DIY Thread - Let's see your "Inventions".

[roostead]

I am hoping this will do the trick

 

[Blooie]

@aart I found the thread with the setup I was referring to.

Edited: Um, to which I was referring?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/850806/frozen-nipples-finally-working/20

 

[aart]

@aart I found the thread with the setup I was referring to.

Edited: Um, to which I was referring?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/850806/frozen-nipples-finally-working/20

Yup, I remember that one. My set up seemed to work fine and will use same this year.
Only diff?..... no broody hen and chicks to trot liquid water for multiple times a day.

 

[Blooie]

Yup, I remember that one. My set up seemed to work fine and will use same this year.
Only diff?..... no broody hen and chicks to trot liquid water for multiple times a day.

That should simplify things for you immensely!

 

[perchie.girl]

@ChickenCanoe

Is working on one i believe.

I dont live in a cold enough climate to need a water heater... I go the other way though because my climate is so hot 105+- in the summer I use five gallon tubs with float valves...shaded. They always have water they can dip their wattles in to help cool them off.

I am working on one though that will feed two or three pens with deep water but be on a float valve. they will reach through wire to get to the water and the water will be on the outside of the pen walls. This way NO poo or feet in the water. Keeping it cleaner... yet still give them as much as they want 24/7....



sorry the sketch is pretty crude but I hope it gets the idea across done in ball point pen scanned and retouched in corel.

deb

 

[bruceha2000]

I am hoping this will do the trick

It may, depending on where you live and how cold it gets.

I'm using saddle nipples in 3/4" PVC pipe so they are bigger than the screw ins and they don't have the mass of water in contact with them to keep the plastic parts a bit warmer. My pipe is encased in the bottom of the nest box (I would make a separate "unit" were I to do it again) with ONLY the metal pins sticking out of the 1/4" plywood bottom and rigid foam insulation around the pipe. The "source" is a 5 gallon Igloo "drink cooler" on the outside wall of the coop (converted horse stall in an OLD barn) which contains a SMALL pump designed for reptile tank waterfalls. It runs continuously when the weather is cold (*). I have both a stock tank heater and a submersible aquarium heater in the "cooler". The stock tank heater works to about 15F, colder than that and the nipples can freeze. Then I plug in the aquarium heater instead, set at ~75F. It works to -15F and below though sometimes a nipple might still freeze.

* I thought about getting a thermocube so it only runs when the temp gets close to freezing but I've not seen good reviews on their quality/longevity.

 

[Hennypenny15]

Saw on a thread the other day about building your own feeders. I can't find it again so will post how I build mine. If you are tired of cleaning out the waters you buy at a store you might want to try these; no slimy green gunk to clean out! Saw how to make a good feeder on a video that keeps chickens from wasting feed, keeps other birds from their feed, and also prohibts mice and such from helping themselves. Have been using for a year now and will never go back to store bought.






Use small material (I used brick and wood block) to set feeder at height that works for your chickens so that they can reach all the way in without bending legs down. Keep material smaller than container so that vermin cannot crawl up into and eat feed. By having the PVC elbow protrude from container it keeps chickens from trying to scratch out feed. A small piece of wood screwed into the PVC elbow attached so that it touches container floor even with the elbow; keeps elbow stable. Then you postition elbow to floor how you want it; hold in place (takes two people at this point) and turn over contain to put screws through bottom of container into wood piece. I drilled a hole into back of container and than took washer and long screw and attached to wall. You can see in picture of 3" PVC elbow how I cut out a piece to allow feed to flow into that space by gravity. I just lift lid fill and close back up. Can move by simply removing screw from wall and placing against another wall.

 

[Hennypenny15]

Here is water that I built. Also round feeder out of PVC pipe. I used 4" pipe and 2" elbows for my indoor winter Serema cages. The bantam water is 6" pipe and 3" elbows. On round PVC feeders and waters you cut 1/2" long cuts into the top of the pipe to allow the lid to slide on and off easily. The water cup goes in the bottom of pipe cap. Make sure you drill your hole for cup at the correct distance from edge so cup will extend out and be usable. You need to clean outside of pipe and inside of cap with cleaned then primer. Then coat both with glue and put together.




You can see Serema eating out of feeder. Don't have waters attached yet.

 

[Cluckies]

I am hoping this will do the trick

Good luck, but check it often. I haven't seen a set up yet with vertical nipples that don''t freeze, we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Quote: Nice!

 

[Urban Ckn]

I have 2 Pvc pipes for my feed that go to a box inside the coop and I have 1 pipe that goes to a 5 gallon bucket with poultry nipples inside the coop. Feed is made from 3" Pvc piping.