Watering Chickens 💦: The Basics to Know

Summary

Highlights

• Ensure water is clean but not obsessively sterile. Chickens thrive with simple freshness. 🌊
• Understand your flock's specific watering needs, adjusting for growth and weather. 🌿
• Explore different water systems, remembering practicality over complexity. 🧵
• Prepare for seasonal changes; water accessibility can differ considerably. ⏳
• Choose practical water sources that meet needs without adding complexity. 🛠️

Key Takeaways

• Clean water is crucial, but it doesn't need to be overly sterile. Keep it simple and fresh. 🌊
• Water needs vary with weather, size, and life stage. Monitor and adapt as necessary. 🔍
• Various water systems exist; choose one easy to fill and clean. Simplify! 🧽
• Seasonal changes require different approaches. Stay prepared! ☀️❄️
• Accessible water is essential, avoid complicated systems that look good but aren't practical. 🚫👀

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Importance of Water for Chickens The chapter emphasizes the critical importance of water for chickens, ranking it alongside safety and food. While chickens may find food and avoid predators on their own, they cannot survive without access to clean water. The chapter outlines the essential water needs of chickens, starting with the necessity for clean water.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Clean Water Source The chapter emphasizes the importance of providing a clean water source for birds, particularly chickens, as it is crucial for their health and productivity. Checking and refreshing water daily is recommended to ensure the source is clean and accessible. Dirty water can lead to health issues and reduced water intake by birds, which subsequently decreases their productivity. However, it is noted that some individuals may overly stress the necessity of maintaining absolute cleanliness in the water supply.
• 01:00 - 02:00: How Much Water Do Chickens Need The transcript discusses the water requirements for chickens. It emphasizes that while it's important to keep their water clean, a sterile environment isn't necessary, just a fresh one. The amount of water chickens need depends on factors like the weather. Regular cleaning, with occasional deep cleaning if an illness occurs, is advised.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Water Sources and Accessibility The chapter discusses the water requirements for different types of poultry, emphasizing that water consumption varies by factors such as the bird's size, diet, and life stage. It highlights the need for a standard mature laying hen to consume at least two cups of water daily, with increased needs during hot weather, and how this varies from other birds like rapidly growing meat birds or small bantams. The chapter advises that it's essential for those raising poultry to monitor and determine the exact water needs of their flocks during the initial weeks.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Types of Waterers: Open Pan and Nipple-Style The chapter discusses the importance of ensuring birds always have ample water, emphasizing that it's better to provide more than less. It advises on maintaining multiple water sources for large flocks to avoid dominance issues among birds. The text also touches on the significance of placing waterers at proper heights for accessibility.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Common Waterer Designs The chapter discusses the common designs of chicken waterers and how chickens drink water. It starts by describing the natural drinking behavior of chickens, which involves them plunging their beaks into water, filling their mouths, and then raising their heads to swallow. This is how they drink from open pan waterers, similar to drinking from natural sources like puddles or ponds. The chapter then explains the design of nipple-style waterers available in stores. These are raised off the ground, keeping the water cleaner. Unlike traditional ways where chickens scoop water with their beaks and then raise their heads, nipple-style waterers allow chickens to drink by merely raising their heads, which is considered more efficient.
• 05:00 - 06:00: DIY Waterers and Practicality The chapter 'DIY Waterers and Practicality' discusses the method of using hanging waterers for birds. It explains the importance of adjusting the height of these waterers to match the different heights of the birds as they grow. For chicks, waterers need to be close to the ground, but as they grow, the height must be adjusted accordingly. The chapter also mentions accommodating a flock of birds with different heights by setting waterers at varying levels. It reassures those intimidated by this setup by offering additional resources for assistance.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Seasonal Changes and Water Needs The chapter titled 'Seasonal Changes and Water Needs' discusses various options for providing water to chickens. Emphasizing the importance of ease of use, it describes the essential characteristics of a good watering system: being easy to fill, clean, and access. The text briefly mentions DIY solutions and other automatic systems as possible routes to ensure a consistent water supply for poultry.
• 07:00 - 08:00: Rain Catchment and Water Quality The chapter discusses various designs for rain catchment and water quality solutions, focusing primarily on water storage options commonly used in livestock supply. One of the most prevalent designs is the double-walled water storage system, which may be made of galvanized material and can either be placed on the ground or suspended from a ceiling. These systems vary significantly in size, accommodating needs from small-scale storage using a mason jar to large containers holding multiple gallons. A noteworthy consideration in using galvanized pans is their reactivity to acid, which is important for those considering the use of apple cider vinegar in water as a bird treatment or tonic.
• 08:00 - 09:00: Conclusion: Ensuring Proper Water Supply The chapter discusses various types of containers suitable for ensuring a proper water supply, emphasizing durability and cost-effectiveness. Ideal options include stainless steel bowls, which are affordable and long-lasting, especially if found second-hand. It also mentions plastic containers, cautioning that they can become brittle in freezing temperatures and should be handled gently to prevent damage. Further, it highlights galvanized or rubber pans as reliable alternatives. The author shares a personal anecdote about using a three-gallon galvanized pan as a waterer for a flock of approximately 15 birds, illustrating the simplicity and effectiveness of the solution.

