Gun Dog Forum

I'm planning on keeping 10-20 birds and would like some recommendations on a good feed and water set-up for my coop (the cleaner the better). Thanks!

I use this waterer. Very nice. Doesn't let them roost on it. Stays fairly clean. You can actually use it as a feeder too, although I never have.



For food and grit I just use a heavy dog dish.

I have always used a plastic "fountain" type waterer and had good luck. I use them for all my birds, chickens, pigeons, and quail, even the day old chicks. For the food you just need something to put it in. I feed the pigeons out of an old hubcap I had laying around. Remember..........Keep it simple

We use a nipple system fed from a 15 gallon drum. Works great, don't need to attend to it very often, birds can't foul it.

Get the drum from http://www.bayteccontainers.com/ , get push-in, no-drip nipples from http://www.farmtek.com/ and the PVC from your local Home Depot.

With a little ingenuity, you can come up with something really cool.

Greg J.

I used the same setup that Greg mentioned. Although I found that if you have really hard water, like me, then the nipples will cause problems. I originally got them for raising day olds and had to scrap that idea after they developed leaks due to the hard water. If your looking at using them in a pigeon coop though you shouldnt have any problems since water isnt any issue for them like it is for quail chicks.

I use a small enclosed metal chicken feeder with six holes for feed and a opened pan feeder, that attaches to the wire, for water. I would rather the water gets out than the feed. I should clarify that I only have a few pigeons, four pairs, that I keep at all times.

Any body with some pictures please post them. Those of us that are new to keeping birds really appreciate seeing some pictures. Easier to come up with a similar design, something better we can share, or just copy what you folks with experience have come up with.

Especially the differences in what you use for pigeons vs quail.

Look through these:

http://www.gundogforum.com/forum/viewto ... 69&t=13320

Greg J.

Hey Greg. What's the plan for winter freezing with a water setup like that?

There is a drain built in to evacuate it during a freeze. We're not going to carry too many birds through the winter. We'll probably go to something that is easier to keep thawed.

Greg J.

I don't know what kind of birds you have or what kind of pen. I have a small pigeon coop that holds about 12 pigeons. I'm using a Belgian feeder (similar to the covered one someone posted above) from LCS for the food. I did have an open dish for water, but pigeons are pigs. Maybe in a bigger pen that's not a problem. So I went to cutting a few holes (similar to the feeder) into used milk jugs. The jugs are free, don't allow feces in the water, and I throw them away every couple weeks when the outside top gets too poopy. I still put out a dish for them to bathe in--if they want, but the milk jug assures that they always have clean water. During the freezing Iowa winter temps, I switch water over to a electric heated dog dish. Grit, which they hardly use, is in a tin can tacked to the wall of the coop. Denise

topher40 wrote:For the food you just need something to put it in.

How come you're not covering the food/grit?

I was thinking about ordering something like these.....

1 1/2 gal for water -


2-liter for food and a 1-liter for grit


I was originally thinking about containers that would be attached outside to make cleaning a non-issue and allow for quick refills but I haven't seen anything like that....at least so far.

BTW - I think Greg's birds have it better than I do!!! Shoot.....all they'd need is a 52" plasma screen and they'd be all set....

Where are you guys getting that cone shaped water from? The one that looks like an upside down bullet. It appears to have a shield that comes down the sides to keep the birds from being able to walk in the water. Is this the case and how well does it work? I am using the standard cheap upside down Mason jar with the base but they foul it up so easily.

Lion Country Supply (link for site above) has a 7 liter "bullet style" waterer/feeder similar to the one shown for $14.95. Denise

J-feeders work pretty well as you don't have to enter the pen. Its what I use for my chickens.

Is a J Feeder like a rabbit hutch style feeder? I thought about that (rabbit style), but couldn't find one with a good weathertight exterior lid for the storage chute. Denise

Those pics were from http://www.siegelpigeons.com (from 12 Volt Man)

wems2371 wrote:Is a J Feeder like a rabbit hutch style feeder? I thought about that (rabbit style), but couldn't find one with a good weathertight exterior lid for the storage chute. Denise

yes that is a J- feeder. I see your concern, I wonder if just slipping a plastic bag over the top would work. Over course the feed in the pan would get wet but if you have the wire bottom on the feeder it should dry out nicely.

You can come back out and I will show you what I use,the feeder is a typical fowl feeder used by the 4h folks you can get em at the feed store for about 3 bucks each, I take a gallon milk jug and cut half moons in it and use it for water, change it out once a day. In winter I will open the coop and let em get to the water tank I use for the steers as it has aheater and doesnt freeze over. The baby is getting bigger too, shouldhave a few more soon then they will "home" to the coop and can free fly and forage for themselves. This is how we di it when I was a kid on the farm, the coop was in the upper loft of the barn and was open all the time, they free flew but returned to it at night. My Dad used to eat the small sqaubs.....

This is the feeder I use but have a couple issues with it. First is the top is open and bird get inside. I fixed that by puting anti-tip dog dish in it upside down. The second problem is I have the feeder outside and when it rains the feed gets wet. To fix this I'm going to build some walls with a roof to protect it. Other than that it's great hold about 2 weeks worth of feed depending on how many quail I have.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs ... ue&cFlag=1

For water I use one similar to this except mine holds 7 gallons which will last about 2-3 weeks. It does collect dirt and crap so every other day I dump the trough(sp?) and let it refill.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs ... ue&cFlag=1

bh99 all you need is some sheet metal, or maybe some sheets of tin siding. Take a piece and make it into a funnel and make it real big and it will be perfect. It will keep the rain off the feed and birds out of it too.

petrey10 wrote:bh99 all you need is some sheet metal, or maybe some sheets of tin siding. Take a piece and make it into a funnel and make it real big and it will be perfect. It will keep the rain off the feed and birds out of it too.

I have 2'x4' plywood slanted to one end on top of it now and it is still getting wet.

Take a look at Foyspigeonsupplies.com. They have a lot of great feeders and waterers that are bullet shaped or whatever to keep the birds from soiling their food and water. I did get some of those no drip nipples from Farmtek and just put one into an orange juice jug. I am going to see how it works and then I can just change out the jugs. We will see.