Hanging vs on-ground feeder & waterers?

[Madam Penny]

We just bought our coop and I need advice on where to best place the waterer and feeder. We have a small coop for 4 chickens (they are still in the brooder); I've looked thoroughly thru this site and can't find specific direction on where to place these...and why and/or when to hang vs on-ground slightly raised placement. Thanks for your input.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Location is a matter of personal preference and people hang feeders to keep rats & mice from looting them.

 

[goodb]

Some prefer to keep the water clean by by using nipple waterers. There are several variations that you'll find if you look through this site.

 

[Settle4nuthin]

i have one of those white/red based waterers..i took some wire and looped it around the top of it and one loop over the top. i hung it from the inside roof of my coop. they dont waste as much by flinging it all over and they cant poop in it. I used a quit disconnect ring and a "J" hook. I just ordered 10 horizontal nipples from ebay (delayed due to the demand) I also have the 3 lb feeder that sits on the ground..they fling more food all over the place then they eat. i made the bucket feeder with the street elbow and they are just getting big enough to eat from it. they cannot fling the food with it like they do with the store bought feeder.

 

[pawtraitart]

We just bought our coop and I need advice on where to best place the waterer and feeder. We have a small coop for 4 chickens (they are still in the brooder); I've looked thoroughly thru this site and can't find specific direction on where to place these...and why and/or when to hang vs on-ground slightly raised placement. Thanks for your input.

I like the horizontal nipples. If you are in an area that freezes during the winter, you can put a de-icer in a 3+ gallon bucket and it doesn't freeze/drip. The vertical nipple drinkers sometimes freeze even with a de-icer because water remains in the pin where the HN are spring loaded so stay thawed. A bucket with the HN nipples can be hung or set on a solid surface like a cinder block, either way. Susan at allboutchickens.com has both the horizontal nipples for DIY projects or you can get her buckets.

 

[debid]

Vertical nipples don't hold water any more than the horizontal ones do. They work exactly the same way except that gravity holds a vertical nipple to center while a horizontal one requires a spring. A bucket heater has kept my old setup working through zero degrees just fine so I know from experience that vertical water nipples don't freeze easily. I also know some of the folks who sell the horizontal kind make false claims to try to make their product seem like an improvement and therefore worth twice as much.

 

[debid]

Oh, and hanging the feeder helps keep scratched litter/dirt/etc. and droppings out. Mice and rats can jump so you're kidding yourself if you think it's rodent protection; if the chickens can reach, so can the varmits. There are pedal operated feeders for folks with rodent concerns and instructions online to DIY.

The biggest concern for feeder placement is keeping the food clean and dry. Wet food goes moldy and grain mold is nasty stuff.

 

[pawtraitart]

Vertical nipples don't hold water any more than the horizontal ones do. They work exactly the same way except that gravity holds a vertical nipple to center while a horizontal one requires a spring. A bucket heater has kept my old setup working through zero degrees just fine so I know from experience that vertical water nipples don't freeze easily. I also know some of the folks who sell the horizontal kind make false claims to try to make their product seem like an improvement and therefore worth twice as much.

False claim? What kind of false claim? I've used both and for my zone, the vertical nipples do indeed freeze open even with a heater because they are gravity fed and all it takes is a drop of frozen water or dirt to stop them from working properly. My temps get down to -18 degrees F which is waaaay colder than zero so I think it depends on the actual temperatures to fairly compare. I even had a 2 quart drinker sitting on a seedling heat mat this past winter and it never froze.....it stayed workable even at below freezing temps in my coop. As for price, the vertical nipples can be purchased from China and are dirt cheap. The horizontal nipples, on the other hand, are much....MUCH... more expensive to import. I raise a lot of birds and having personal experience with both types of nipples, I can say that the horizontal nipples are indeed superior. I don't say this as just a manufacturer of products, I say this as a poultry breeder who has tried every type of drinker on the market. I'm sure that there are other horizontal nipple converts who can say the same. No disrespect intended. Just trying to give a fair reply.

 

[debid]

False claim? What kind of false claim? I've used both and for my zone, the vertical nipples do indeed freeze open even with a heater because they are gravity fed and all it takes is a drop of frozen water or dirt to stop them from working properly. My temps get down to -18 degrees F which is waaaay colder than zero so I think it depends on the actual temperatures to fairly compare...

Well, I didn't mean you but claims like this one: "Vertical nipples freeze open at x degrees even with a heater". There are folks in colder climates than mine or yours who use them successfully with bucket heaters. It is true that a leaking nipple makes an icicle and if you have a significant leak, you can manage to cover the nipple with ice. But, I don't believe non-leaking nipples freeze in the open position when they have a heated water source. It makes no sense.

 

[pawtraitart]

I've personally had them freeze open. It created a long icicle until it froze up completely and stopped up the leak. The water in the bucket was thawed, but the nipples were frozen. Maybe my heater wasn't strong enough? I think there's a difference in the quality of the vertical nipples, too. I noticed that some of mine feel heavier and the ball bearing inside is bigger. I'm not sure. Either way, I think that nipple drinkers of either style are better than dumping out icky water pans all the time.