Cleaning Feeders/Drinkers

[KathJ]

I've had my girls since last August. Everytime I top up the water I clean out and around the drinker with water and a scourer then top up again. I probably do the feeder again with water and a scourer every couple of months or when it's looking particularly dirty. However, reading 'Your Chickens' yesterday I read that they need to be disinfected. I just wondered what other people did and what disinfectant they use? I have a spray bottle of disinfectant that I spray in the coop to clean but I'm not sure I should be using it on the feeders and drinkers

[jackian]

Hi Kathy ,
I just clean them and then spray with basic anti bacterial spray ..
After 3 years that can't be that wrong they are still well.

[Kaeta44]

I use pottery dog dishes for my flock's water and I've only ever wiped them clean, rinsed with fresh water and then filled them up. In the 5 years I've had chickens, this routine has never affected their health.

[Linda S]

When our girls stuff needs a good clean its with hot water washing up liquid and a spongy/scourer thingy and rinsed clean
Then they spurn the lovingly scrubbed utensils and go and drink out of mucky puddles that they have paddled in with thier dirty poopy feet
Ah well youv got to love 'em Lindaxx

[ChickenCarol]

I echo the same, hot water, washing up liquid and sponge scourer is what I use. The girls are fine and they too would prefer a muddy puddle they have tramped through!

[chookmike]

What's the point of sterilizing anything in a chicken run? It would remain sterile for a few seconds and as they eat off ground full of poo they are obviously immune to a lot of bugs.

Of course the source said that the items need sterilizing - they, or a fee paying sponsor, sell the sterilizer!

I am happy with 'clean' food and drink containers and fresh water daily

Cheers

Mike

[HenPen]

Yesterday I read this thread just before going to see the girls. I was chuckling to myself agreeing with every word written - and thinking that I follow the same routine as you, Kath, and as my hanging feeder stays clean, I have no problems.

Well about two weeks ago I moved the bench from outside the covered run to inside, near the food (the girls love it and I have somewhere to sit if it rains). When I got out to them yesterday, I found one of the chooks had obviously been reading my mind and decided I deserved a come-uppance - so had clearly (and this must have taken some serious gymnastics) stood on the arm of the bench, leaned out a bit and pooped a great big splatty poo into the feeder. Needless to say the feeder was very thoroughly cleaned yesterday after all!

[sunshine]

my feeder in the run gets cleaned every couple of weeks they hardly use it just put a little mash in the morning before i let them out, they prefer to eat out of stainless steel dog bowls,,, have given up with the drinker that they never use but have noticed it has a stale smell the next day,,they prefer ceramic bowls i put there water in with the vitamins also one of those trays you stand flower pots on fill each morning from hose pipe, but they still prefer the rain water so they get some from rain barrel as well,

[HazellB]

We just have some old tooth brushes near the water butt and give the drinkers a quick scrub to remove visible dirt daily (takes ten seconds, no more) and our lot have been fine with that.
The wet mash goes in stainless dog bowls and they are washed after each meal (I have dozens of them stacked where I make the mash, so only have to wash up maybe twice a week!) and dry pellets go in feeders that tend to be tooth brush scrubbed about monthly I guess.

It's the action of scrubbing that removes bugs, no sanitizer really works without scrubbing. After all, how many times each day do we sanitize our hands? Not many! But we wash them often and we're not all ill

[sandy]

I clean plastic water thingies everyday with water, using a sponge and or toothbrush for stubborn bits. They also have heavy china dog bowls for water but of course they will drink out of the puddles! Food is also in china dog bowls as they cannot tip them over. They are cleaned with water too. In 5 years never used anything but water.