Water in the chicken coop – How to provide your chickens with the best water

To provide your chickens with the best possible care, you should consider many other issues, such as choosing the right breed for you, nutrition, and the appropriate coop and outdoor range size, as well as their water supply. Access to sufficient fresh drinking water must be guaranteed at all times – both in the coop and in the outdoor run.

In addition to the size of your flock of chickens and the associated water requirements, you can first consider what type of chicken drinker you want to offer your animals.

The selection is vast. You can choose between the popular inverted drinker, an automatic drinking system, or even an open bowl for the water. Here you will find an overview and our top tips on everything related to drinker heaters and the recommended amount of water for your hens. And we show you how to Blood Shield prevent red mites and other chicken parasites.

Which chicken drinker is the best?

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of which waterer is best for your chicken coop. Many factors can influence your choice. How many thirsty chickens do you provide with water daily? How big is the run? And what's your lifestyle, for example? Do you like to travel and sometimes find yourself unable to fill the water bowl one day?

You can plan on a water consumption of approximately 300 ml per day per chicken. However, this is only a guideline and varies depending on breed and size, weather, the size of the run, and the amount of exercise. Your waterer should therefore hold approximately this amount. For 10 chickens, that would be 3 liters of drinking water per day.

If your chickens are allowed to romp around in the run every day, you should make sure there's a waterer outside as well. This will allow them to help themselves at any time. This waterer should also have sufficient capacity, of course.

You should empty and rinse the waterer every day before refilling it. And once a week, give it a thorough cleaning to remove dirt and grime.

Chicken coop: The most popular drinking troughs

You can choose from different types of chicken drinkers: snap-on drinkers, nipple drinkers, bowls, or bucket drinkers – and they're also made of different materials. Whether plastic or stainless steel, it's important that the drinker is easy to clean. Here's a selection of the most popular chicken drinkers:

 

Drinking troughs:

Top-mounted drinkers are extremely practical in the chicken coop and have become a classic for many chicken keepers. The biggest advantage is that the water isn't exposed. It sits upside down on a plate, and the pressure ensures that only the amount of water your hens need flows into the plate. This way, dirt and soil don't accumulate in the drinker, and none of the hens will even think about taking a bath.

Bucket drinkers:

A bucket drinker undoubtedly looks stylish, and the water isn't exposed. This helps prevent contamination. However, bucket drinkers are often difficult to clean. And because they're often made of galvanized stainless steel, they rust quickly when they come into contact with vinegar or salt.

Nipple drinkers:

Nipple drinkers are a great solution if all your chickens are roughly the same size. The drinker is suspended, allowing the hens to easily raise their heads and drink. The nipple drinker greatly reduces contact, preventing dirt or stones from finding their way into the water.

Open drinking bowl:

The classic may look nice and correspond to the natural drinking behavior of chickens from open water sources, but dirt, bedding or grass are inevitable in the water and you will have to change the water constantly.

Siphon drinkers:

If you have a lot of chickens, a siphon drinker is a good option. It has plenty of space for water, and its feet keep the water in the bowl clean, similar to a top-loading drinker. However, a siphon drinker is difficult to clean, and germs can form that can be harmful to your chickens' health.

Automatic chicken drinker:

Automatically, too. Simply connected to the water line, the waterer regulates the water level and adds more water as needed. If you enjoy weekend trips or are on the go a lot, an automatic waterer can be a huge relief.

Build your own chicken drinker:

Of course, you can also build a top-hung drinking trough yourself. You can find simple instructions online using a clay plate and a bucket.

Where do I put the drinking trough?

Ideally, the chicken waterer should be placed on a raised surface. This could be a concrete base or feet. This will easily prevent too much dirt from getting into the drinking water.

If you choose a cup-top or nipple drinker, it's ideal to hang it or mount it on the wall. This is hygienic and allows your hens to drink in a comfortable way.

Furthermore, especially with outdoor drinking troughs, it's important that they're protected from light and heat. This ensures the water stays at a comfortable temperature. And, of course, for hygiene reasons, rain shouldn't be able to drip into the trough.

Drinking trough warmer against frozen water

You need to ensure the hens have plenty of drinking water, whatever the weather. In winter, freezing temperatures can ruin your plans. Be sure to take care of frozen water!

First, you can insulate the bottom of the drinking trough, either by reinforcing the floor or protecting it with blankets. Alternatively, you can purchase a drinking trough heater. This uses electricity to keep the water liquid. Do your research and buy a high-quality heater so the water – regulated by a thermostat – always remains drinkable.

Prevent chicken mites with Blood Shield in water

Your chickens should always have sufficient drinking water available. If it's insufficient or possibly contaminated, you'll soon notice a drop in your hens' egg production. Egg production declines rapidly when water is scarce.

In addition, you can also use the water to improve the health of your animals in a more profound way. Ectoparasites, especially the red mite, can be eliminated with Blood Shield Not only prevent it through drinking water, but also combat it directly in acute cases.

Blood Shield is a herbal extract that strengthens the digestion, intestines, and bones of poultry. The overall improvement in health makes your chickens less susceptible to poultry mite attacks and more likely to recover from infestation.

If parasites are active, you should add Blood Shield to your drinking water daily. Add one capful of the herbal extract to one liter of water. As a preventative measure, one capful of Blood Shield per liter is sufficient once a week.

This way, you can easily and simply promote the health of your chickens through drinking water and reduce the suffering caused by red mites for yourself and your feathered friends.