Hanging Plastic Poultry Waterer

Chicks need water from their first day, and they find it fastest when it's easy to reach. This hanging waterer gives them a clean place to drink that stays out of the shavings. Hang it at chick height, fill it, and it's ready for the first morning in the brooder.

The body is translucent plastic, so you can see the water level from across the room. Molded plastic is light, durable for everyday use and won't rust the way a metal waterer can over a long season.

It's a simple waterer, and it earns its spot with daily use.

Highlights

• Translucent body shows the water level
• Molded plastic that won't rust
• Hangs off the bedding
• Made for a starting chick flock

Why hang a waterer for chicks

Chicks drink by dipping their beaks in the water and tipping their heads back. A waterer hung at about the height of their backs keeps them from wading into it, and the water stays cleaner. A waterer on the litter fills with shavings in a day or two, and little feet kick bedding straight into it.

Hanging also makes the water easier to keep up. You can see the level without digging through the brooder, and a clear body shows you when it's time for a refill. Raise the waterer as the chicks grow, so it stays at back height and out of the litter.

It suits a brooder box, a garage setup or a barn corner where a new flock is getting its first weeks. Keep the water fresh and the waterer at the right height, and the chicks do the rest.

At a glance

How to use it

Hang the waterer where the chicks can reach it without climbing, at about the height of their backs. Fill it with fresh water before the first chick arrives, so the water is ready when they are.

1. Fill it with clean, fresh water.
2. Check the water level through the body each morning.
3. Empty, wash and refill it every few days, and refresh the water every day.

To clean, wash the waterer with warm soapy water, rinse well and let it dry before you refill. Water left standing in a warm brooder spoils quickly, so fresh water every day is the rule.

Good to know

• Set the feeder away from the waterer, so feed doesn't fall into the water and turn it cloudy.
• Pair it with a chick feeder and starter feed, set a short walk from the waterer so the chicks find both and neither gets fouled.
• In a cold snap, check the water more often. Water freezes quickly in an open waterer, and a frozen one leaves chicks thirsty.
• Replace the waterer if a seam cracks or a rim splits, since a leak wets the litter around it.
• Match the size you pick to the number of birds you're keeping, and plan on more refills as the flock grows.

About Miller Manufacturing

Double-Tuf is a line from Miller Manufacturing, which started as a family-owned business in 1941 and also makes Little Giant farm and ranch equipment.

Chick season is the time to set up the brooder, so get this waterer hung now.