Are nipple waterers hard to keep clean?

[Susan-B]

My girls are moving into the coop soon and I need to get a waterer and feeder for out there. Was considering a nipple waterer but read a bit about them being hard to clean (well so is cleaning bedding out of water numerous times a day LOL) Thx

 

[wamtazlady]

Nipple waterers are the easiest waterer to keep clean. They are a nearly sealed system so no dirt can get into them. As a result they don't need cleaning often. The new nipple waterer I put out in November is just now going to be cleaned for the first time. Water is still clean but algae is starting to grow with the warm weather. I'll clean it out and put some copper pennies in it to retard the growth of algae. I'll be looking around for a dark colored container that will not let light in and algae grow. At the moment my container is a clear tote with lid.

 

[orloffer]

I use a nipple waterer, specifically this type. In my experience the cover and the red nipple part do tend to collect some dust over time, but this is fairly easy to wipe off. I have never actually had to take the waterer apart and clean it. For me they are great because they do not spill and no bedding, dirt, or dust gets into the water.

 

[3KillerBs]

I purchased some horizontal nipples to install on a bucket. This is one more reason to get busy and get that done. I did start these as older chicks.

Tighten them onto the bucket by hand. Don't use the drill attachment because if you overtighten them you can crack the bucket.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Nipple waterers can be the easiest to clean, if you plan in advance to minimize need for cleaning. I have never done more than rinse out my nipple waterers (with plain water), in 5 years. I use fully opaque waterers that are kept in the shade to nullify algae growth.

 

[3KillerBs]

but the birds don't like using them much.

Given the opportunity, my birds prefer to drink rainwater from the hollows in the overturned plastic lawn chairs.

 

[3KillerBs]

I find my nipple waterers easy to clean.

I rinse them every time I refill them and scrub them with dish liquid and a brush when they seem to need it -- which is far less often than the gravity feed waterers did.

 

[3KillerBs]

They do drip, which is my only complaint. It's worse if it's slightly frozen so I'd worry about frostbite on toes if I lived in a really cold environment, but I'm in NC.

My horizontal nipples never drip. I hear that vertical nipples are easier for young chicks to learn to use though.

 

[neo71665]

Been using horizontal nipples for 2 years now and will never go back. I have them in a black bucket and clean it once a year in the fall. All I do it dump the water out and pressure wash the bucket inside and out. Have only taken the nipples apart one time and seen it wasn't needed so I don't bother anymore.

Yeah chickens are a lazy creature. If there is a muddy hole in the run they will drink from it instead of the nipples. Birds have been around a very long time doing this so oh well.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

My horizontal nipples never drip. I hear that vertical nipples are easier for young chicks to learn to use though.

I purchased some horizontal nipples to install on a bucket. This is one more reason to get busy and get that done. I did start these as older chicks.