Chicken Nipples

[bwalden]

I use the screw in type on a piece of 1" schedule 40 pvc. I ordered them off ebay from cconly. I attached mine to some wood poles and have adjusted the height as my chickens have grown. I used a 55 gallon plastic drum I picked up for about $8 bucks. I think including the nipple waterers I might have $25 bucks in the whole thing. Works great because I have no nearby water source. I drag a water hose about 200 feet to fill the 55 gal. drum. Mine is gravity flow also. It last about a month with the 19 chickens I have on it. I'd say I have mine about 16-18" off the ground right now. But mine are mostly grown. I might have to raise it one more time because I notice my roos having to bend over some to reach it.

 

[jdeoliveira74]

Just make sure you have a way to disconnect and clean it out. i had to cut my line to take it down to clean.. If i do it again i would make some changes. but it works well
jon

 

[BellevueOmlet]

That site is very overpriced. Just buy some on ebay.

 

[jdeoliveira74]

ebay for sure itswhere i got mine

 

[ilovemydogs]

Just make sure you have a way to disconnect and clean it out. i had to cut my line to take it down to clean.. If i do it again i would make some changes. but it works well
jon

Care to elaborate on the improvements that may help someone planning a system for their run
Thanks

 

[Aquaman05]

I put a 1" ball valve with a 1" fernco coupling on mine.
This way I can shutoff the water from going to the nipples and take fernco apart to clean the pipe.

 

[PuffyChick]

We got out screw on nipples today and promptly put one on the end of a little water bottle and wrapped wire around it to rig it to the side of the brooder.

At first the chicks (3 days old) just sat looking at it like ..Ok what is this woman up to now?

But I pulled their little heads over and made them gently tap the nipple and when the water came out ..the light bulb went on then it was a mad fight over the darn thing!

LOL I swear they werent getting enough water with the other kind with the sawdust always falling in it.

The little chicks just sat peck pecking and drinking away. It was cute and I was much relieved to have a happy, safe, CLEAN drink for my little gems.

(p.s. I had to poke a hole in the bottom of the water bottle to sort of vent it a little. It didn't seem like it wanted to drip that much when touched until I did that. I just stabbed the bottom with the tip of a pen and away we went. It works well now)

 

[tamraclovw]

Very nice! I got mine from Aqua Miser, and started my little chicks right on it when they came in the mail. They got it right away too! You are right about the vacuum, and needing a hole. Since they are gravity fed, they are actually supposed to be used in an open-top container. When the chickies get bigger, use a bucket and they will work perfectly!!

 

[breakout]

I like QC Supply, they are quick, friendly and the quality of the nipples is excellent. They have both the push in type and the screw in type. When I buy them 10 at a time they end up being about $1.90 each with shipping. You can find them cheaper on ebay, but the quality is hit and miss.

The nipples should be installed relative to your chickens' heights. Ideally, they should tip their heads up about 45-50 degrees to reach the nipple. For a growing flock, make them adjustable. For a flock with different sizes and ages you can put a brick or block under a nipple so that smaller birds can reach them.

I agree with Gallo on all counts. As an example I have the nipples set at 19" for our leghorns with a couple pavers for the younger ISAs as you can see here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/672358/my-chicken-watering-solution#post_9117576

Ends up both birds drink from all the nipples -- sometimes you feel like stretching more than other times. If you use a hose you may want to get an RV drinking water hose as your typical garden hose can leech out toxic chemicals and are not recommended for drinking (most have tags saying this).

 

[ilovemydogs]

Thanks for the tips and help with height and the clean out valve recommendations.