When you begin your backyard chicken flock you want to make sure you have the best chicken waterer for their run and coop so we gathered the best ones we have discovered to help you make a great decision for your flock.
Most chicken owners are unaware that their chickens cannot go longer than 24 hours without any water. In fact, water is even more essential to chickens than food. They can go a few days without food if they have access to their run, but water is not a question for them. Thus, it is so important to have a chicken watering system that makes it really easy to make sure your chickens have water whenever they need it. The following chicken waterers are the best systems out there to help insure that your chickens are never without water.
We have tried many different options for keeping our chickens with clean and healthy water over the years, but without a doubt the following ones have made it an easy process for us. When choosing these items we were focused on sharing products that were easy and simple to use, kept your water clean, and made your tasks as a chicken owner easy.
COMPARISON CHART
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|---|---|---|
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1. Our DIY Chicken Waterer with Attachable Chicken Nipples
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2. RentACoop 2 Gallon
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3. Harris Farms Poultry Drinker 6.25 Gallons
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4. Harris Farms Plastic Poultry Drinker
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5. Miller Little Giant 5 Gallon Poultry Waterer
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Specification
| Water Capacity | 5 Gallons or any size you would like it to be |
| Product Dimensions | 11.91″ top x 14.5″ Hgt. |
| Item Weight | Without water under 1lb but with water 20 lb |
Features
- Gravity Fed Design
- Highly Durable
- Easy Assembly
- Keeps Water Clean
- Easily Done at Home
- Affordable
We tried so many waterers and this was for sure the best way we have done the water system for our backyard chickens. It is a super simple DIY and incredibly affordable. It keeps the water clean and is easy to fill up.
WHAT WE LIKE
This design is extremely affordable. It also makes it easy to make sure your chickens have access to clean water. You can also customize the size to any size depending on the number of chickens you have.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
The main downside is that it doesn’t come ready. It is a DIY Chicken Waterer that you will have to make yourself.
PROS
- Keeps water clean and accessible to the chickens
- Easy to refill
- Affordable and easy to make yourself
- Gravity Fed Design
- Very Durable
- Easy to Clean
CONS
- Have to create it yourself
Specification
| Water Capacity | 2 Gallons |
| Product Dimensions | 9x9x9 inches |
| Item Weight | 1.74 pounds |
Features
- BPA Free and Food Grade Plastic
- Horizontal Drinking Nipples
- 2 Gallons = 5 Days of Water for 4 hens
- Easy to fill
- No Assembly
- Affordable pricing
This is a similar Chicken waterer to the DIY one but it comes pre assembled. This also comes with a No-roost cone, which is incredibly helpful to keep the product cleaner in the coop or the run. You can fill this from above which makes it easy to fill as well.
WHAT WE LIKE
Being able to top fill the chicken waterer is great. The nipples make it easy to keep the water clean and fresh for the chickens. It also makes sure the bedding in the coop doesn’t get wet because of the nipples. The no roost cone is wonderful to keep it clean and to lower maintenance.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
Some chickens don’t like to drink from nipples and struggle with it. So some hens may refuse it.
PROS
- Easy to refill
- Gravity Fed Design
- Very Durable
- BPA Free
- Smart Design
- No Roost Cone
CONS
- Small size and not for all hens
Specification
| Water Capacity | 6.25 Gallons or 3.5 gallons |
| Product Dimensions | 17 x 17 x 21 inches |
| Item Weight | 3.3 pounds |
Features
- BPA Free
- Easy-Fill
- Sturdy Carrying Handle
- Indoor or Outdoor Use
- Simple Assembly
This chicken waterer comes in two different sizes and it fills from the top which makes it incredibly easy to refill for your flock. Harris Farms products are made in the United States and designed by experienced farmers that know how to make tasks simpler and easier.
WHAT WE LIKE
The top filling ability is huge for a chicken waterer. This one is very sturdy and easy to use, which is essential in making watering your chickens a simple task every few days.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
The main downfall is the exposed water tray. It collects dirt and makes your water dirty very quickly. So you have to make sure you regularly wash it for your chickens.
PROS
- Easy to refill
- Gravity Fed Design
- Very Durable
- BPA Free
- Smart Design
- Easy to Clean
CONS
- Pricey
- Needs some maintenance in between uses
Specification
| Water Capacity | 5 gallons |
| Product Dimensions | 10 x 12 x 14 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.44 pounds |
Features
- Constant Full Cups for Ease for Hens and Owner
- Great for multiple day use
- Can be placed or mounted in a corner or in the center of a coop or run
- No Roost Top keeps the waterer clean
- Holds 5 Gallons of Water
- Optional Strap can be added for hanging.
This chicken waterer offers a more unique option for getting water to the chickens. It uses a cup sort of feeder that provides a small pool of water for the chicken to access. It also has a cone on top to keep chickens from roosting on top of the waterer.
WHAT WE LIKE
Top fill makes it easy to get chickens the water. Less to mess with. The gravity feeding design is wonderful to make sure the water is constantly available for your hens. Easy to assemble and has plenty of options.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
Though the cups for the chickens is nice to access plenty of water, in the winter these will easily freeze for the birds and won’t be accessible. Also the cups will need individually cleaning more often.
PROS
- Easy to refill
- Gravity Fed Design
- Lots of options for positioning in the coop
- BPA Free
- Smart Design
CONS
- Pricey
- Needs more cleaning potentially
Specification
| Water Capacity | 5 gallons |
| Product Dimensions | 16 x 16 x 16 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.5 pounds |
Features
- 5 Gallon Hold
- Tough handle for easy transportation
- Easy to fill jar snaps onto base
- Durable with Heavy Duty Plastic
This plastic water container holds 5 gallons of fresh water for you chickens. It uses gravity feeding to keep water in the trough for your backyard chickens.
WHAT WE LIKE
This large capacity waterer is really great because it makes it easy to use and refill and it is easy to clean because of the design.
WHAT WE DONT LIKE
It has to be on a completely level surface to not continue flowing because of how the system works. This can be hard in a coop. Also hens can land on it and roost which can make it messy to clean!
PROS
- Easy to refill
- Gravity Fed Design
- Smart Design
- Heavy Duty Plastic
- Easy to Transport
CONS
- Not BPA Free
- Needs more cleaning
- Chickens can roost on waterer
- Needs a level surface
Conclusion
As a final wrap up, the best session is to make your own waterer for your chickens using our DIY chicken waterer or to consider purchasing the RentACoop 2 Gallon – Nipple Drinker if you do not want to make your own chicken waterer. This one is extremely similar to the DIY one and just as simple to use. Also it can easily converted to a heated chicken waterer if you need a system for that you can see our list of best heated chicken waterers.
Need to learn more about Raising Backyard Chickens:
- How to Build the Best Chicken Coop
- Everything About Backyard Chickens
- What You Need for Baby Chicks
- What to Feed Backyard Chickens
