Spring is in the air and that means that it’s time to start thinking and getting prepped for backyard chickens! I’m going to tell you everything you have ever wanted to know and more about Chicken Waterers and how to DIY your very own from a 5 gallon bucket.
Providing animals with water to drink seems like a no brainer, but there are a lot of factors that go into watering chickens. For instance: how much water do chickens need, what type/material of waterer is best, how to keep the water clean and how to DIY a chicken waterer that is simple and cost efficient. Let’s dive in.
DIY chicken waterer and feeder from 5-gallon buckets
Water is essential for humans to survive and it is no different for chickens. Appropriate access to clean water drastically influences how healthy a chicken is and how well they produce. If a chicken does not have an ample supply of water they will actually stop laying eggs! Did you know that? Water also aids in the digestive process and helps a chicken eliminate waste.
When a chicken is sufficiently hydrated they are able to regulate their body temperature more effectively. A chicken that drinks clean, cool water also has a healthy brain. This will keep the animal in tip top shape and their mind sharper to be able to watch for predators. In short-chickens will not survive without water.
It doesn’t seem like chickens drink very much water because they just take small sips throughout the day. However, on average chickens drink about 1 pint of water per day. They will drink more if the temperature is hot. They also like cool, fresh water. If the water has been sitting out in the sun too long, hasn’t been refreshed regularly, or starts to get dirty from the chicken’s own doing- they may stop drinking. You don’t want a chicken that isn’t drinking so remedy the issue quickly.
The process of chickens drinking water is actually really fun to watch. Chickens use their tongue to push food to the back of their mouth to be swallowed but that method doesn’t work for drinking. If a chicken wants to drink water you will see them dip their beak into the water and rapidly tilt their head back to let the water drip down their throat. So you can imagine they can’t drink a whole bunch of water at once.
Keeping the water you feed your chickens clean is essential. Ideally, you should refresh their water every single day to prevent bacteria build up and algae forming. Along with changing their water every single day, I suggest sanitizing the waterer at least weekly. You can use dish soap and a brush to clean the waterer or a diluted bleach solution.
Chicken waterers can come in various shapes, sizes, dollar amounts and can be constructed from a myriad of materials. In my experience, you don’t need to break the bank providing water for chickens. As long as they have clean, fresh water and lots of it your chickens will thrive. We have used this DIY version for chicken waterers for years and have found great success with them.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Chickens typically do not need water during the night. At night, they usually sleep on their roost until morning.
You want to place your waterers in a place without direct sunlight in order to keep the water as cool as possible.
I plan for 1 large waterer per 6-8 chickens. Remember that they drink about 1 pint a day so plan accordingly.
The general rule is if it is safe enough for you to drink then your chickens can drink it too.
If a chicken is dehydrated you will want to remedy the situation quickly. When a chicken isn’t getting enough water their egg laying will slow down or could stop completely, they will become lethargic, you many notice them panting or a pale comb as well.
DIY CHICKEN WATERER AND FEEDER FROM 5-GALLON BUCKETS
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
- Two 5-gallon buckets with lids (free - they are everywhere! Really! Just ask your local sandwich shop to save you a few that the pickles come in).
- Drill
- 1-inch standard drill bit or paddle drill bit
- Two large foil roasting pans ($2 - pick them up at the Dollar Store) OR these large feed pans
HOW TO:
FOR THE DIY CHICKEN FEEDER:
Clean and empty your 5-gallon bucket. Along the bottom edge of the bucket drill 1-inch holes all the way around the bottom, spacing the holes about 2 inches apart. Place the bucket inside the foil roasting pan, right-side-up (holes in the pan), and then fill it with chicken feed. The feed will pour through the holes into the pan and as they eat, more will come out. Replace the lid to the bucket so that the chickens can't get to the food from the top (and poo in it). Easy!
FOR THE DIY CHICKEN WATERER:
Clean and empty your 5-gallon bucket. Along the bottom edge of the bucket, drill two 1-inch holes, holes opposite of each other. Place the bucket inside the foil roasting pan, right-side-up (holes in the pan), and then fill it with chicken water. Quickly replace the lid and make sure that it has an airtight seal. This seal is key!! The water will stop coming out of the holes once the water covers the holes completely if the lid is airtight. The water will keep running out of the bucket and over flow the roasting pan if there isn't a good seal. It's a hydrodynamics thing....just ask my water engineer husband; he'd gladly explain it to you.
Here's how all that looks in pictures:
What you need:
Drill some holes:
Completed DIY chicken feeder:
Completed DIY chicken water with lid (see, it's not leaking!)
