A quick to make and easy to move chicken waterer!
As the temperatures warm up on our little farm, we look for ways to make chores easier. We want the flock kept cool and happy, and same with the humans too! Throughout the years we have learned what works, and what doesn’t work. PVC pipe feeders keep the feed easily contained with no mess in the coop. We make sure the flock has proper ventilation, and lots of air flow in the coop. We also adjust how we water the flock to be simple for us to fill, and easy for the birds to access.
One waterer we love to use in the summer time, is a DIY waterer using a 5 gallon bucket, and waterer cups. There are many different types of cups out there. Some are good, and some not so good. I feel like we have tried them all! We were so excited recently to receive some of Kuhl’s economy cup drinkers. They are durable, and so easy to use! Let’s take a look at our build of this incredible DIY chicken waterer!
Simple Supplies!
To get started you will need to gather some supplies. You will need a food safe 5 gallon bucket, a gamma lid (easy to screw off and on), and economy drinker cups. You will also need some simple tools: a drill, drill bit (we used a 3/8″ bit), a marking pen, and a tape measure. That’s it! Although you don’t have to, we do use a tiny bit of silicone caulk to seal around our drink cups. This just helps to ensure your waterer lasts even longer! We have a waterer that is close to 7 years with no issues, that’s so great!
After you gather your supplies, it is time to build your waterer! This project will take you no more 15 minutes.
Time to Build!
You want to start by first marking where you would like your economy cups to be. I’ve seen some versions where you put the cup very, very close to the bottom where it hangs over a bit. We like our cups flush with the ground, so we can use the waterer in various locations. For this waterer we marked our holes at 2 inches from the bottom, and 4 inches apart from each other.
Next you are going to drill the holes for your cups. Using your drill and drill bit, carefully drill into your bucket. Make sure to hold your drill bit straight, keeping your hole nice and even.
Time to Add The Cups!
Before we add the cups, we like to make sure to the bucket is really clean, and free of any plastic shavings from drilling the holes. You don’t want anything to get stuck in your drinker cup. After the bucket is clean, it is time to screw in the drinker cups. The great thing about the Kohl Economy Cup Drinker is they are so easy to screw in and are very snug when completely screwed in. As I mentioned above, we do add a little silicone around the very edge of the cups, but you don’t have to, these cups don’t leak like other brands!
If you do add the additional sealer, allow your waterer to sit for a few days for the caulk to completely cure.
When ever we build a new waterer, we like to channel our inner chicken and test the waterer with our hands, make sure the water flows good, no leaks, etc.
Give To Your Flock!
After you are done building and testing, it is time to offer the new waterer to your flock! If your flock is used to a cup waterer system, the additional waterer is usually really well received. If your flock is new to waterer cups, you can show them the water, by sticking your finger in the cup. They usually pick up on drinking from the waterer really quickly within a few hours.
We love the Kuhl Economy Cup Drinkers for their durability, and how easy it is for our chickens to use the waterer cups. As they are drinking, they are activating the yellow plunger, which adds more water to the cup. It works so perfect!
This type of waterer is so great because you can use it anywhere. We love to make a couple to have on hand at all times. If your flock is out free ranging, you can set the bucket out in the yard, and give them a place for a quick drink. You can quickly move the bucket waterer into your coop, and use the waterer in there. We have a Ryobi Scrubber we use for cleaning any waterer likes this. We also add a bit of apple cider vinegar to the waterer to prevent any algae growth!
Hopefully we have given you some inspiration to make your own DIY Chicken Waterer! Interested in ordering some Economy Cup Drinkers for your coop? You can give Kuhl a call at (908)782-5696 to place your order. Your flock will thank you!
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Kathleen Gibson says
How do you keep dirt out of the Cups? If not possible how do you clean the cups of dirt and debris?
OurWrensNest says
We like to put our waterer up a pallet, something to keep it up off the ground, and that helps a ton with keep dirt out of the cups. If we do get any dirt in the cups, we gently spray a little water in the cups to flush them out. The cups we used too, the cup can screw off for easy cleaning.