Hanging feeder & waterer vs. raising on bricks?

[pigcoon]

Hi there-

My coop design had a space where I was going to put the feeder and waterer but I was just going to raise them up on bricks or cinder blocks. I've been reading here about everyone hanging them. Does it make a difference? Do they have to hang, or do they just need to be up a bit to keep from getting dirty and such?

 

[schmije]

They don't have to hang, but we've found that when we set ours on bricks, the chickens try to stand on top. That means they poop in them, and occasionally knock them over. When we hang them, they can't stand on them, and it's impossible to knock them over.

We just have a rope attached to a roof rafter with a carabiner tied at the bottom. That makes it really easy to unclip the feeders and waterers for refilling.

 

[Chirpy]

I've done it both ways and hate using bricks. Not only do they get more bedding or dirt in it but, as schmije said, they get on top of them and poop in them or down the sides. When they are hanging the chickens can't get on top of them (at least the kind I have) and I rarely have bedding scratched/kicked up into them.

 

[Judy]

My waterer sits on a concrete block, but I keep a string tied to it and to the wire wall 3' or so above. Stops them from standing on it. I have read that the plastic waterers that are designed to hang tend to fall apart fairly quickly from the weight on the plastic.

 

[pigcoon]

That makes sense, thank you. Maybe I can fake them out by attaching a rope without really hanging them. I appreciate the advice!

 

[codybird]

They just have to be raised.

Just make sure what you set them on is the size of the bottom of the waterer, so they don't have a place to sit/poop.

 

[pigcoon]

Given their love of roosting, should I be putting a lot of alternatives (other than the main roost bar) in their run? We'll be having a main coop with about a 10 foot run coming off of it. They should probably have options, right?

 

[Southernbelle]

My problem with hanging them was when the chickens would try to hide underneath the feeders and waterers they would bump them and food and water would spill. I was much happier using the cinder blocks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The problems with chickens and feeders are that they will scratch it out if they can and they will poop in it, ruining the food. Mine are still chicks so I don't have the experience with grown chickens in a coop set-up.

Many people hang the feeder at the height of the chickens backs and rig up something so they cannot perch on top of the feeder. They will tape cones or something that flops over when they land on it to the top. Maybe put a bleach bottle or a funnel around the wire or rope that is holding it up. The limits are what you have available and your imagination.

One of the ones I liked was where someone took a 5-gallon plastic bucket, cut holes big enough for the chickens to stick their heads in near the top rim, then put that up-side-down over the feeder. The chickens could not scratch it, they could not poop on it and the food was protected from rain outside in the coop. You have to rig it up so they cannot turn it over, maybe putting a paver on top? A deli or grocery store with a deli will normally have free 2-1/2 gallon and 5 gallon food-grade plastic buckets.

Good luck!

 

[arlee453]

I hang mine in the booder using a chain (old dog tie out chain the former residents left here...) I cut it into lengths and then use S hooks to hang the feeder/waterer. That works really great because you can raise them as the chickens grow - just use a higher link in the chain.

Raising them over time keeps them from bumping and spilling.

That's just what works for me...

I use a 4x9 foot dog kennel as a brooder pen inside a building. I have covered around the inside of the keenel panels with 1/4" hardware cloth/fence to keep the little ones from popping out the holes in the chain link. I use poles stuck through the chain link near the top of the panels to hold the chains for the water/feeder and their light, which I also use the chain link to raise and lower.