Water Wagon

This is our fourth year raising Cornish Cross meat chickens.  When we first started, we only raised a few chickens for ourselves.  This year has just begun and we've already raised 250 chickens and have regular shipments coming.  One of the many things involved in raising livestock is finding a good way to provide water to the animals.

Years ago, when our single chicken tractor was near the house, we used to carry a 5-gallon bucket from the house to refill their waterer.  As we got more chicken tractors, we started carrying as many containers as we could on the 4-wheeler.  Then we bought a John Deere Gator and started hauling water with it.  And although it can hold plenty of 5-gallon buckets, we still have to fill them near the house and drive it out to the pasture with water sloshing around.
 

Enter this:



This is a 275-gallon food-grade storage container.  That's equivalent to 55 5-gallon buckets!  Brand new, these containers cost around $600.  However, if you can get your hands on them after food companies are done with them, you can pick them up for around $75! 

Initially, the plan was to build some sort of wagon or trailer to set this on and pull it out to the pasture near the chicken tractors and move it every so often.  It would have to be mighty strong because 275 gallons of water equals 2,200 pounds!  Then Dan got thinking.  We have an old one-ton (hauling capacity) Ford farm truck that we pretty much only use during the winter to collect firewood.  So, it's summertime job is now what we're calling "The Water Wagon"...



We just backed the truck up to the hydrant, filled it up and drove it out to the pasture.  The container sits at the end of the bed and it has a spigot so all we have to do is set a bucket under it, turn the nozzle and fill 'er up...




Here you can see how close the water is in relation to the chicken tractors...



In another few years, we may come up with something even more efficient.  But for now, this is working pretty darn well!