Watering Chickens 💦: The Basics to Know Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 along with safety and food water is the most important thing you can offer your flock a bird might be able to find its own food and it might be able to figure out how to roost in a tree out of the reach of predators but if it doesn't have access to water it won't last very long so let's talk about what a chicken's needs are water wise now the first thing a chicken needs is clean water that
• 00:30 - 01:00 clean source of water is more than just a nice site it's keeping your birds healthy too checking and refreshing the water every day ensures that your bird's source of water is clean and full to the brim for all of their thirsty needs some health problems are much more easily caught and spread when the only option a chicken has for water is a dirty algae encrusted puddle additionally birds won't drink as much when their water is mucky and that can reduce their productivity now that said some people make the cleanliness of their chickens waters a much bigger deal than it needs to be
• 01:00 - 01:30 you can twice daily scrub and bleach their water to make sure it is squeaky clean but keep in mind that the bird that drinks from it is still picking food off of the ground and scratching its own droppings into that same ground chickens don't need a sterile environment just a fresh one a simple rinse scrub with hay or the occasional deep clean of sickness breaks out is all that's really necessary so how much water does a chicken need to drink that's actually not an easy answer the amount of water a chicken needs is dependent on the weather
• 01:30 - 02:00 its size its diet and the stage of life it's in to give us a starting point however let's go with the needs of a standard size mature laying hen she'll need at least two cups of water a day and on sweltering days possibly much more a rapidly growing meat bird eating dry ration may consume even more water than that and a bitty little bantam will consume far less so the real answer is that you'll need to be the one to ultimately find out how much water your specific flock needs every day during your first few weeks with new
• 02:00 - 02:30 birds always plan on giving them more than what you think they need and then check the water often to keep it up in case it runs dry you can always scale it back later if necessary also for large flocks offer multiple sources of water to make sure that everyone can get a drink at the same time if there's too few you run the risk of the dominant chicken territorially barring the lower ranking birds from drinking when they want or need to another factor to keep in mind is the height of the waterer like many birds pigeons being one of the
• 02:30 - 03:00 exceptions a chicken drinks water by plunging its beak down into the water filling its mouth then raising its head to the sky to allow the water to drain down its throat if your water is an open pan the chickens can access this easily and drink much the way that their wild counterparts do when they encounter a puddle or a pond with store-bought nipple-style waters the water is kept cleaner by raising it off the ground so rather than grabbing beak fulls of water and then raising their heads these waters take a shortcut by allowing the chickens to raise their heads and
• 03:00 - 03:30 just let the water drain down their necks as such however the height of these hanging waterers needs to be at a specific point to accommodate the height of the birds drinking from it a set of chicks will need the water barely hovering off the ground but we'll need the water to grow with them as their height increases a flock of birds of differing heights might even need waters hanging at different heights to make sure that everyone has access to some much needed h2o now if implementing this style of water seems intimidating fear not i'll have a link in the resources
• 03:30 - 04:00 section to a helpful document that will give you the appropriate height for a hanging water relative the size of every chicken as you're starting to see you have lots of options when it comes to providing a consistent source of water for your chickens there's homemade models doi contraptions that can fill themselves all sorts of different things you can try but whatever you choose the most important characteristic of a good waterer is universal it needs to be easy to fill easy to clean and easy for your birds to access so that said let's check out a few
• 04:00 - 04:30 common designs the first one you're probably going to see is a double walled water this is probably one of the most common ones sold in livestock supply stores there's a simple galvanized design that can be set on the ground or hung from the ceiling and it can accommodate a water heater if wanted they come in many different sizes from simple little versions that can be made with a mason jar to big ones that hold multiple gallons when using a galvanized pan you should know that the galvanization reacts to acid so if you want to offer apple cider vinegar to your bird's water as a treatment or a tonic
• 04:30 - 05:00 you need to give it in a different container i find that a stainless steel bowl usually you can find them at the thrift store for very cheap is a great solution additionally if you find one that's made out of plastic keep in mind that it will become brittle in freezing temperatures handle it gently during the winter to make sure it lasts as long as possible another style is the galvanized pan or a rubber pan when i wrote in studying's article on chicken waters i was using a three gallon galvanized pan as the waterer for my current flock of the time it was about 15 birds it's the definition of simplicity drop
