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

[MeepBeep]

For oystershell thats a very very big container. 

Size is relative to the flock size, my oyster shell (and grit) feeder is very similar size and design and I have to fill them every 2 weeks, so I don't think it's that large at all at least not in my case...

When building one it's much easier to simply move the vertical pipe to the side of the cap on the bottom and screw through the side of the cap into the pipe, this also allows for you to more easily secure it to the wall...

I secured mine to the wall with shelf keyhole brackets...

 

[daxigait]

I just installed one in a bucket today and will be sitting the bucket down into my heated dog bowl to see if that will keep the water unfrozen and hoping it will keep the nipple lever unfrozen as well.  If it does not I'll just direct a light bulb toward the nipple mechanism to keep it thawed...I'm tired of messy winter watering also. 

did it work?

 

[Cluckies]

Last year was my first year with chickens, I live in MN so it was very cold. Sooo, I used a 2 gallon bucket with horizontal nipples. Inside I placed a circulating pond pump and a bird bath deicer. It worked great. At the beginning of winter I went with the aquarium heater, but switched over to the bird bath deicer as I thought the water was probably too warm. plus there was less water loss due to evaporation at the lower temp. and less energy usage. here was my set up. can't remember if I already posted this on here. Also, the higher up the bucket you go, the warmer the water was (point and shoot thermometer), so you may want to raise some of the nipples higher up on the bucket. I took the handle off and replaced it with a rope.

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[daxigait]

I am tempted to say 16 feet by 9 feet but I would have to re-measure to be sure. We've had it for a few years now and I can't quite remember.

do you have plans for this?

 

[Beekissed]

did it work?

It did...but the horizontal nipples didn't. The chickens couldn't seem to learn to drink from them...didn't seem to be enough water showing in the lip of them to encourage further levering for more.... and they were really needing to drink freely. When I switched back to the open waterer of the dog bowl they all flocked forward and drank and drank and drank like they hadn't had water for days...which was pretty much true as I had used this setup for a couple of weeks. And these chickens eat wet feed each day, so they are getting hydrated besides the water.

 

[RonP]

It did...but the horizontal nipples didn't. The chickens couldn't seem to learn to drink from them...didn't seem to be enough water showing in the lip of them to encourage further levering for more.... and they were really needing to drink freely. When I switched back to the open waterer of the dog bowl they all flocked forward and drank and drank and drank like they hadn't had water for days...which was pretty much true as I had used this setup for a couple of weeks. And these chickens eat wet feed each day, so they are getting hydrated besides the water.

Did you measure the water you replaced in the nipple watering system?

Reason I ask, my birds have available food and water (nipple waterer) 24/7 .

I offer them food, even their regular layer mash, tossed around, they seem as if they are starving...
Same with the water...

I note the amount of water replaced in my nipple waterers, seems very well within expectations per bird average...no fallout with egg delivery either.

I chalked it up to it being a chicken thing...they always seem to be able to find more room when something seems more interesting than what they just ate...

 

[MeepBeep]

Did you measure the water you replaced in the nipple watering system?

A good, point, and on that topic I was going through about 10 gallons of water a day with 'open' watering systems as they splashed it everywhere, that was cut to about 5 gallons a day once I installed the nipples... I rarely if ever see them using the nipples, but they are obviously getting their fill of water, and I'm sure if I put a bucket of water in there they would go crazy just like they act like they are starved every day when I go out there with treats, even though they have 24/7 access to food...

 

[Beekissed]

Did you measure the water you replaced in the nipple watering system?

Reason I ask, my birds have available food and water (nipple waterer) 24/7 .

I offer them food, even their regular layer mash, tossed around, they seem as if they are starving...
Same with the water...

I note the amount of water replaced in my nipple waterers, seems very well within expectations per bird average...no fallout with egg delivery either.

I chalked it up to it being a chicken thing...they always seem to be able to find more room when something seems more interesting than what they just ate...

I didn't measure with exact calibrations but I know my usual fill line on the buckets and it wasn't going down.

This isn't my first rodeo when it comes to chickens and I know about their behavior when it comes to food and water, so I'm pretty certain they weren't getting their usual amounts with that bucket....water wasn't going down, they were trying to get melting snow off my boots(and these birds have open access to the snow all winter, so they can peck it all they wish) and also trying to hurriedly sip up any water spilled when I changed out old, stale water for new.

I would have LOVED to stay with the bucket and nipple system....loved how clean the water stayed and all, but it just wasn't working for my stupid birds. They are used to an open watering system all year long and winter time is no different....switching them to the horizontal nipples was the same as when I tried them on the vertical nipples. I tried everything I knew to get them to understand the concept....heck, even one day old chicks can grasp the vertical nipples!...but the adult birds just couldn't get there. The only nipples I've been able to get the adults to use with any success are those with the cup on them....but the cup freezes up and can't be used in winter.

 

[chickmomma03]

I built my coop, but don't have great pictures of it. I also build the exercise yard for them. I'm about to go build a mini coop for my chicks that are younger since the older ones just want to beat them up (I'm going to try the no touch but look thing). It's still under construction, but functional.


Other than that I've not done too much in the way of "being creative". I made their brooders to save money too.

 

[chickmomma03]

Oops, built the exercise yard