A different way to water chickens-Avian Aqua Miser

[gryeyes]

Quote:
I bought ONE from the Avian Aquamiser folk (just the nipple) and built one for the brooder out of a quart sized plastic milk bottle. Huzzah! Instant success.

THEN, I bought four of the "twist" type plastic nipples (360 flow, something like that) from FarmTek and built a waterer for the coop run under my home-made "tractor/A fram" coop, made of PVC pipe, a 5 gallon bucket, and the nipples. When I moved the chicks outside to the A frame, they loved it.

I took the first nipple from the plastic quart milk bottle and installed it in a gallon-sized plastic milk bottle for the INSIDE of the coop, because I can't let them out into the run during the week while I'm at work.

BTW, I'm NOT that clever a handy-person, but it only took a tad of tinkering with the PVC pipe and bucket to make a great gravity waterer. Had to set the bucket on an up-ended concrete block to make it high enough, then just wired the PVC pipe at the right height. (Then put an upside down dog food dish UNDER one nipple for the shorter chicks...... now they're all tall enough to drink without the dog dish step stool.)

 

[jazzman]

HippieChickens,
The shipping was a bit high, but I ordered 6 and ended up with a couple of spares. That averaged out to about $4.50/nipple. After using the PVC on hand and adding a couple of fittings and a bucket, I figure I have less that $30 in the setup.
SimplyForties,
As soon as I get home in a day or two, I'll be glad to take a picture and post it. It's not a fancy set-up, but it works. And it was easier to build than I envisioned. I'm really glad we took the trouble to make one of these. It's made our lives easier, and the chickens are happier and healthier in my opinion.

The next project is a larger coop and run. DW wishes to add to the flock and a larger set-up will be required. I plan on making another waterer similar to this, with a few more nipples and some slight improvements. Although it seldom gets very cold down here in Louisiana, one added benefit to this system is less chance of freezing. My plan for the new coop is to locate the reservior/bucket inside the coop somewhere instead of outside, thereby eliminating freezing problems in the future.

BTW, I wish somebody would have let me know that raising chickens was so addictive!!!

Steve

 

[The Sheriff]

Anyone have pics of the finished product? I am a visual kind of learner. Thanks!

 

[SimplyForties]

Quote:
I did a farm update on my blog yesterday, which included pics of my feeders/waterers.

It's here if you want to take a look -

http://www.simplyforties.com/2009/11/hobby-farming-update.html

 

[jazzman]

As promised, pictures of my neato, cheapo chicken waterer,,,

Please ignore the lack of effort on my part to paint the bucket mount,,mybad.

Steve

 

[SimplyForties]

That's very cool Steve. I love having the reservoir on the outside. My next incarnation may take advantage of that technique. Thanks for posting the pics!

 

[Tala]

I used these nipples from TEK supply, and a Fortiflex flat backed bucket from TSC to hang on the fence.

My adult birds couldn't figure it out, but my chicks got the idea pretty quick. Perhaps the adults will learn from the babies

 

[SimplyForties]

I'm trying to get my adult birds trained to use it. Today's lesson consisted of spearing grapes on the nipples, which the birds quickly pecked off. I'm hoping it will make them more aware of the thing and more interested in pecking at it!

 

[jazzman]

Quote:
SimplyForties, thanks and your welcome. I like the fact that I can fill and maintain the reservoir without disturbing the coop. Most of all, I like how something like this stays clean, and takes up very little coop space. By the way, since this is a gravity system, it's prudent to poke a vent hole in the lid of the bucket, or leave the lid loose enough for air to enter. This summer I did have to flush the bucket every once in a while. Darn mosquitoes down here kept trying to lay their eggs in the water. I would just attach a hose to the hose bib under the bucket and let it overflow for a bit. Worked pretty well. Best of luck with your "incarnation".
Steve

 

[yummo]

Quote:
Nice, simple system jazzman. For future reference I inquired with FarmTek about the nozzles to make sure I ordered the correct ones for a gravity fed system and here is their response.

> Thank you for your interest in our products. You can use the WC1030 nipple
> or the WC1045 nipple for gravity fed systems. Please let me know if you
> have any questions. Thanks again!

Also as others have stated the shipping is steep for lower quantities. It appears that 1-25 (probably more but I stopped at 25) cost the same amount to ship so they have some sort of fixed cost up to a certain weight/amount. Then I jacked the number up to 50 for grins and the shipping only went up about 20% if I remember correctly.