[Happy-Hound]

Hi, does anyone have an opinion on which is best, the metal & glass ones or the the ones just made of metal?  My last 2 plastic ones have cracked so as the tax man gave me a refund I am going to buy my chookies a better one.  Thanks, Alf.

[joyfull]

I buy the thicker plastic ones like this:-

http://www.bec.uk.com/12ltr-combo-drinker

I buy the 12 litre version which is stable, raised off the ground, has a measure on the side which is great for mixing in medication and if you want to add apple cider vinegar is fine (which if you buy a galvanised drinker you can't do). The red does fade after a while but the chickens don't mind that 

[Sassy]

I've got on well with the green and white ones which you see all over the place. Mine are 7 yrs old now. Also I think the galvanised drinkers are not so good once the galvanising starts to wear - I'm sure I read that it can then leach toxins into their water. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. 

[Jeanette]

I have got the galvanised ones and we have had no problems. I have only had them for three years and so far they are not showing any wear and tear problems.

[hillfooter]

I'd agree with the others the better quality plastic ones last well.  Avoid the cheap RED plastic ones as the plastic doesn't seem to have a UV filler additive in the plastic and they quickly go brittle.  The red plastic ones Joy recommends are OK as are the green plastic ones Sassy recommends like the below.  Plastic is easier to keep clean than zinc plated ones which are expensive and very durable but for hobbists I'd prefer plastic.  Red is a poor colour for fading as it absorbs UV, so any red plastic which fades will also go brittle eventually.  The thicker the plastic obviously the better.



When sizing remember a chicken can drink upto 250ml a day and it's good to get 3 days worth if you want a long weekend away so a 4 litre one will last 6 chickens about 3 days though normally you should give them fresh each day.
HF

[Happy-Hound]

Thanks for all your replies.  The first one I had was a green plastic one and I think it only broke because my daughter chucked it in a strop!  The one that's just cracked was red and I haven't had it that long so I don't know what happened to it.  I might try another green one then as that seems to be the popular option.. Thanks again. Alf.

[Casey76]

I have all kinds of drinkers, though this one is my favourite:



It is 18L, and you can also get it with legs, though I prefer just to stand it on a couple of breeze blocks to get it off the ground.

As the top lifts off there isn't any need to faff around trying to get the base on like with other gravity drinkers.

It is also very easy to clean, and for the price amazing value (imho)

[orchardlady]

I'd love to know where you get that one from Casey.

OL

[Casey76]

I got mine from P&T Poultry last year, but they seem to have stopped doing them.  You can get them from Flyte So Fancy though. they are about £19

[Abacus]

Our chickens drinker is a section of roof guttering fixed to the side of the run. The run has a roof so I have a small down spout coming from roof gutter which automatically tops up the water with the overflow going out through the netting.

The chicks used to stand and watch this flow of water when it rained but the novelty soon wore off!