap. I got 10 for $8 I think


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## kjohnstone

I have a 1 gallon bucket waterer that I bought at Murdochs, , it has a partial top welded in, with a curved out lip on the side of the top that is open. After you fill it, you lay it on its' side. It doesn't spill, can't be knocked over because it already is, and has a metal collar on the outside-downside that keeps it from rolling. The rounded topside, seems to be enough to keep the girls from perching on top. When the water level gets low enough to let air in the bucket and water out, the girls get so excited from the glug-glug sounds...I have also found, when I fill it in their pen from a 1 gallon jug, they love to drink from the water stream going into the bucket. Clever girls.


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## Chippets

kjohnstone said:


> I have a 1 gallon bucket waterer that I bought at Murdochs, , it has a partial top welded in, with a curved out lip on the side of the top that is open. After you fill it, you lay it on its' side. It doesn't spill, can't be knocked over because it already is, and has a metal collar on the outside-downside that keeps it from rolling. The rounded topside, seems to be enough to keep the girls from perching on top. When the water level gets low enough to let air in the bucket and water out, the girls get so excited from the glug-glug sounds...I have also found, when I fill it in their pen from a 1 gallon jug, they love to drink from the water stream going into the bucket. Clever girls.


That's the only one I haven't tried. My birds are constantly flicking wood shavings into the water and I was afraid that would still be the case. Does the water stay clean?


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## Chippets

Clearcut23 said:


> You can find them on eBay for cheap. I got 10 for $8 I think


That is too funny! I've never seen such a thing! Are the nipples inserted from inside the bucket? And where do you get the nipples?


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## hennypenny68

If you go onto YouTube there is tones of different videos you can watch step by step instructions on how to build them and many other cool inventions I was on there for almost 3 1/2 hours last night lol.....


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## Bee

I love the poultry nipples and wished I had known about them years ago. Saves water, keeps water cleaner, the coop dryer and is just cleaner looking than traditional waterers.

I start my chicks out on them so they can grow up knowing how to use them. My 6 yr old and 3 yr old flock members were not brought up on the nipples and can't learn to use them. They couldn't even learn to use the horizontal nipples and would just drink from the dog's water dish instead, so when they are gone I will have a flock that will drink from a cleaner setup.

I've even installed them in the bottom of an ice cream bucket for the meaty chicks. You can pretty much install them in just about any plastic container. Here's a pic of the nipples in the ice cream bucket.


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## Chippets

Well you've convinced me. Just ordered some poultry nipples! Thanks!


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## Nm156

I still like the Little Giant screw on founts the best.But they are hard to get in the screw threads to clean..
Harris farms founts are good too ,but leak with the slightest unlevelness (sp.).


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## seminole wind

I have little 2 gallon Little Giant buckets for every one. Easy to see the level, easy to fill, easy to scrub, easy to drop ice into, easy to see dirty water. For smaller chickens, I put a block next to it.

My feeders are chamber pots I get cracked or chipped off ebay. Once the chickens are not chicks anymore, I have very rarely had to clean up feed on the ground. They are the best thing I've ever used. I'm a stickler about not having feed on the ground.


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## dawg53

seminolewind said:


> I have little 2 gallon Little Giant buckets for every one. Easy to see the level, easy to fill, easy to scrub, easy to drop ice into, easy to see dirty water. For smaller chickens, I put a block next to it.
> 
> My feeders are chamber pots I get cracked or chipped off ebay. Once the chickens are not chicks anymore, I have very rarely had to clean up feed on the ground. They are the best thing I've ever used. I'm a stickler about not having feed on the ground.


Can you post a pic of "chamber pot" please? I'd like to see how you got it set up.


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## robin416

I think she might be referring to metal bed pans. And I can see how they would be ideal to prevent scooping.


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## seminole wind

robin416 said:


> I think she might be referring to metal bed pans. And I can see how they would be ideal to prevent scooping.


actually I have both but the bed pan wasn't working.

Dawg, my pictures are on my other laptop. I'll post them tomorrow.


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## dawg53

seminolewind said:


> actually I have both but the bed pan wasn't working.
> 
> Dawg, my pictures are on my other laptop. I'll post them tomorrow.


Yeah, dont forget lol.


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## seminole wind

dawg53 said:


> Can you post a pic of "chamber pot" please? I'd like to see how you got it set up.


Here's a few.


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## dawg53

That's interesting. My Black Stars like to scoop feed out of the feeder and it ends up on the pavers and they dont necessarily eat it all the time, creating waste. I cut plastic netting and inserted it into the feeder to prevent them from scooping the feed out...3 layers of netting and as you can see, and there's still feed on the pavers albeit not as much as it used to be. Raising the feeder didnt work neither. The chamber pot is a good idea and will give it a try. Of course I'll have to raise the pots up to crop level somehow. Thanks for the pics.


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## seminole wind

My other idea, you know, plan B, would have been to make an 18 inch frame from 2x4 's standing the 4 inch vertically and nailed in a square. Nail on plywood on one side, and hardware cloth on the other and set the feeder on top. No waste.


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## dawg53

I've thought about the PVC pipe feeders too. But I'm not willing to do it.


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## zamora

dawg53 said:


> I've thought about the PVC pipe feeders too. But I'm not willing to do it.


Yeah, don't do it. They waste waaaay too much feed. We are re-thinking our feeders now.


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## Nm156

The goat through.


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## chickenqueen

SW,love those silkies!Reminds me of my elderly neighbor who kept them.I would go over and collect the eggs for her,they pecked you and she got a bad skin tear from them.She loved those chickens.Plus,it was because of her we got our beloved African Grey,who was living with her daughter who kept her in the laundry room with a squeaky dryer.She made squeaky dryer noises for over a year-very loud and very annoying.Thankfully,she finally stopped.A few years ago,our's started squeaking,I turned it off until hubby could squirt some WD40 on it.Wasn't going to start that all over again.That chamber pot was interesting.I pictured a bed pan but yours has a handle.Is it for relieving yourself?


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