[DMT2011]

Any tips on drinkers? I've got (what now appears to be) a pretty cheap drinker.

It's fine for a while but soon gets full of rubbish / things from the floor of the run. It is raised up slightly but it's very difficult to keep it level which means the water doesn't always flow freely as the chickens drink from it.

I've seen a few different ones on the internet and thought about the type which can be suspended. This would appear to solve most of the problems I'm having! Any thoughts welcome!

[binghamd]

Could you hang it up, at about chicken shoulder hight. That should reduce rubbish getting in.

[evie2]

We use 2 large dog water bowls and an old casserole dish put on a couple of bricks, we found they were better than the plastic drinkers

[DMT2011]

I'll have a go at hanging it up!

[rachelr]

I use the feeders but the drinkers never seem to work. I have now got washing up bowls. The rubbish goes to the bottom and the hens dont like sitting in it. I change the water daily.

[Chookiechook]

Big chickens get the containers that I get from work that the industrial size dishwasher tablets come in..... too slim to perch for long so no poo gets in!!

Anything smaller gets a giant rabbit water bottle..... they learn to use it very quickly .... no rubbish gets in and if they run short of water during the day ...... just buy another one!!!

[DMT2011]

That's a good idea. Are they able to get sufficient water from a rabbit drinker without it spilling? I'm trying to imagine it and it seems a bit awkward with a beak!

[monkeywobbler]

We use a bucket (from B&Q for £1) filled to the top. The girls like to perch on the top, but it's low enough that they can get in from the ground.

[evie2]

We tried a small washing up bowl in the poot run but as they get a foot wash once a week they just jumped in and stood there

[Madrat]

I use a home made gravity fed water "thing" made from a clip on bowl, a squash bottle and 5" of plastic hose. 

[GrannieAnnie]

We use these ones which are British made and have feet to raise them 3 inches off the ground.

We also use half height buckets £1 from the cheap shops.  If you are careful with them, they will even take the frosts in winter for a few years.  Some of mine are 3 years old.

Half height and wider than normal buckets, so easier for the chooks to drink from them, and if any do fall in, not so high that they can't get out again.

[Maeve]

I have a galvanised drinker (2.5L) that I rinse and refill every day.  However I am going away for two weeks and wanted to save my wonderful neighbour who will be chicken-sitting some trouble - and I also thought that having containers that could last a few days would be helpful anyway-  so I have added an 8L galvanised bucket that lies on its side.  The "lip" is high enough so they don't kick so much rubbish into it.  (Recommended by and bought from Flyte so Fancy.) 

[Colernehens]

We also have a galvanised bucket that lays on its side, exactly like the one of the Flytes of Fancy website, (although we got it locally not on line) and it is brilliant.
Chickens love it and it lasts for days of you fill it right up (heavy to carry at that point though) and hardly any debris gets in. I would recommend that type.

[DMT2011]

I was thinking about getting one of those but thought it might be a bit OTT for 3 chickens?

I 'modified' the cheap drinker today to hang it from the roof - worked great, stayed upright and debris free etc. but they've hardly touched it today!

Can't win!

[hillfooter]

The green & white types are very good but need to be elevated on bricks to back height to prevent fouling.  See

http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/acatalog/Plastic_Poultry_Drinkers_over_4_Litre_Capacity.html

All feeders and drinkers should be elevated in this way.  Feeders can be suspended and drinkers too if you don't have many birds but if hung up with lots of birds they get knocked and spill a drop each time and so get quickly emptied. 

With the cheap red and white bucket types the red plastic goes brittle quickly when exposed to UV in sunlight.  The more expensive thicker plastic red ones like grannie uses are OK as are the green & white ones in the link (second from LHS photo).  With the mushroom green & white ones the white reservoir goes brittle over time and can shatter like glass!

When calculating how long approx a full drinker will last work on 200ml of water a day per bird.  If you leave them for any length of time use two drinkers in case one gets knocked over.
HF