Why My Poultry Waterer Kept Breaking

This is not a handle! How not to carry a poultry waterer.

After breaking two poultry waterers I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. Thanks to instructions that came with my third waterer I learned not to carry it by the outer handle. After filling the waterer you carry it with the inner handle as seen below:

The inner handle.

Using the outer handle with the waterer full puts stress on the metal and ultimately breaks the vacuum.

Our backyard “egganomics” took a hit–gotta account for those three waterers now!

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13 Comments

  1. Thank god for that inner handle. Let me ask you something. I have the same waterer. Do you hang yours and if so, what’s the best way you have found to keep it from tipping?

  2. Excellent. I totally gave up on those expensive metal waterers because they kept breaking. Now I just use 3 gallon low pans that seem indestructible. I can’t believe I was breaking the metal waterers with that handle this whole time! Why do they put a handle on top in the first place? Argh!

  3. Gotta say, 5 gallon bucket with a couple poultry waterer nipples in the bottom really works well. Cheap, durable, effective

    The nipples can be bought at feed stores or the interwebs

  4. Hmmm. That doesn’t make much intuitive sense. What’s the outer handle there for then? Also, if you fill the waterer and carry it by the inner handle, there’s nothing to stop the water from continually running out into the tray until the outer cover is in place. That means wasting water and seems like a major design flaw if that’s how it’s supposed to work.

    FWIW, I have two such waterers and I habitually carry them by the outer handles. And I hang the waterers from a cord attached to that outer handle. I haven’t broken either of them yet in 3+ years of use. Maybe it’s because I don’t fill them all the way up, so the weight is less?

  5. While I haven’t broken any of mine, I did ignore the instructions which told me to carry only by the inner handle. Maybe I should consider it before I find myself having to buy 3 new waterers.

  6. Hey all, thanks for the suggestions and comments.

    Here’s what the instructions that came with the waterer say, “It is recommended a filled fount be carried using the inner handle. If carrying a filled fount with the outer handle, use caution as the vacuum can be broken causing potential leakage.”

    Kinda silly directions, if you ask me. And it does raise the question as to why there is an outer handle in the first place. Again, I wouldn’t use that outer handle to carry the waterer when it’s full. Some other thoughts:

    Absolutely don’t hang one of these things from the handle. I hung up the first one by the handle and it lasted for a surprisingly long time, but eventually it failed.

    It doesn’t leak that much before the outer cover is in place–I have not problem toting it around by the inner handle.

    And Bike Man Dan, thanks for the suggestion. Will have to take a look at that idea.

  7. If I carry the waterer by the outer handle and it has water inside, the water ends up running on my feet! So, I followed the directions and carry it by the inner handle.The seal is broken only when the outer piece is on it. However, mine never broke from carrying it by the outer handle. I think the handle is there just for ease of moving it around, maybe? Actually, I use the handle in order to twist it open and it never broke.Usually, I just carry two gallons of water to the waterer It’s easier.

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