Water drinker issues...any ideas?

[frias]

Any tyre place should be delighted to let you have tyres as it costs them about £1.25 to dispose of them! I'm a great tyre user - early potatoes being the favorite! They can also provide good hidey holes for chooks being bullied!

The first few tyre place I tried said no, old tyres have to be accounted for, fly tipping, jobsworth bla bla etc.
The girls do really love standing on the tyres too.

[TEB]

local farmer had about 40 tyres dumped on his land not so long ago, the onus is on him to have them removed, fly tipping in the country is a big problem.

PS I use a mushroom feeder
PPS the tyres are still there if you want them

[bluemoon]

In addition to a large drinker I've also made a couple of 'emergency' drinkers from old 2 litre milk cartons. Think of the bit with the handle as the back, cut a section out of the front large enough for a chicken to get its head in, but high enough for it to contain a fair amount of water in the bottom, then tie the handle to the wire. These are difficult to knock over and help ensure that in hot weather, even when there's a queue at the main drinker, all the chooks have immediate access to water.

[walldanzig]

I have a large ice cream tub with a housbrick in it they dont knock that over

[DaisyDiamond]

In addition to a large drinker I've also made a couple of 'emergency' drinkers from old 2 litre milk cartons. Think of the bit with the handle as the back, cut a section out of the front large enough for a chicken to get its head in, but high enough for it to contain a fair amount of water in the bottom, then tie the handle to the wire. These are difficult to knock over and help ensure that in hot weather, even when there's a queue at the main drinker, all the chooks have immediate access to water.

I am liking the 'emergency drinker' - I'll definitely try this one. A lot of the other ideas will be good for in the garden when they are free ranging (must try to get some tyres) but in limited secure space when I am not there big buckets/tyres/washing bowls would take up a relatively large area of their run space.

[SuzyB]

I have this problem occasionally, even though the drinker is two bricks high. My bluebell likes to sit on top of it and when she misjudges, she knocks it over. I have 3 treat cups clipped to the sides of the run filled with water for when this happens. They are high enough not to get the water dirty, except of course when they stick dirty beaks in them!