UPDATE OCTOBER 2017: I've now been using these same buckets as a DIY chicken waterer and feeder for over 4 years. I have upgraded from the tin foil turkey roaster pans though. Those pans lasted about 6 weeks but I was in it for the long haul. I picked up some large (about 16 inches wide and 4 inches deep) round metal pans from our hardware store to replace the pans in these pictures. Here are similar pans on Amazon. They cost me less than $10 each and have lasted 4 years. So for $20 total, instead of $2, I have a large feeder and waterer that I've been using for years. They work great and I still highly recommend making these.
Not everyone needs a post on a DIY chicken waterer and feeder from 5-gallon buckets, but someone out there does need it! Even if you don't have your own hens yet, this might be something to store away in your "someday" file because you just never know when you might need some great info that will save you a dollar or two!
Ginene
Great great idea and am new to rearing chickens
Robin
So what's the point of the 5 gallon bucket if the water level is only slightly above the holes?
Melissa
As the chickens drink, it refills itself! You have 5 gallons of water there and waiting for them to use it! It's awesome.
Robin
This did not work for me! Did exactly as Instructed..drilled the two holes and the water keeps coming out! I have the metal pan higher than the holes..you said the seal on the lid is very important..so what happens when you dump in a bucket of water..it runs out..just above the holes in the bucket and container...if the seal is so important, what about the openings where the handle is? There is air getting in there...I don't understand what I did wrong as I followed your instructions and this will not work
Melissa
You essentially need a closed bucket with holes around the bottom. If you have an holes at the top the air will not make a vacuum and your water will run out. There shouldn't be any holes near the handle. I'd try it again, once you get it to work it's the best thing ever.
J Charles
For folks having trouble with the vacuum, before you drill any holes, fill the bucket, put the lid on, turn it over. If any water comes out, you have vacuum issues and should not drill the holes in the bottom of the bucket. Instead, make a hole at the top of bucket or even in the lid if you want a very shallow pool. Then you fill the bucket, put lid on, and quickly turn the bucket over (lid on bottom inside the pan) and it will fill the pan to the level of the air hole. Because you don't have holes in the bottom of your bucket (which is now at the top), you have a perfect suction up there.
For those with buckets without lids, you can still do this if you use a wire or strong bungee cord to keep the bucket from lifting off the pan. Take an open bucket, fill it, put the pan over the top and secure it to the bucket so it can not lift completely off the bucket, it can be loose, just not TOO loose. Turn it over and you're done. Now go inside by the fire and dry out your pants because you probably spilled water on yourself. I didn't say this was ideal, just doable.
Melissa
Great tips and tricks, thank you so much for sharing!
Evageline C. Villaruz
Thank you for your great ideas.. I am always in trouble to see the poos of my chicken in the waterer and it was very small container..Now I got this and hoping yo make one...God bless you always...
Tayne
The video shows as private and when I try to sign in, it says it's unavailable. Bummer!
Melissa
Thanks for letting me know, not sure why he took it down. I guess I'll just have to make my own video!
Robert Weaver
Very simple but they work!
michelle
wish i'd seen this hint before i spent all that money for a 5 gallon waterer.
caryn
HELP, everytime I make one of these bucket waterers it does not stop filling ip the pan, it just runs over until the bucket is empty dow. to the hole.
What am I doin wrong?
Melissa
If that is happening then the lid isn't airtight and it's not making a vacuum seal so the water will all leak out. I'd try a different bucket or a little caulk around the top before you pound the lid on! Good luck Caryn because once you get it to work you will LOVE IT!
Vesper
Mine will stop flowing when I get the lid on but its hard to fill it up and get the lid on before the water is over flowing the tub. I can't carry five gallons of water and neither can my kids. Suggestions?
Melissa
We just keep the lid on and stick a hose in the hole to fill them up (while they are sitting upside down). I normally back them to and from the water with a wagon! Then all I have to do is flip them over into the pan.
shannon
I know this is an old post but was hoping for some help. I'm using new gamma seal lids and it still overflows until the bucket is empty. Any ideas?
Melissa
I don't think the gamma seal lids provide enough airtight suction for this. I have the best luck when I get pickle buckets from a restaurant that have a little screw on lid at the top (don't pop off the whole top) they seem to work best. The gamma seal will work great for food though (and it will keep them sitting on the edge of a open bucket top and pooping in the food)!
Tony and Dina Andricci
Thankyou for your experience. ...I'll show it to my HUSBAND. ....MR.OVERKILL.
Danny Warren
I just buried a potpourri warmer in the ground and hung my water container about 3 inches directly above it.
Ellen
Can those waterers be made warm in winter by the addition of a bird bath heater with the cord sticking out the lid or would that cause all of the water to leak out?
Melissa
The water would leak. You can stick the bottom pan on bricks (use 4, one on each corner) and place a 45 watt bulb underneath it. The heat from the bulb will keep it from freezing!
randy
Maybe you already covered this option and I missed it, but for the waterer, if you drill the holes at the top, you can carry the water and turn it upside down to create the waterer..........
tabatha
I cannot get the food to pour out of my holes. I ended up drilling a extra holes but it still isn't working. Do they need to just be bigger holes, you think
Melissa
Hmmm. That's so weird. I've been using my for over a year now with no issues. I would try bigger holes!
