New chicken owner: using water runoff from metal roof to a PVC pipe with nipples?

[ReluctantChickenOwner]

Hi, opinions wanted on using water runoff from a metal roof to a barrel, then pipped to a PVC pipe with nipples? Does anyone worry about diseases from wild bird droppings getting into the water system? We haven't set this system up yet but are considering it. We do have many wild birds in treed areas on our property. Wondering if anyone has thought of this or considered it an issue. I suppose we could just fill the barrel by way of a hose. But in Oregon, we are known for rain from mid-fall to late spring!

Thanks for comments,

Laura

 

[pennyJo1960]

What a great idea cover it like a hardware cloth helmet then leaves or such or bird droppings may not fall in.

 

[ReluctantChickenOwner]

What a great idea cover it like a hardware cloth helmet then leaves or such or bird droppings may not fall in.

Thanks for your response. I was thinking more of the dried/or fresh wild bird droppings on the coop metal roof running off through guttering to the barrel. I would put a strainer of sorts to stop larger items from getting into the barrel, but once poop is wet.....it pretty much would run off, right? I saw the set used by others (see Carolina Coops) but wondered about possible shared diseases from wild birds.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

This is a great question. I was wondering the same thing. I've been looking at all these fantastic (seeming) set ups that use collected rain water, and it just dawned on me that maybe it wasn't such great idea. They don't suggest we drink it for fear of contamination, but is it possible to do with chickens? I mean... it's got to be cleaner than the puddle water or creek run off that my chickens seem to prefer over the beautifully clean tap they have constant access too. My girls act like they CRAVE the dirty water, they practically attack each other to get first drink! I keep a few straps of colored sheets and pinwheels on the roof of my coop and run to scare off most of the birds, but we always have a few ballsy blue Jay's that don't seem to fear much hanging out up there, but bird flu isn't an issue here, so I'm wondering if that's all I have to worry about since we do worm on a regular schedule. I'm super curious if someone has an informed opinion one way or another. I do water my gardens with collected rain water from barrels, gardens which my girls feed and dirt bath in, should I be worried about the same thing...?

 

[GRB73]

I would not take a chance with my birds getting ill from dirty roof runoff. Use hose water if you can. Runoff can contain viruses as well as bacteria. It is a fabulous idea to collect that water for plants, but again, due to risk of disease, I only use my rain barrel water on ornamental plants, never on my veg and fruit plants. I once had my roof runoff tested, and it was full of E. Coli bacteria from bird droppings.

 

[Percheron chick]

Do you have a plan for the excess water you may end up with? Like an overflow pipe? 1" of rain on a 10x10 roof is 62 gallons.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I'm in Oregon. This is my set up. Only have to fill it with the hose for a few summer months. The cup has a filter and I don't worry about disease. 20years so far so good.

 

[Mfr422]

Here’s my setup, bought the gutter adapter to keep solids out and the gutter drains like normal. I live in indiana so freezing is an issue in the winter. I have a stock tank heater in the drum on a thermostat, heat tape keeps the cups from freezing and the little circulation pump works well. Been using this setup for three years with no problems. Chickens are dinosaurs and will drink and eat anything including their own poop so I have never worried about the water supply.

 

[The head hen]

Most tap water sources contain chlorine. You might consider adding a capfull of bleach to the rain barrel (assuming 50 gallons or so).

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Hi, opinions wanted on using water runoff from a metal roof to a barrel, then pipped to a PVC pipe with nipples? Does anyone worry about diseases from wild bird droppings getting into the water system? We haven't set this system up yet but are considering it. We do have many wild birds in treed areas on our property. Wondering if anyone has thought of this or considered it an issue. I suppose we could just fill the barrel by way of a hose. But in Oregon, we are known for rain from mid-fall to late spring!

Thanks for comments,

Laura

Don't do it. Your system fails.

you have the right IDEA, however. You just need much more filtration.
I use a the metal roof of my barn, which is in the middle of my pasture, with no overhanging trees, etc. So leaf levels are near 0. Wild birds don't rooston it, and don't drop much on it either. That's not a concern. Dust and pollen DOES build up, however. I used 12' metal sheets, 3/12 pitch, the barn roof is about 46' in length. We get about 1" rainfall per week. That's enough to fill a 275 gal poly tote each week, with overflow. I catch the rain in a 6" wide metal gutter, channel it to the end. there's gross filtration (a metal screen) at the top of the down spout. There's finer filtration (window screen material (in a sock or coffee-flter like shape) at the top of the polytote's fill hole, with an air gap so I can access it for cleaning. Then the remaining solids (dust/pollen) settle to the bottom, which is plenty deep - several inches before the drain on the side is used to provide pressure to my waterers. The whole system is elevated about 4' in the air, which provides a tiny amount of pressure - probably 2-3 psi.

I've kept myself, my wife, two dogs, 80 birds, a few goats in water that way for weeks when we had no rainfall. Once, sometimes twice a year, all the filters get washed out and cleaned or replaced, the whole tank gets its inside pressure washed, and its ready to go.
My system works because the huge 275 gal polytote works as a sediment tank, allowing heavy materials (dust, dirt, other solids) to settle out, below the level that's siphoned into your nipple system - those things can get plugged pretty easily, and a leak from a valve/lever stuck open will slowly drain you dry.
If you are going to do a barrel system, you need to add a second barrel, just like a septic tank or a pond mechanical "bog filter". One side (the first barrel) is your sediment tank, allowing solids to drop to the bottom, with water being filtered off between 1/3 and 1/2 way up. That doesn't give you much storage however, so you take that outflow and capture it in a second barrel for actual use. Then use elevation changes in a step system to control your pressures. If you put a valve in the line connecting the barrels (use a 1/4 turn stop valve), you can shut the system off to clean the first (sediment) barrel while leaving the reserve in the second, which will continue to supply water to your animals while you clean the first. Which should have its top taken off, tilted over, hosed clean of sediments, bleached if desired, and tilted back into place once a year or so.