Chicken water

Chickens need clean water.  Keeping it clean can be a problem.  They tend to stir up dust, step in it, poop in it, etc.  When it gets gross they tend not to drink it.  I wouldn't either.

You can see the device I've been using to water the chickens up until now.  I got it at the local hardware store.  I would say that it works OK, but I have to change the water in it frequently.  I have it under the coop and elevated on a landscaping stone, but it still gets dirty.

The solution?  I went to the local Agri Supply and found poultry nipples.

Then I went to my shed and found some 4" PVC pipe.  Originally this was going to be a strawberry planter.  I never got around to using it.  My strawberries went directly in the ground.  So I re-purposed it.  

I had drilled holes in the bottom of it for drainage.  That's great for a strawberry planter, but not so good when you want it to hold water.  A little duct tape fixed that.  I drilled two bigger holes and installed the poultry nipples.

Then I drilled two holes at the other end of the pipe and ran para cord through them.  After that I hung it on the side of the coop and filled it with water.  It holds just under a gallon.  

I have to say that the water in it has stayed clean.  But... I can't tell if the water level has gone down much or any at all!  I haven't seen a chicken drink from it.  So it's hard to say if this has been a success or not.

Bonus picture!  Here's a chicken laying an egg.