DIY Watering suggestions please!

[skrlis]

I've been looking for threads on DIY waters for my flock but so far I only see the 'nipple' set up and the water cups

. I live up north and I know the cups will just freeze on me and not sure if I want to buy the nipples. so I'm looking for some other crafty ways to make water containers. right now I'm using the classic red and white plastic things you get from feed stores. Thanks!

 

[RJSorensen]

You should reconsider using horizontal water nipples. With them you can put as many nipples on a five gallon bucket as you need, up to 13 for me, and put a bird bath deicer, or stock tank heater inside the bucket and it will not freeze. Vertical nipples will freeze way before the side mounted horizontal nipples. This is as good a cold weather method as I have found.

Also unlike a font with a heater under it, it will not put out much humidity into your coops winter air, large fowl don't get the wadles wet and thus frozen aka frostbite. You need a lid that is not air tight run the wire through it and you will have, in my experience the best cold weather waterer you can make and or buy.

Best to you and your birds,

RJ

 

[heychickiedoo]

I definitely recommend the nipple system. They are so easy to customize and you can even find "heater wrap coil thingys" (definitely not a technical term!) for use in colder months!

 

[RJSorensen]

I have a photograph of my 60ish Banty chicks working on one of my horizontal buckets. This one has 13 nipples on it, one every two inches or so. As they grow I will have to space them, but for now I can water them all with one bucket, and it is winter ready.




I think they work like a charm…

RJ

 

[David1998]

I have a photograph of my 60ish Banty chicks working on one of my horizontal buckets. This one has 13 nipples on it, one every two inches or so. As they grow I will have to space them, but for now I can water them all with one bucket, and it is winter ready.

I think they work like a charm…

RJ

I'd like to make one like that. Would you share a few construction details including where I could buy the horizontal nipples? Most of the ones I've seen are vertical.

 

[skrlis]

for anyone using the nipples: do you have issues introducing them to your flock? mine are all 7 weeks old so I'm assuming I cant just let them "figure it out". tips and suggestions on training them to use them?

 

[heychickiedoo]

We introduced ours a little younger than yours and I was shocked at how quickly they picked it up. The red on the nipple attracts them to peck so they kind of just go for it. I would leave the original waterer in there too until you see them really pecking.

 

[RJSorensen]

Sure, I got them on Amazon, in a five pack with shipping they are 2.80 ish a piece. At my local farm store they are 3.49 and tax. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JXUAD0K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I sure like them in as I no longer have feed and 'other' things in my water. It is always pretty good looking water. Use a dark colored bucket if it will see sunlight, the white ones will, or can, grow stuff on the inside faster than the darker ones.

Hope the link works, I am new at some of this. If the link does not work, search on Amazon for this:
5 Horizontal (Side Mount) Poultry Nipples
Mine were sold by All'Bout Chickens

I just drilled a 3/8" hole and threaded them in, no teflon tape nor anything else required, it is very easy.

Best to you and your birds,

RJ

 

[skrlis]

also as far as keeping the water from freezing has anyone tried or thought of using a water bed heater? looking like heating pad... I know the light bulb method is most popular but I'm thinking the heater might be more adjustable? this will be 'our' first winter so I'm trying to think ahead!

 

[RJSorensen]

Ok, on training your birds to use them… put the nipples on your container, make sure it is not air tight, these are the reverse of a water font. Fill with water and leave enough room for some ice. The ice will condense the water vapor and form little drops of water on the outside of the 'bucket'. The birds will see these and peck at them, this is a first step, also when you place the waterer, prime the nipples by pushing in on them a few times to fill the tiny 'cup' on the bottom of the red nipple. This catches most any dripping (horizontal nipples are much drier in the coop than vertical ones) and helps attract the birds. You can then show one or two, or just stand back and watch it happen. I suggest removing all other sources of water.

I know this seems counter intuitive, but it seems to work best. If you can get a few pecking, the rest will do the same and in short order you will have all of them on nipples. As an aside, I've been on this for almost a week now, and my wife still wants to put the old plastic font back into the brooder, she worries they are not drinking. Well all are alive and doing just fine thank you, and I feel better because the water stays clean. Please make sure you use a lid, if a bird were to fly up there and fall in, it would drown. And it keeps 'stuff' out of the water.

I think I spoke on heaters a few posts back in this thread, but I use a stock tank heater, bird bath deicers work as well, and with horizontal nipples, they should resist freezing very well.

In regard to starting my birds at two weeks instead of at three days, my little banty chicks were just too small for me to feel good about doing this, until they had a good dose of spunk in them. So this is why I held off on introducing them to the nipples. Regular full size birds can use them at about three days. I have heard of some folks taking the chicks from the shipping box and dipping the beak on a nipple, but I don't.

Anyway, it is easy to do, a drill and a bucket, some ice and a lid, please remember to vent the lid somewhere.

Best to you folks and your birds,

RJ