CHICKEN Nipples

They should be placed on the bottom and the bucket hung at the appropriate height for the birds to reach up to the nipples. Then the water will drip in to their beak.

The nipples work by the bird pushing the lever to the side -- that opens the flow of water.  If you mount them in the side of the bucket, the lever will be pulled down by gravity and the water will drip-drip-drip...  So yes, they must go in the bottom.  Having it high enough that they can stand underneath and are reaching just a bit to drink is the most comfortable and efficient for them.  Set it up so you can easily raise it as they grow.

BTW, you don't need to wait to use nipples.  I started my chicks on nipples with a 5qt. ice cream bucket hanging in the brooder.  Not having to clean out a waterer full of soggy shavings and poop every day was really nice.

I always laugh when I see "chicken nipples" in the subject line of a post.  It's just funny.   

If you buy PVC pipe for the nipples - make sure you don't get the really thick PVC pipe.  I made that mistake and had a very difficult time getting them inserted - and I haven't yet got the sytem set up - so I'm still using the regular old chicken waterers.

Mine came with instructions to buy a certain size drill bit.  Then the nipples screw into the holes you've drilled. There wasn't a nut with them.

I ordered and just recv'd the QC nipples. I haven't installed them yet - y'all piqued my curiosity - these can be installed on a PVC pipe? I love the idea of running a nice long piece of PVC and putting those on it. I am not running water to the coop, but I would "plumb" it to a small water tank or something similar.

I'm going to build my own out of a smallish bucket I have for the brooder. In the mean time, I'm ordering 5 nipples... but I'm wondering if I should order 10 so I can make a 5 gallon waterer for the coop once they are out of the brooder.  They haven't even hatched yet, but I want to be prepared.  I figure if I'm going to hatch again, it would be nice to already be set up for my brooder instead of taking that waterer apart to build the bigger one. I'm one for planning ahead and being prepared.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilMissChz 

I'm going to build my own out of a smallish bucket I have for the brooder. In the mean time, I'm ordering 5 nipples... but I'm wondering if I should order 10 so I can make a 5 gallon waterer for the coop once they are out of the brooder.  They haven't even hatched yet, but I want to be prepared.  I figure if I'm going to hatch again, it would be nice to already be set up for my brooder instead of taking that waterer apart to build the bigger one. I'm one for planning ahead and being prepared.

I have three nipples on my 5-gallon bucket.  There really isn't room for more to be used at once.  AND, the recommendation runs 1 nipple for every 5-10 birds (depending on who you ask).

We have ours on a pvc pipe with tubing coming out of the top running to a bucket that is mounted in our pump house up high on a shelf . so the water going to the nipples is gravity fed. we also put a toilet float in the bucket (5gal) kind bucket so we can adj water level so it is always fresh,  then have water running direct from the well to the buket so it auto fills. If we need to medicate we just turn shut off valve we installed between well and bucket so we medicate to 5 gallons. then when they have drank all the water turn it back on to refill. we also have turn of valve between bucket and the nipples.