The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: wildandwooly on March 04, 2021, 02:49:34 pm

Title: Drinking troughs
Post by: wildandwooly on March 04, 2021, 02:49:34 pm

Hi all  :wave:
Anyone got any thoughts on best water troughs/drinking system and what works best for a few (6) sheep?

Title: Re: Drinking troughs
Post by: shep53 on March 04, 2021, 06:22:49 pm

Plenty of small 10-20 gall plastic water troughs for sheep on the web or for just 6 then plenty of self fill water bowls , bowls easier to keep clean than troughs

Title: Re: Drinking troughs
Post by: Richmond on March 04, 2021, 07:01:55 pm

We only keep 8 sheep and they just have low level buckets (horse feed buckets). Old lick containers work fine too. 

Title: Re: Drinking troughs
Post by: wildandwooly on March 04, 2021, 07:32:19 pm

Great. Thanks Richmond  :)

Was kind of what I was thinking but it's good to get other people's advice. Pretty much always  :D

Title: Re: Drinking troughs
Post by: Fleecewife on March 04, 2021, 11:15:18 pm

I worked out a system of square plastic drinkers in every paddock, gravity fed from a 1000l barrel of water collected from a large roof. The drinkers have a ballcock.  They're fine in summer, except they get a bit green and are a nuisance to clean, but in winter they freeze so water has to be carried out in buckets anyway (they freeze too solidly for just breaking the ice to work).


Using buckets for just a few sheep is the obvious way to go  :thumbsup:

Title: Re: Drinking troughs
Post by: wildandwooly on March 05, 2021, 10:21:01 am

Thanks Fleecewife  :)

Yes I thought about the freezing issue after the last 2 months here when as I filled the chicken's Eton drinker, which I have hanging in their run, formed pretty icicles underneath in about 10 minutes! Luckily they're not far from the house!
Apparently you can get a heater thing for the Eton drinker so I might try that next year.....

I use a big tripod drinker for the ducks in their run but that did keep getting frozen so I used the BEC trough I have for them as well when they are outdoors, ( not at present poor things  :-[ ) and it stayed frozen free amazingly.

All in all buckets are def the way to go sheep wise  :thumbsup: