Drinkers

A grown hen will drink 250- 300ml of water per day, depending on temperature and whether or not the bird is in lay. She will soon become dehydrated if the water supply is restricted.
Water should be available at all times
Allow at least treble the daily requirement when choosing a drinker, to avoid the possibility of the water supply running dry.
A 5 litre tube drinker (hanging or floor standing), metal or plastic, is suitable for up to five hens.
Place on a stand or bricks to raise the drinker from the ground to avoid contamination.
Allow 1 cm drinking space per hen with a circular drinker
Hanging drinkers should be raised to the level of the hens back, allowing them to pass beneath without spillage.
Place the drinker outside, but close to the house. Don’t keep water in the house.
If possible, protect from wild birds by placing water within a covered run.

Provide water in an open trough or dish.
Allow drinker to become dry (more that 30 minutes without water will cause stress, and may trigger disease)
Please a poultry drinker near to a wild bird table

Protection of feeders and drinkers from wild birds, should be a first priority, as a precaution against disease and in particular, Avian Influenza.