BackYard Chickens › Coop Designs › Harleena's Laundry Bucket Waterer

Harleena's Laundry Bucket Waterer

Harleena
By: Harleena
Posted 10/02/10 • Last updated 10/02/10 • 17801 views • 12 comments

Laundry Bucket Waterer

 

We've been using this waterer for a few months now, and I love that the water stays clean!

waterer

 

Materials used:

laundry soap bucket with lid [recycled]

nipple waterers from FarmTek.com [$2 each, plus shipping]

PVC pipe & fittings & glue [$5?]

rubber washers & silicone sealant

bricks & some wire

 

First, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the bucket for the PVC fitting. The threaded end gets a washer on it and then goes inside the bucket (washer not pictured).

bottom of bucket

 

The other end inside gets a washer and another fitting screwed on. I like that the PVC fitting is raised up from the floor of the bucket to keep out any sediment that might get in.

inside of bucket

 

I drilled holes in the PVC pipe for the water nipples and screwed them in. Then I glued a cap on the end of the line. I tested them with water and they leaked, so I put silicone sealant around the base of each one.

nipples

 

I attached the nippler pipe to the bucket using other PVC fittings and glue. (This was like a puzzle at the supply store!) I can unscrew the nippler pipe from the line to clean it out, if necessary.

attached line

 

I carefully put the nippler line through the cage wire and then set the bucket on top of two bricks placed on their sides to leave room for the PVC pipe underneath. This, on top of two cinder blocks, seems to be a good height for the hens. (When I get a picture of the hens using the waterer, I'll post it.) I used wire to hold up the end of the nippler line in case someone decided to perch on it.

water stand

 

I just fill the bucket with a hose, put the lid on, and my hens have a clean supply of water! You can also add a small block of ice to the bucket in the hot summer months.

waterer

 

Happy building!

my pic  Harleena :)

Comments (12)

rsf31tmp 1/12/12 at 7:02am
Love it! Thanks
Attila the Honey 2/28/12 at 8:53pm
I like your system better than the rest I have seen. It is exactly what I was looking for in a waterer.
BOrion 3/31/12 at 8:45am
Ok, I'm new to chickens. So....do the chicks actually suck, push, bump? the nipple to get water? Do they get enough water using this system?
bwalden 4/2/12 at 1:17pm
Look pretty good. I used this idea but kind of enlarged it a bit. I got a 50 gallon plastic barrel and ran my pipe out of it. I had the idea of trying to catch rain and use it like that (free water). I have ended up filling it with a water hose for now because we havent had enough rain here to fill it yet. Thanks!
Yukonchick 5/4/12 at 10:24am
awesome. I'm gonna build that one
tjbeckman 12/18/12 at 8:13am
Very nice! This is exactly what I needed! I am going to be building this very soon!
Southern Chickens 1/27/13 at 4:23am
You've inspired me!! I love that you can unscrew for cleaning, very smart! Thanks!
Southern Chickens 1/27/13 at 4:25am
I found these nipples on Ebay, super cheap. They took some time to get here, but much cheaper. I got 10 for less than $4.00 with free shipping. If you're like me, you're on a budget!
jimmywalt 4/22/13 at 6:10pm
This is very nice! I'm going to build this one for my chickens. Thank you for posting. Also loved the idea of unscrewing to clean out.
jimmywalt 4/23/13 at 3:54am
Looks like I need the following parts from Menards. I already have the 1/2" PVC pipe.
(2) 1/2" Male adapters, (2) 1/2" 90 degree female elbow, (1) 1/2" cap.
I'll install it like this (which is what I think you did) - Male adapter through bottom of bucket from the inside, screw into 90 degree female elbow, add 1/2" piece of pvc to get to inside of coop area, 90 degree female elbow, male adapter with 1/2" piece of pvc that will hold the nipples, cap.
Seems pretty simple!!! Thanks for posting and for the pictures too!
KKs Kandies 5/15/13 at 8:43pm
great idea, well done! only way it could be simpler is if you come here and put mine up for me lol
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