Chicken waterer nipple ?

[LoneOak]

Here is one of the better places to get nipples, auto cups and most all the water supplies you will ever need, Coops-N-More. There are four pages here of both kinds of nipples, auto cups, PVC built systems Buckets and regulators. They also have the good old stand by Galvanized double wall founts and feeders. Don't buy the colored poly feeder base for a quart jar as they are probably the worst designed feeder base ever made, the angle is wrong and the birds waste more feed than they eat out of them, the galvanized feeder base for the same price works much better and last forever. I originally found these folks on Ebay and then found their website and started buying direct. There prices are as good or better than most others out there, never had a problem with shipping.

If you do a search of you-tube for chicken waters you will find many videos on how to build a water system all the way for installing nipples in a 5 gal bucket to complete piped in systems for many birds. I have a system that starts with a 55 gal barrel and then feeds a 5 gal bucket with a float to control pressure then into black poly pipe that feeds both cups and nipples. I have changed some of my original build and put all cups indoors to eliminate wet spots and use nipples outdoors where it doesn't matter if the ground gets a wet spot. The birds don't care they drink out of the cups or use the nipples equally unless if there is a puddle on the ground and then they will drink the dirty puddle water first, sometimes they just ain't got no sense.

Here is a pic of part of my system as I originally built it, it has been changed now but this will give you an idea of how i did it and kind of give you the idea that it can be done many different ways, just depends on your knowledge and ability to build. Use your imagination and common sense and it becomes easy, if its not right or doesn't work than reengineer it take it apart and start all over. Build something to the best of your ability!!!!

 

[LoneOak]

I just now saw this on Amazon, Oasis Chicken Waterer. I have seem these folks before, they make several different styles and sizes of this basic waterer. This would be great for a tractor or small coop with only 3 or 4 chickens. Look around at all her stuff, it looks pretty good. If you add up the cost of all the parts they use you aren't paying them but about $25 to $30 to put it all together, I know they get parts cheaper than I can but I don't know if I would build it and sell it that cheap.

 

[tp70731]

This is the best solution I have found for a good price http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Water...d=1381175000&sr=8-64&keywords=chicken+waterer

 

[McVerdi]

If you are handy and want to save a few dollars, I would suggest buying the Poultry Nipples Here. It's the best price I've found so far. Use a little brain power and you can produce awesome watering systems for much cheaper than pre-fab ones. Here is a great Birdbath Heater that isn't to expensive. I have seen some neat videos showing some very simple water circulating systems, and personally am in the process of gathering parts to build one. This is the Submersible Pump I'm using. Hope any of this helps and thanks everybody for sharing all of the great info!

 

[chad-o]

My thought is do I want cheaper or better? If I wanted cheaper I would be driving a HUGO. Not the best choice but a great price! LOL
Horizontal nipples might be a few cent's more but I only had to buy them once.

 

[eqserman]

I went to Wal Mart and they sold me Icing buckets for $ 1.00 they are square and sturdy with lids. Wrapped black duct tape around the buckets to keep down algae and slime.

 

[chixcoop]

I have 4 nipples for 4 hens. I will be adding around 7 though. I had trouble getting them to drink out of them first, but I realized that you need to COMPLETELY isolate them from their original/familiar water source. Once I had the hanging bucket, I took a chicken, and kind of made water drip out of the nipple onto its beak and head, and I tried to get water onto its beak. I left their original water source outside of the coop, and just let them find it out naturally. I put the original water source in once or twice a day, but they need to be truly thirsty to drink out of a new source.

 

[andy mckown]

THe Heated ice pick is a good idea to avoid cracking a thin plastic container.

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[andy mckown]

I just let 50 chicks out in my run. they are 7 weeks old. I have 7 older hens and they drink from the nipples.The baby chicks were drinking from the nipples the first day they were out. I have 10 nipples in a 3/4 inch pvc pipe and it is plenty for 57 birds.

 

[Gundawg]

I need to figure out what I am going to do for this winter right now I have a hanging fount in the run and a 5 gallon bucket with 4 nipples in the bottom I have 2 cockerels and 16 pullets 20 weeks and 1 hen 18 months old. I live in SW Washington State it can get in the teens or rarely single digits but most winter days it gets bellow freezing in the winter. I need to do something for a non freezing water system. One thing I will mention the chickens use the nipples but drink more from the fount. The bucket with the nipples gets green algae after a couple days in the summer I clean it regularly. I would like to use a 55 gallon drum but I am not sure how to keep it from freezing. I can get electricity to the coop and run although I have yet to do that project. One question I have is how high should the bucket be off the ground my birds are all large heritage breed no bantams? I think I may have it too close to the ground.

Thanks Mike