The $350 auto waterer that either saved my flock or my wallet, jury's still out

Back in March I caved and bought one of those fancy automatic chicken waterers with the float valve, ran me about $350 with shipping. Setup took forever and the first week it leaked like crazy, I almost returned it. But now I'm only refilling a 5 gallon bucket every 4 days instead of dragging a 2 gallon jug out twice a day in the Texas heat. Thing is, my buddy swears his $20 DIY PVC setup works just as good and he spends 10 minutes a week on it. Anyone else drop serious cash on convenience gear that either paid off or you regret? What's your take on spending big for automation vs rigging something cheap?

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joseph5291d agoProlific Poster

Hell yeah, I got a take on this nobody's mentioned yet. It ain't just about the waterer, it's about your back and your time in August when it's 105 out. I know a guy who rigged a cheap PVC deal and it works fine, but he also bitches about algae buildup every single week and having to scrub it. My buddy spent the cash and he's got a UV filter on his so he ain't scrubbing nothing all summer. That's the real savings, not the water but the hours you ain't spending elbow deep in gunk.