Nipples vs. cups - educate me!

[PrairieFarmer]

Hi there! Desperately need to upgrade my watering situation for mixed flock of chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.
So what are the advantages and disadvantages of the nipples versus the cups?

 

[BellevueOmlet]

The disadvantages of:
nipples - they leave a puddle on the ground
cups - every once and a while you have to clean them out.

Advantages:
nipples - do not need to be cleaned/inspected as often
cups - there is a cup full of water that is easy for the chickens to drink from
both: less space is used for them and they need to be refilled less often

 

[dsqard]

I know that your question is a serious one, and I am sure you are going to get a lot of good information but I have to say that the title for the thread gave me the giggles.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Quote:
lol, I am so used to talking about nipples and cups that i did not notice, quite funny

 

[PapaChaz]

i just made a five gallon bucket waterer with the push in nipples. i got them from neil grassbaugh, here on BYC. maybe they'll leak over time, but for two days now, i'm not seeing any drips at all. i do remember reading the screw in kind are more likely to leak, i got the push in kind. simple quick and easy to make it! when i find a storage tank i'm satisifed with, i plan on using some of the nipples to make a more permanent pipe down the middle of the run type waterer that will have the gutter run into it

 

[BellevueOmlet]

The problem I had with nipples was not the seal dripping but the actual nipple. After they had been drinking from it a lot, their would be small puddles below from when the chickens were drinking and let water come out that went straight to the ground.

 

[Nicolla]

Yea, I'm not quite sure which method we are going to go with. The nipples seem easy with regards to less maintenance. What do the majority of people prefer?

 

[jmagill]

Quote:
I don't have that problem and I have 5 buckets going. Maybe you have too high of a water column and therefore to much pressure and water coming out.

 

[jmagill]

Another good thing about nipples in a bucket is that it is easier to keep from freezing during winter. One thing to keep in mind with systems that end with nipples in pipe is cleaning. You need to have a way to clean gunk out every once in a while. Not a problem with a bucket.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Pipes are easy to clean. I remove the end cap and flush it all into a bucket.