Feed and Water Dispenser Recommendations

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jslater14

In the Brooder
Mar 22, 2022
7
10
19
This is our first time with chickens and I got the galvanized food and water bins because they were "cute", but I'm finding they are not practical. The water gets super dirty and the food goes EVERYWHERE. Does anyone have any recommendations that keeps majority of the food off the ground and water clean? Thanks!
 
C

Chickengirl209

Chirping
May 30, 2022
39
33
56
We haven't installed things to hang our feeders on yet. (Got the feeders from Tractor Supply) The feeder sometimes has poop in it from the birds roosting on it; currently our roosts consists of a few little kid chairs and some wood stacked in corner. But MY main problem is the water. They don't roost on it, but they kick stuff into it, and by the time we let them out, no water can be seen for all the wood chips.
We decided to try putting an 7in tall bin about a foot long in their with water in it. They perfer it and rarely is it dirty.
So, this probably did not help you too much, and possibly those bins you have are fairly similar, but this is what I do in my circumstance. But if could, I would diffinetly hang them.
 
Aunt Angus

Aunt Angus

Crossing the Road
Jul 16, 2018
8,767
22,094
942
Nevada County, CA
I really like nipple waterers. They stay remarkably clean. I use the vertical ones in my run. I have buckets, too, because I have ducks, but the waterer with the nipples is pristine! HIGHLY recommend.

As for feeders, I hang mine from the roof of the run. The one I keep in the coop is raised up on a block of wood. They still sometimes get pine shavings and dirt flung into them, but nothing terrible.
 
R

racyfamily

Songster
Jun 4, 2022
300
816
193
Aunt Angus said:
I really like nipple waterers. They stay remarkably clean. I use the vertical ones in my run. I have buckets, too, because I have ducks, but the waterer with the nipples is pristine! HIGHLY recommend.

As for feeders, I hang mine from the roof of the run. The one I keep in the coop is raised up on a block of wood. They still sometimes get pine shavings and dirt flung into them, but nothing terrible.
Click to expand...
Not to steal this tread but I’m looking into these and…this may seem like a silly question but is it easy for chickens to figure out where the water is and how to use it? And where did you get yours?
 
Aunt Angus

Aunt Angus

Crossing the Road
Jul 16, 2018
8,767
22,094
942
Nevada County, CA
racyfamily said:
Not to steal this tread but I’m looking into these and…this may seem like a silly question but is it easy for chickens to figure out where the water is and how to use it? And where did you get yours?
Click to expand...
They figured it out pretty much immediately. I just "pecked" it a few times with my fingers, and they got curious. Once one figured it out, they all did.

I bought a bucket with a lid at TSC (it's not a 5 gallon bucket, though that would work, too). I got the nipples off Amazon. I just have one bucket with 4 nipples, but I may get another. Dark colored buckets inhibit algae growth. I fill it up once a week or so and make sure the nipples still work. It's never even been dirty inside, and I've had it for 4 years, I think.

I also have the 2 duckie buckets that the chickens sometimes use, as well as a traditional gravity waterer. The gravity waterer gets VERY dirty, even though it's raised, but I like to give lots of options, esp in the summer.
 
R

racyfamily

Songster
Jun 4, 2022
300
816
193
Aunt Angus said:
They figured it out pretty much immediately. I just "pecked" it a few times with my fingers, and they got curious. Once one figured it out, they all did.

I bought a bucket with a lid at TSC (it's not a 5 gallon bucket, though that would work, too). I got the nipples off Amazon. I just have one bucket with 4 nipples, but I may get another. Dark colored buckets inhibit algae growth. I fill it up once a week or so and make sure the nipples still work. It's never even been dirty inside, and I've had it for 4 years, I think.

I also have the 2 duckie buckets that the chickens sometimes use, as well as a traditional gravity waterer. The gravity waterer gets VERY dirty, even though it's raised, but I like to give lots of options, esp in the summer.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I was looking on Amazon for some but I wasn’t sure how good they would be. I was thinking to get my 5 gallon bucket from Menards, and theirs is green so I hope I don’t have to worry about algae. They may even have white ones.

They can’t keep stuff out of the water they have now and it’s raised also. I just feel like all I do all day is change their water 😂
 
Aunt Angus

Aunt Angus

Crossing the Road
Jul 16, 2018
8,767
22,094
942
Nevada County, CA
racyfamily said:
They can’t keep stuff out of the water they have now and it’s raised also. I just feel like all I do all day is change their water 😂
Click to expand...
Right??!?!

The package should tell you what size drill bit to use. If not, read the reviews/questions. And you can probably figure it out by looking, honestly.

I suggest using a bead of silicone to seal around the nipples once you get them attached to the bucket.
 

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