Plastic poultry drinker - Townships Best

The right size depends on your flock size and how often you want to refill. A laying hen drinks approximately 250 to 500 ml of water per day, with consumption increasing significantly in hot weather. The Townships Best plastic poultry waterer is available in five sizes to match any backyard setup.

General sizing guide:

• 1.5 L: ideal for 2–4 chicks or as a secondary waterer for a small coop
• 3 L: suits 3–6 adult hens with daily refilling
• 6 L: suits 6–10 hens with refilling every 1–2 days
• 8 L: suits 8–15 hens, a popular choice for most backyard flocks
• 11 L: suits 10–20 hens, reducing refill frequency to every 2–3 days in moderate weather

In summer, always size up — hens can double their water intake when temperatures climb above 25 °C. Having two smaller waterers rather than one large one also reduces bullying at the water source and provides a backup if one gets tipped or fouled.

Clean your waterer at least twice per week in cool weather and daily during summer. Warm temperatures accelerate algae growth and bacterial contamination — a green film on the inside walls is a clear sign cleaning is overdue.

Effective cleaning steps:

• Empty all remaining water and discard it away from the coop area
• Scrub the inside with a stiff brush and a solution of 1 part white vinegar to 9 parts water
• Rinse thoroughly with clean water — residual vinegar is safe but can deter some hens from drinking
• For stubborn algae or biofilm buildup, use a diluted bleach solution (1 tablespoon per 4 litres), scrub well, and rinse at least twice

Plastic waterers are easier to sanitize than metal ones since they do not rust or corrode from cleaning solutions. Place the waterer on a raised platform — a concrete block or wooden stand at the height of the hens' backs — to reduce bedding, dirt, and droppings from contaminating the water between cleanings.

Yes — the 1.5 L and 3 L sizes of the Townships Best waterer work well for chicks and ducklings in a brooder setup. The shallow drinking trough on these smaller models allows young birds to access water without the risk of climbing in and drowning.

Important safety precautions for young birds:

• For day-old chicks, add clean marbles or small stones to the trough for the first week — this prevents tiny chicks from submerging their heads or bodies
• For ducklings, be aware they are messier with water than chicks and will attempt to splash and bathe in any water source — expect more frequent refilling and cleaning
• Place the waterer on a shallow tray or wire platform to catch splashed water and keep brooder bedding dry

Change the water at least twice daily in a brooder environment since wood shavings, feed particles, and droppings contaminate it quickly at warm brooder temperatures of 32–35 °C. As chicks grow past 4–6 weeks and move to the coop, transition to a 6 L or 8 L waterer to match their increasing water consumption.

Water is the single most critical nutrient for laying hens — more important than any feed ingredient. An egg is approximately 75 % water, and a hen that reduces her water intake even slightly will drop egg production within 24 to 48 hours. Dehydration is one of the fastest ways to shut down a flock's laying cycle.

Beyond egg production, clean water is essential because:

• Digestion: hens need water to soften and process feed in the crop and gizzard — without it, feed passage slows and nutrient absorption drops
• Temperature regulation: chickens cannot sweat and rely on water consumption and panting to cool down in summer
• Disease prevention: contaminated water is a primary vector for coccidiosis, E. coli, and other common poultry diseases

A hen drinks approximately 250 to 500 ml per day, more in summer. If your hens have access to water but production still drops, check the water source — algae, biofilm, or a dirty waterer may be discouraging them from drinking enough. A clean waterer refilled daily is one of the simplest investments in consistent egg production.

In most setups, the best approach is to have water available in both locations — a waterer inside the coop and one in the run or outdoor area. Hens drink throughout the day and particularly first thing in the morning before leaving the coop, so indoor access matters.

However, there are trade-offs to consider for each placement:

• Inside the coop: ensures 24-hour access and protection from freezing, but increases humidity (a concern in tightly sealed winter coops) and risks contamination from bedding and droppings
• Outside in the run: stays cleaner, reduces coop humidity, and is easier to monitor, but freezes faster in Quebec winters and is inaccessible if hens are locked in overnight

For Quebec's climate, a practical year-round strategy is to keep the primary waterer in the run during warmer months (May through October) and move it inside or add a second waterer in the coop during winter. Regardless of placement, always elevate the waterer to the height of the hens' backs using a block or platform to keep bedding and debris out of the drinking trough.

A quality plastic waterer like the Townships Best will typically last 3 to 5 years with proper care, while galvanized metal waterers can last longer but come with their own drawbacks. The choice depends on your priorities and management style.

Advantages of plastic over metal for backyard flocks:

• No rust or corrosion: vinegar, bleach, and other cleaning solutions will not degrade plastic the way they corrode galvanized coatings over time
• Lightweight: easier to carry, fill, and clean — especially the larger 8 L and 11 L sizes
• No zinc leaching: galvanized metal can leach zinc into water when exposed to acidic supplements like apple cider vinegar
• Lower cost: at a fraction of the price of stainless steel, plastic waterers are practical to replace when worn

To maximize lifespan, keep plastic waterers out of prolonged direct sunlight during summer, as UV exposure gradually weakens the material. Replace any waterer that develops cracks, as fractures harbour bacteria that cleaning cannot remove.

Yes — plastic waterers are actually the preferred choice for water supplements because they do not react with acidic additives the way galvanized metal does. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a popular backyard poultry supplement, and using it in a metal waterer can cause zinc leaching from the galvanized coating, which is harmful to hens.

If adding ACV to your Townships Best plastic waterer, use a ratio of approximately 1 tablespoon per 4 litres of water (roughly 15 ml per 4 L). ACV is believed to support gut health and discourage algae growth in the waterer, though scientific evidence for its benefits in poultry is limited.

Keep in mind that any supplement added to the water should never replace clean, fresh water as the primary option. Some hens dislike the taste of treated water and will reduce their intake, which does more harm than the supplement does good. Always offer at least one waterer with plain water alongside any supplemented one, and change supplemented water daily since it can ferment in warm weather.