[Zara]

Hi
I am about to get delivery of my first 2 weaners.

I have got nearly everything ready except a  water trough. I have had a look on-line and have seen a number that require a mains water connection which I would like to avoid. Can someone advise where I might buy a water trough/bucket that would be suitable for a couple of pigs?
Many thanks
Zara

[lill]

Hi Zara,
Instead of buying a water trough have you considered using a clay trough. An old sink can also be used, just cement up the hole. Look around and see if you have anyting that could do for the purpose you require. We used fireclay troughs for water for our pigs.

[OhLaLa]

Whatever you get, you need to use something heavy - there's nothing like a piggy game of 'chuck it about'.

I've got metal trough but they constantly empty it by tipping it upside down. I'd say maybe try and get a stone trough (either bought or mould one yourself). Bed it in a couple of inches just to stop them from trying to 'nose' under it and skid it along.

lill: A clay sink is a really good idea - wish I'd thought of that (got the herbs in them now. Doh!)

  

[Hilarysmum]

Hilary occasionally sits in hers, so not a good idea to have anything too big.  Also you need to be able to empty it and to wash it out.  I normally use the recycled tyre troughs, which here are used by builders for mixing cement. 

Re throwing the water trough even the very big one gets tossed on occasions.  Or as before H sits in it.  A while back when H visited a boar they accommodated her in a lovely paddock with a mains water trough.  Hilary had a whale of a time, she made the biggest mud wallow ever, almost a swimming pool. 

She has not been invited back since!

[OhLaLa]

Back to the clay sinks - I'm now thinking of getting the herbs out of mine (as it's such a good idea to use them for piggie water), and using a plug so it can be washed out.

Ideas please folks for how to have a piggie proof plug?

    

[robert waddell]

a solid piece of rubber bolted through the drain hole

[OhLaLa]

a solid piece of rubber bolted through the drain hole

No matter how long you do this, you just keep on learning in this game.

Another straightforward and smart idea that I didn't think of. And I've got just the stuff to knock one up.

Thanks!

 

[HappyHippy]

I've started using tyre drinkers (https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/tyre-bowl-feeder-drinker-p-1276.html ) these are great ! Light and easy to empty and clean (always really difficult with the clay troughs) and impossible for the pigs to upend (well, so far  )
Just to add even more options into the mix 
HTH
Karen 

[OhLaLa]

I've got one of those. Now gathering dust. "Heh heh heh" said the pigs. What fun.

[oink]

I use the rubber carriers from tesco. they're round with two handles and fit snugly in an old car tyre.  I bury the tyre and place the container in it.  cheap and the pigs don't seem to be able to knock it over yet.

[patchy1990]

May sound obvious, but have you tried trade-it etc? I got both my water and feed troughs from there very good prices and cast iron so they cant roll them over! 

[Hilarysmum]

In addition to the heavy duty recycled tyre water container I use bucket and tyre in with 2 of Hilary's offspring as despite the weight of the full container they still pick it up and chuck it as soon as its refilled.  The bucket does seem to keep a little longer, although within a couple of hours that too is somewhere in the field.  They are off next week 

[Tamsaddle]

I have built a rather nifty device that no pig has yet managed to destroy or kick over.   Mine is sized for two normal black buckets.   Bang 6 50x50 pegs deep into the ground, at least 300 mm, with about 400 mm above ground.   Then attach horizontal strips of wood to the pegs all round to keep the rectangle in place, and two horizontal cross pieces in the middle to keep each bucket space separate.   The trick is to put the top piece of wood about one incher higher than the top of your bucket, and the bottom piece should be wide enough and placed so they cant get their noses under the bucket.   The size of each square bucket space is about one inch bigger than the widest diameter of the top of the bucket.    Now you have a double bucket sized, opened top box fixed into the ground.   I can just pick up each bucket and refill it, and they cannot empty them the usual way!     It has saved a lot of time, and also a lot of mud as the water is not forever being tipped out.

[si-mate]

Nipple drinker. Can't be tipped over or pushed into the electric fence and always supplies clean fresh water.

[ambriel]

I bought a galvanised drinking trough from our farm suppliers a little while ago. It's about three feet long and the boys haven't chucked it around too much.

I also have a washing up bowl set inside an old 12" tyre that they seem to have gotten bored of trying to chuck around, too.

Guess which one was cheaper.