Big bummer. The stray Black Lab that “adopted us” some months ago is MIA. 3-1/2 days now. Too long a story to go into now (I’ve been on here too much today already!) But, he had calmed down and was our chickens’ protector. Now we’re gonna have to be doubly diligent...
On the good side of it, once past the Spring tribulations (documented in past threads here), our 12 chicks (1/2 to 3/4 grown pullets, now) are all doing well. The 6 ISA Browns are almost too friendly! So far, no major pullet / older birds problems out in the yard. (They are separated when in the coops, although the older pullets now roost with a rooster - hoping to make them a sort of separate little independent flock.
Will document progress on the waterers, soon. I may even have an idea that would sell commercially, if any small chain might distribute it and not steal it / send the design to China! Unfortunately, I don’t know if patenting it would be worth the trouble. (Getting a patent that will hold up, these days, is a serious & costly undertaking.)
FWIW (and not part of my “idea” above):
A 90 oz. Palmolive dish detergent container will screw into a female garden hose end and seal reasonably well, it appears. (The soda bottle did not work / leaked badly, forcibly screwed into a female hose end.)
Anyway, it looks like I can cut the Palmolive container to make a good size funnel to securely connect to a short section of garden hose. A cut up milk jug could function as a cover to keep leaves and such out.
Yeah, I know, more hillbilly engineering, but we are on a very tight budget here, since COVID-19...