• 05:00 - 05:30 water in it to fill it scrub it out with a handful of clean grass to clean it it's essentially a very clean puddle that i provide for my birds for all the ease of use though there are some cons to inform you of as well an open pan like this is very easy to make dirty chickens have no problem walking in it tossing bits of leaves or grass into it as they scratch in the ground you'll need to check it a few times a day to see if it needs to be refreshed when i use a smaller one gallon pan to water my growing chicks i also line the bottom of that pan with clean river stones that the water isn't so deep
• 05:30 - 06:00 chicks are cute but not very bright when they're nearly hatched keeping the water shallow keeps them from getting wet or falling in and drowning once the chicks have developed wing and tail feathers after a few weeks they're a little bit smarter and it's safe to remove the stones finally getting a pan like this free of ice requires a light touch otherwise if you just bang it on the ground it's really easy to bend it and dent it and break little holes into it now since writing that article i've actually come across something better these rubber pants i definitely prefer them to the galvanized metal especially now that the cold months have
• 06:00 - 06:30 set in on our homestead since they're slightly flexible even when cold it's much much easier to get the ice out of them after three years of ice removal my galvanized pans have tiny little crimped holes that leak water so i can't use them for water anymore but not so with these rubber ones ice just falls out you can also use a diy waterer there are a ton of different designs online for making a diy water for your flock everything from self filling waters that can be connected to a rain barrel
• 06:30 - 07:00 repurposed coolers 5 gallon buckets and 100 different forms and even complicated pvc pipe contraptions that would make a plumber proud again in the resources section i've included a link to an article on some common diy designs that you may be able to find online but remember as you peruse the various ideas on blogs and pinterest boards remember that the best waterer is one that's easy to use easy to clean and easy to fill one that looks impressive might be too complicated to actually be practical in the long term honestly the chickens don't care how
• 07:00 - 07:30 many likes a picture gets they just want to be able to take a drink next we need to briefly discuss seasonal changes as the year changes so does your relationship with water in the heat of summer while the chickens are still laying eggs the water can be emptied at a blistering pace if the chickens ever run out of water for even just an afternoon they can overheat and they may even stop laying eggs as such make sure that checking your water is a habitual part of whatever you do whenever you go outside and if you're going to be gone for the day make sure the chickens have more than what they need
• 07:30 - 08:00 on the flip side the winter also poses water accessibility problems for your birds chickens can't drink ice and they don't break through forming ice like some ducks do they still need water just as much in the winter though so even when they're not laying i actually find my birds drink nearly as much in the winter as they do in the heat of summer i think maybe the drier winter air makes them thirstier so strategies for keeping water liquid in the winter vary you can get a heated water as a solution but if it shorts out breaks down or you somehow have a power outage your
• 08:00 - 08:30 water can freeze your birds will be thirsty and you might not even know it with an off-grid coop your options will have to be much more hands-on on the days below freezing you'll have to make multiple trips to the coop to break forming ice on the worst days you can even heat up some water on your wood stove and add it to the water to buy you some time just make sure you don't give your birds boiling water room temperature water will be okay at the end of the day once the birds have retired empty the pan or water for the night so it doesn't freeze hard or even break as the water expands trust me nobody wants to have that headache in the morning
• 08:30 - 09:00 another idea is using rain catchment for convenient safe water now i know i mentioned this in this coop section of this course but i feel like it bears repeating that having a rain barrel attached to your coop or close to your coop is incredibly useful though it needs to be drained during very deep freezes of winter three season access to the off-grid coop is more than just convenient it's actually safer water city water can contain lots of chemicals including fluoride and chlorine and some studies have proven that these unnecessary unnatural ingredients can
• 09:00 - 09:30 harm humans and i'm sure that they may have a deleterious effect on your flock as well with rainwater you have a free source of natural water without the chemical load if your coop is situated near the garden even using a 275 gallon repurposed ibc tote it could be even a better option as it offers water for both the garden and the flock now if chemicals in city water are something that you're aware of and concerned about yet your only option is to give your bird city water you can mitigate the chemical load by pouring the water the day before and letting it sit for 24 to 48 hours to let the chlorine evaporate
• 09:30 - 10:00 off and if it's something that doesn't matter to you you don't need to worry about it your birds won't die the second they drink straight tap water of course i do believe that they'll be better off if you can plan ahead for their water needs however so i wanted to make sure to share that tip armed with these tips and ideas giving your birds the water they need will be something that soon falls into the regular instinctive pattern of every day