chicken watering

[chad s]

Ok, we have 9 RIR 8 week old poop machines. We recently moved them to the coop. My issue now is figuring out a water system. I think a gravity system would work best for us but can not realy hang a 5 gallon bucket in the coop due to space restrictions. I have been reading a lot about the nipples and cups. I have a list of questions I need help with. Our coop has and attached covered run area. The birds are only locked up at night in the coop.

1) can I use the nipples with a 5 gallon bucket as the reservoir and a piece of pvc pipe with the nipple threaded into the pipe? The pipe would be along a wall of the coop.

2) those who use a similar set up, what do you use in the winter? I live in central PA and we can get some long cold spells

3) Should I have this set up in the coop or the run

Please, any and all recommendations would be appreciated. Trying to make the water set up as clean for the birds as possible and as maintenance free for us as possible. Would like it to be simple so that someone looking after the birds while we are away do not become overwhelmed with chicken care instructions. We currently have a 3 gallon water that sits on some bricks in the coop and the run but as you are surely aware that creates a lot of nasty water cleaning every day. Thanks for any tips in advance.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

The line along the wall will be prefect but I would recommend water cups over nipples just because I like them better.

In the winter, I use a heating pan and force some through every once and a while by releasing some water every day through the cups. I don't know how you can do it with nipples.
If they are only locked up at night, I would keep it outside since they will not use it when it is dark and it's best if they do not hang out inside during the day.

 

[chad s]

Do you just use a container set on the heat pan or is the pan to heat the reservoir for the cups? Do you still keep the watering to the run area? I was thinking of putting a couple cups in the run and a couple in the coop. The ones in the coop may be keep above freezing with the body heat(time will tell). If they are not, I was thinking of putting heat tape on the pipe with the cups on it in the coop. I would then stop using the run cups through the freezing times. Was also going to put an aquarium heater in the 20 gallon reservoir. Any thoughts? Thanks