We've been enjoying a mosquito free summer here in East Texas. That's largely due to the near absence of rain. Another aspect of this hot, dry weather has been an ongoing need to keep the poultry well watered. We have a pair of turkey hens that go through over a gallon a day. To keep them happy, I bought a galvanized waterer two years ago when they were chicks.
Recently I filled the waterer with fresh water and set it down in their pen so they could drink. I came back an hour or so later and noticed it was already dry. Amazed at the turkey's capacity to consume the water, I refilled it. Then, on closer inspection I saw that it was leaking. The waterer had already rusted through. Whether it was due to thin galvanizing or the nature of the soil it sat on, small holes had already appeared in the base. Though the size of pin-pricks, they allowed the water to leak out rapidly, making the waterer pretty much useless.
I'd bought it previously for about $18, and now they were running $30. That would buy a lot of feed, and I really didn't want to spend the money just now. So, looking around the yard, I found the materials I needed to repair the waterer.
There was some plywood, a partial can of roofing cement and some sheet metal screws. In a short while I had coated the base of the waterer with roofing cement and cut out a round base for it from the 3/8 thick plywood sheet I had lying around. (With the sticky roof cement on the base, it would have been messy to set the waterer back down on the bare dirt of the pen) It took just a few minutes to screw the base onto the waterer with my cordless drill. I waited overnight for the cement to dry a bit, then put the waterer back in service. It held water just fine, and was fixed for free.
In less time than it would take to drive to the feed store and back I was back in business and the turkeys are once again well supplied with fresh water to endure the drought. The birds didn't complain about the odd looking repair.
Recently I filled the waterer with fresh water and set it down in their pen so they could drink. I came back an hour or so later and noticed it was already dry. Amazed at the turkey's capacity to consume the water, I refilled it. Then, on closer inspection I saw that it was leaking. The waterer had already rusted through. Whether it was due to thin galvanizing or the nature of the soil it sat on, small holes had already appeared in the base. Though the size of pin-pricks, they allowed the water to leak out rapidly, making the waterer pretty much useless.
I'd bought it previously for about $18, and now they were running $30. That would buy a lot of feed, and I really didn't want to spend the money just now. So, looking around the yard, I found the materials I needed to repair the waterer.
There was some plywood, a partial can of roofing cement and some sheet metal screws. In a short while I had coated the base of the waterer with roofing cement and cut out a round base for it from the 3/8 thick plywood sheet I had lying around. (With the sticky roof cement on the base, it would have been messy to set the waterer back down on the bare dirt of the pen) It took just a few minutes to screw the base onto the waterer with my cordless drill. I waited overnight for the cement to dry a bit, then put the waterer back in service. It held water just fine, and was fixed for free.
In less time than it would take to drive to the feed store and back I was back in business and the turkeys are once again well supplied with fresh water to endure the drought. The birds didn't complain about the odd looking repair.
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