Favorite *Clean* Chicken Waterer?

[Kjordanov]

Good ideas!

 

[BekkiH]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Time to do some research now.

 

[debid]

5 gallon bucket with nipples here. A 250W bucket deicer keeps it working all winter. It gets down to the single digits F here. For the brooder, I just use a smaller container, same concept. The water stays clean and the litter stays dry. Oh, and I hang them using chain so I can raise the height as they grow.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

5 gallon bucket with waterer cups. It is a contained system so the water does not get green and the bucket stays clean. The wups do not leak so the coop stays nice and dry. In the winter I use a bucket heater. Sounds like my system is just like debids but with waterer cups instead of nipples.

 

[debid]

Doesn't adding springs to the equation provide a point of failure? Springs rust and springs wear out. And, when I watch my chickens at a water nipple, they stand almost under it, hold it open, and gravity puts the water where they can swallow without tipping their heads. They don't peck and drink drips unless they're mostly playing. I don't see any advantage to horizontal placement since vertical placement works on wall-mounted PVC as well.

 

[Rich386]

All I can tell you is that millions have been sold and no problems. Australia, Scotland, England and the rest of Europe. If what you have works for you there would be no reason to change. If not here is an alternative solution.

 

[Going Quackers]

I admit i am curious about these nipple type waterers but do chickens learn how to drink from them if they were not exposed to such a design while young? My birds actually keep the water quite clean BUT when they get kicking bedding in the coop and dirt in the run, well you know what happens, so i am curious on these nipple styles. Also do they drip? i know i have been through zillions of water bottles for the rabbits that claim no leak to only flood the cages.

 

[debid]

The only dripping is caused by playing. So, the big chickens have dry litter, the babies have a bit of dampness from flinging drops around and their four-chick "let's see who can peck this thing the most in 20 seconds...GO!) water parties.

I haven't started adults but the chicks took to it quickly. The hardest part is trusting that once you have seen them using the nipples, it's really OK to remove the fount option. If you don't, they will continue to use it and you may begin to think that they don't like the nipples or aren't getting enough water. I can assure you that properly installed, they can down water like a college kid with a beer bong.

 

[Rich386]

My hens were a year old some two when I introduced the nipples. I have since then added a few that are about four months old. They never hesitated they drank almost immediately. From my experience these are leak free and poop free. I have never had to clean or do any thing to them. The pictures are my 49 girls not some thing I found on the Internet.

 

[ChickenWaterer]

Our system uses poultry nipples to dispense water, so I've seen quite a few makes and models. I haven't seen the vertically mounted ones. My guess is that these were developed to get around another poultry nipple manufacturer's patents. I don't see a real advantage to the vertically mounted poultry nipples to either the chickens or the owner. Looks "different" but not better.