Best type of Waterer

[AinaWGSD]

In the past we've used standard gravity waterers but I see that nipple waterers have become much more popular in the last few years.

Obviously the nipple waterers will stay cleaner since there isn't a trough/well of water for chickens to scratch bedding into. What I'm wondering is if the water intake is the same with both types. I know about 10 years ago there was some veterinary studies that indicated rabbits and other small mammals had better water intake when offered bowls vs water bottles. I was curious if there's any similar studies with birds.

 

[cavemanrich]

Many peeps use nipple waterers. The horizontal nipples seem to be a preference during winter. The water inside can have a heater,,, and nipples do not freeze. Vertical nipples are less freeze proof than the horizontal type.
You do need to train your chickens to use the nipples,,,, but that is not very difficult.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[gtaus]

Well, I still use the metal poultry water founts with the metal heater base for winter use.

That's the main selling combo for chickens at my local Fleet store. I keep my waterer and heater inside my chicken coop. Although the heater base only advertises to keep the water ice free down to about +10F, inside my chicken coop protected from outside blowing winds, my waterer has been ice free down to -40F.

One thing that I think is most valuable to me is that I can simply look into the rim of the water fount and immediately see if there is water in it, no water if empty, or maybe ice if the heater base has failed.

I have never used water nipples, but I imagine I would be checking them every day to make sure that they were not clogged up or frozen. For me, there is nothing more important than fresh water for the chickens.

The metal waterer and heater base costs a little more than the waterers with the nipples, or cups, but where I live in northern Minnesota, our Fleet store sells lots more of the old fashioned metal waterer and heater combos than all the other options combined. It's an old system, but it's very simple and reliable.

 

[saysfaa]

Yes.

Maybe.

Effect of Watering Devices on Performance During Pullet-Rearing and Cage-Laying Phases of Single Comb White Leghorn Hens
By W. B. ROUSH and G. D. BOGGAN

"...Birds tend to prefer passive, open drinking systems. Richardson (1969) indicated that when birds are given a choice between drinking water from an open system such as a trough or a closed system such as nipples that there is a tendency for the birds to prefer the open trough. It was noted that the total amount of drinking activity over 24 h is greater when using a nipple than when using a trough. Birds drink in fairly dis- crete " b o u t s " ; these bouts contain more drinking responses in the case of nipples (up to 100) than troughs (rarely more than 30). Presumably, the birds were exhibiting a difficulty in meeting satiety for water from the nipple drinker.
The engineering design of manufactured watering devices affects the availability of water to the birds. Activation of the nipple drinker used in our experiment required the bird to push up on the water valve to obtain water. Zanforlin and Xausa (1982) noted that chicks used in their experiments had difficulty in pushing up the nipple valve and picked laterally at it. There are commercial nipple drinkers on the market that have been engineered for 360°lateral activation by the hen...."

That was long ago - 1987. Maybe nipples are easier to use now.

Or maybe it still matters - measurably if not enough to not recommend nipple waterers in commercial buildings.

This 2014 study
https://www.scielo.br/j/rbca/a/YWRZmLJWmGZpWHMffysjrDJ/?lang=en

"The objective of this study was of evaluate the influence of different drinker types on the egg production, water intake, mortality, poultry litter relative humidity, egg weight, eggshell percentage, and egg specific gravity of broiler breeders. The experiment was carried out in a commercial farm with 37- to 44-wk-old broiler breeders. A randomized block experimental design, consisting of two treatments (bell or nipple drinkers) with four replicates of 4.000 females each, was applied. ...Birds submitted to nipple drinkers presented lower water intake (p<0.05). There was no influence (p>0.05) of drinker type on egg production or mortality. Poultry litter relative humidity was lower (p<0.05) under the nipple-drinker system. Birds drinking from bell drinkers produced heavier eggs (p<0.05) between weeks 39 and 40. Hens drinking from bell drinkers laid eggs with higher specific gravity and eggshell percentage. It was concluded that nipple drinkers can be used for broiler breeders during lay."

I haven't found any studies comparing open water in containers larger than cage cups to anything else. That matters in at least some other species.

Or any studies about backyard hens in winter conditions - whether they drink enough more to for better blood circulation to prevent frostbitten combs. Or, the other side, whether the increased moisture in the manure causes more problems than the increased hydration prevents - it wouldn't in a properly ventilated coop, I think, but there are a really lot of badly ventilated backyard coops.

My conclusion, so far, is that nipples vs open water matters for hydration but only a very little.

 

[TooCheep]

My hens have been on nipple water systems from the beginning (6-7 years ago). They start on the standard gravity fed water setups as chicks, but graduate to the nipple setup when they move outside.

I find that they do prefer open water and will drink from puddles whenever available as they free range during the day. The only time I intentionally offer an open water bowl are during the hottest days during the summer.

Beyond that, the horizontal nipple system has been a very clean, effective solution and with a heater has worked down to our coldest temperatures (-10F).

 

[saysfaa]

This one, published 2011, found

"...water intake was 7.55 times higher in bell drinkers (28.11 mL) as compared to nipples (3.72 mL) during the observation period...."
"...Birds were deprived of water for two hours before data collection in order to assure water intake and thorough evaluation of water intake behavior by broilers during the first ten minutes of free access to water...."

The difference in intake wouldn't be that much if they had access to the waterers all the time.

This study is easier to read than a lot of studies. "Literature usually provides information on the effect of drinker type on bird performance, but not on the behavior or patterns of water intake..."

It describes behavior and covers a lot of aspects of waterers... including the nipples required upward pressure to activate and that was industry standard.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Oh wow, thanks for the studies @saysfaa!

 

[saysfaa]

Evidently, the height of the waterer may matter more than whether it is a nipple or a cup.

Welfare implications of nipple drinkers for broiler chickens​

E Houldcroft, C Smith, R Mrowicki, L Headland, S Grieveson, TA Jones, MS Dawkins
Animal Welfare 17 (1), 1-10, 2008

This says commercial operations keep the nipple waterers high enough the chicken need to stretch up somewhat so there is less water spilling or leaking onto the bedding. When they are lowered, the chickens drink more but that benefit is offset by health problems from the wet bedding.

"...the birds have to peck upwards to obtain water, an action that is very different from the ‘scoop’ action of natural drinking seen when birds drink from troughs or puddles. In this study we investigate the welfare implications of this unnatural drinking behaviour imposed by nipple drinkers. We show 1) that chickens have no apparent aversion to the taste of tap water, 2) that they prefer bell drinkers and troughs over nipple drinkers, 3) that the stereotyped ‘scoop’ action is seen even when birds are drinking from bowls of different heights, 4) that chickens have a strong preference for drinking from nipples that are lower rather than higher and, 5) that when offered a choice between bowls and nipples of the same height, the chickens are indifferent to the method of water presentation. We conclude that the height at which water is presented to chickens is more important to them than whether they can drink with the natural ‘scoop’ action...."