Water Your Small Flock...Easier!

As happens with most new ventures down a well trodden path, I have found a way to water my small flock of chickens with a minimal of fuss and not much cost.  It employs a commercially available poultry fountain, a 5 gallon bucket and a small amount of pvc pipe.  This idea is applicable to just about any type of foul.

I built my fixture, and my girlfriend (now bride) built one very similar, a couple of years ago.  What has prompted me to finally write this article?  It is seeing something similar in a picture in a catalog.  It is not sold in the catalog.  It is not even mentioned in the catalog, but you can see something similar in a picture.  Below are pictures of our two installations.

•  It holds 5 gallons of water which will serve my 20 chickens for several days.
• The water reservoir is in a lidded bucked so the water stays clean.
• It’s easy to fill.
• If you use an opaque bucket, it won’t grow algae.  Mine is white, but it is out of the sun.
• With the fountain I selected, cleaning is a snap.  You can remove just the red bowl without the need for tools.
• With the addition of a heating cord, it will work in places where it freezes during the winter.
• It is gravity feed, and requires no power or pressurized water (unless you need the heating element).
• And most of all, I have found it to be very dependable.

When it comes to making a watering station like this, you have all kinds of room to be flexible.  I chose a 5 gallon bucket as it was a fare size and readily available.  I bought it new so I was certain it hadn’t had some nasty farm chemical mixed in it (my others have).  I also chose plastic as it was easy to cut and doesn’t rust.  You can use metal if you wish.  As for the fountain, I chose a version that used a gravity activated valve, verses a float.  A float can get bumped or jammed and you can find yourself with an excess of water in the coop.  In addition, gravity removes the need for the water supply to be pressurized.  I’m all about the simple with this one.  Tweak this design to fit your situation.

At the end of this article, I have included a list of sources for all the parts necessary to make this setup.

Basic System:

This is a gravity feed system, so you start by mounting or hanging a 5 gallon bucket in or above the coop at a height above that which the fountain will hang. You can use anything applicable to your situation, including heavy shelf brackets.  Just make sure it has a place for the pipe to come out of the center, bottom of the bucket. Cut or drill a inch hole in the bottom of the bucket for the bulkhead fitting.  I use a hole saw mounted in a hand drill.  You can use a sharp knife if you want.  It doesn't have to be perfect, just not too big.  The fitting you will put in has a gasket to make the seal water tight. Install the bulkhead fitting through the hole in the bucket.  Make sure the threaded female fitting is on the outside.  Don’t forget the gasket! Cut a length of 1/2 pvc pipe as required for your situation.  Subtract out the height of the fountain and an additional small amount for the pvc adapters (about 3/4 of an inch).  You want the water dish to hang at about the height of your chickens back.  At that height they can drink out of it, but are less likely to get dirt or litter in it. Glue a pvc threaded adapter to each end of the pipe.  Make sure you get a good seal.  Give this piece about 5 minutes to dry. Apply Teflon plumbers tape to ONE of the threaded adapters, now glued on. Screw the Teflon prepared fitting into the fitting in the bottom of the bucket.  Use a pliers on the fitting (not the pipe) to turn until tight. On the remaining end of the pvc pipe assembly, screw on the poultry fountain.  Make sure it has a hose washer in the brass end to create a water tight seal. IMPORTANT.  Note that there is a small brass screen in the end of the fountain.  This screen will need the occasional cleaning.  How often depends on how clean the water is you put in the bucket ( I do mine twice a year).  If it clogs up, the bowl will not fill and your chickens will be thirsty.

Once construction is complete, fill the bucket with water and adjust the poultry fountain per the manufacturers instructions.  Check all fittings for leaks.

Remote Mounted Bucket:

If you don't want the reservoir directly above the drinking fountain don’t connect the rigid pvc to the bottom of the bucket directly.    Do this by adding a couple of barbed plastic fittings and a length of tubing between the bulkhead fitting and the pvc pipe assembly. On the top of the pvc pipe assembly, use a slip-to-thread coupling instead of a threaded adapter. Secure the tubing using pipe clamps.  Use electrical conduit clamps to mount the pipe and hanging fountain. This modification will allow you to mount the bucket outside the chickens area making it easier for you to fill. In this closeup picture you can see the hose, secured with clamps. I used ridged pvc for the offset. The hose isolates the bucket from any twisting or tork exerted by the chickens. You can also see the heating cable I use for winter time.

Parts List and suggested sources (only a couple of items can’t be had from the local hardware store or home center).

Part	Quantity	Source
5 gallon (or larger) plastic bucket	1	Local hardware or home center
1/2 Schedule 40 pvc pipe	As measured	Local hardware or home center
1/2 pvc slip to thread adapter	2	Local hardware or home center
PVC bulkhead fitting with gasket.  ½ female thread	1	United States Plastics (www.usplastic.com) Part# 16403
Poultry Fountain	1	Local farm store, or online at www.eNasco.com  Part C10877N
Optional - Heat tape	1	Local hardware or home center

Additional parts for a remote mounted bucket.

Part	Quantity	Source
1/2 pvc slip to thread coupling	1	Local hardware or home center
hose barb (plastic).  1/2 male thread.  Barb for 3/8 tubing	2	Local hardware or home center
3/8 id tubing	As measured	Local hardware or home center
Hose clamps (to fit O.D. of tubing)	2	Yep...the local hardware or home center
teflon plumbers tape	1	Local hardware or home center

NOTE:  Purchase one less threaded adapter for the remote mounted bucket.  Also, you can use any size tubing you would like, but I wouldn't go below 1/4 inch I.D.

If you have any questions regarding this setup, feel free to email me at reluctantshepherd@quietthymefarm.com

Preston.