Nipple watering

[pawtraitart]

I have a question for those of you in the colder states... what do you do with the chicken nipple waterers in the winter? Do you switch back to a heated metal 5-gallon, or is there some way to keep the water flowing in the nipple waterer? Thanks!

I just drop a de-icer in the bucket. For my small drinkers we make a heated box unit with only the nipple sticking out or place the container on a seedling heat mat if it's one of our small drinkers for the bantams. We use the horizontal nipples which are spring loaded so they don't have to hang.

 

[Lone Star Lady]

We are new to nipple watering, but what we see is that they don't all try to drink at once. I would think two nipples would be quite sufficient for 10 to 12 hens.

 

[ChickenJerk]

Absolutely correct.

We are new to nipple watering, but what we see is that they don't all try to drink at once. I would think two nipples would be quite sufficient for 10 to 12 hens.

Absolutely correct.

 

[ChickenPapaCT]

Thanks Pawtraitart! That's a great idea. I was going to run PVC pipes, but I am re-thinking that now.

ChickenPapaCT

 

[jeffs1979]

When its hot they drink a lot of water. Might want to put in 4 just to be sure.

 

[pawtraitart]

Horizontal nipples in a 55 gallon drum

 

[subhanalah]

We are new to nipple watering, but what we see is that they don't all try to drink at once. I would think two nipples would be quite sufficient for 10 to 12 hens. 

I prefer to have at least two watering stations, even if there are only a few birds, so the ones lower on the pecking order have a better chance of getting a drink and not being run off by an alpha.

 

[aatx]

I prefer to have at least two watering stations, even if there are only a few birds, so the ones lower on the pecking order have a better chance of getting a drink and not being run off by an alpha.

I have two buckets - one in the run and one in the coop. 4 nipples on the one in the run and three on the one in the coop. My chicks have a bad habit of blocking the pop door, so I want options on both sides and backup nipples on each bucket.

 

[Samjoe]

My 6 red pullets were using horizontal nipples before I left the coop. Literally started using them within a minute or two.

 

[ml143333]

This is the automatic watering system we have now. My husband is making a different version for the coop itself. The chickens took to it really quickly in the brooder so we just moved it to the run.