Karen Blackburn
Instead of foil containers which the chickens can peck holes in I just used very large glass roasting dishes, they're way too thick and heavy for chickens to break, are relatively cheap to buy second hand, and best of all can be bleached/disinfected without any worries about tainting for future use. And if you have chicks, you only need put a small amt in the bottom (water) and the chicks and drink (with mum) with no worries about them being tipped over or chicks drowning.
mamallama100
This is a great idea! I was also going to mention that for the bottom of the pans, you could use round plastic plant trays. They sell them separately at Wal-Mart.
Leila Barnes
How do you get the board to stick on top of the waterer? Is it nailed down?
Melissa
I ended up just keeping a board with a big flat-bottomed rock on top of both the food and the water. It really helps to keep the food and water clean and the hens like to perch on the rock 🙂
Joe
You can also modify the board with a couple of magnets (I use the ones I salvage out of old computer hard drives and a piece of steel (like a bean can cut open and laid out flat. The magnets hold the board on to the top of the bucket, but can be easily removed to clean the board and refill the bucket. E-Z-CHEEZ-E
Melissa
Seriously great idea!
Heidi E.
I just have a quick question... How do you refill the waterer without losing the proper seal? As I am picturing it in my head... The water would go all over, and I wasn't sure if I was misunderstanding the design? My husband attempted to make one of them for me using an old milk can, but we couldn't get the seal correct so we scrapped it for ice cream pails until I came up with another option.
These look really good! I plan to make them up as soon as I convince my hubby to come out from his nice warm blankets! LOL
Have a good day & congratulations on the new baby!
Melissa
You can hammer the lid back on or I just stick the end of the hose in the hole that I drilled (with the bucket upside down), fill it up and then flip it over into the water container when I get it to the coop. Does that make sense? It is SO nice to have a full 5 gallons of water for the hens and I think you'll love it!
Meri-Lynn
Can you drill a hole in bottom for filling, or I wonder about drilling hole around top so you still have use of the handle, would I still need lid if open end is in pan. And how hard would it be to flip over without getting wet.
Melissa
We just stick the hose in the holes at the bottom and then flip it over... not super easy but we can do it fine. If you drip holes in the top though it won't make the suction that it needs to hold the water in the pan. Those crazy hydrodynamics!
Amber
I love your baby blue eggs! Reminds me of grandma's. .. You are awesome at what you do Melissa, keep it up! I love reading what cool things you are up to!
Erin Blegen
This is awesome- thanks so much for the idea. I was worried about having to spend the money on a new waterer as my galvanized one has finally worn out. Thanks so much!
Erin
Yellow Birch Hobby Farm
http://yellowbirchhobbyfarm.blogspot.com
Melissa
Erin-
So glad you found me (and left your blog too so I can check you out!!) just so you know... I ended up buying big metal pans to replace the turkey roasters after about 6 weeks. The pans were $6 each at the farm supply store (near the buckets) so my price is now at $12 for the two. Still great but not as cheap as $2. I need to update that on the post! Thanks for stopping by. M.
Bill
yes that is right. when the chickens get older they drink more and the metal pan holds up better. Could you drill less holes? The bucket is hard to turn over for my daughter. Do you have any other ideas >
Alison
This is awesome and totally timely for me since my flock went from 9 to 23 and those gals are drinking more than my waterer will hold! You can buy steel feed pans @ Murdoch's for $6. I'm going to make the waterer this weekend. Thanks!
alula
You could probably find suitable pans in a thrift shop?
Cheryl
Good plastic long lasting pans at the $Tree!
Melissa
Good tip, thank you! I'll have to take a look for them there!
Kay Nowak
Not sure why my waterer didnt work. Water just keeps coming over the side of my pan
Melissa
Hydrodynamics! You haven't created a vacuum seal which means that there is air coming in the top of your bucket. So you'll need that top lid to be airtight or it won't work and the water will just keep coming out. Hope that helps!
Colleen
I'm planning on making these tomorrow after I go get the plastic pans from the dollar tree. Instead of turning the bucket over to fill I'm going to try putting a cork in the holes, then fill the bucket replace the lid and then remove the corks. We'll see how it works.
Melissa
I'd LOVE to hear how the cork goes, that sounds like a great idea! Keep us posted! I'm years in using my buckets and still love them.
Becky
Aww! Look at my adorable pregnant friend drillin' those bucket holes! This is so great! Totally pinning to keep 🙂
wayne
Instead of the roasting pans I got the large round plastic tray that goes under potted plants! Same difference works great.