Homemade Feeders/Waterer

[SHillChickMan]

Not sure if nipples would work. They are used to open waterer since they were chics. If I introduced that idea would be afraid they wouldn't figure it out lol

They will figure it out quickly. They are naturally curious and once one of them uses it they’ll all join in. I’d offer both for a few days, but then I’d let them use the nipples. I have 5 gallon buckets with nipples and the water stays clean and I only have to fill every three days or so even in 95 degree weather.

 

[BReeder!]

I use 2" pvc pipe with poultry cups for our quail. Works great. It is u shaped. The nipples are along the horizontal section and the vertical sections stick through the top of their cage so we can refill without opening the cage. I might add a 5 gallon bucket as a reservoir. Righg now the waterer holds about 1/2-3/4 gallon, which suffices for our 15 quail as long as we refill it every morning.

 

[Roo5]

I’ve read otherwise, most say it can take days up to weeks for then to catch on to the watering nipples.

They will figure it out quickly. They are naturally curious and once one of them uses it they’ll all join in. I’d offer both for a few days, but then I’d let them use the nipples. I have 5 gallon buckets with nipples and the water stays clean and I only have to fill every three days or so even in 95 degree weather.

 

[Blooie]

Mine catch on to the nipple watering systems from the time they are hatched. Aside from the occasional mud puddle or bits of standing water from the hose when we water the yard, it’s all they ever know from hatch to the end of their lives.

 

[paneubert]

I’ve read otherwise, most say it can take days up to weeks for then to catch on to the watering nipples.

Please provide sources where you read that "most" have a hard time figuring out nipples. I do not believe I have ever read about a case where it took a chicken more than a few hours. Assuming the keeper took away the other type of waterer of course. If they left 2 (or more) types available, then that is not a good example of it being "hard" for the chicken to learn/accept/use since it simply means they prefer the other type and are using what they prefer.

In my case, I have nipples, an open black rubber tub, and a gravity style with the access all around the bottom. They know how to use the nipples for sure (since they had them in the brooder growing up), but they greatly prefer the gravity style. I have to refill the gravity style often, the open tub less often, and the nipples almost never.

Kept quail before chickens, and they also had no problem with nipples either. I hatched and raised probably 300-400 quail this way.

 

[aart]

Please provide sources where you read that "most" have a hard time figuring out nipples.

IME the Horizontal Nipples can take some time for them to 'get it',
especially with young chicks many just aren't strong enough to trigger them.
Vertical Nipples are much easier for them to use.

Here's my thoughts on 'nipple training'.
-First, it's good to know how much water your flock consumes 'normally', I top off water every morning and have marks on the waterers so I know about how much they drink.
Some feel nipples will not ever provide enough water and the birds will suffer because of it. By monitoring quantities consumed both before and after, I found they drank just as much via the nipples as an open waterer.

-Show them how with your finger(tho that might just train them to wait for your finger), and/or manually grab them and push their head/beak onto the trigger(easier with chicks than adults).

-No other water source, best to 'train' during mild weather when dehydration is less of an immediate health risk. I do provide an open waterer late in day to make sure they don't go to roost dehydrated, especially young chicks.

It can take days or weeks to get them fully switched over, just takes observation, consistency, and patience.

 

[paneubert]

IME the Horizontal Nipples can take some time for them to 'get it',
especially with young chicks many just aren't strong enough to trigger them.
Vertical Nipples are much easier for them to use.

Here's my thoughts on 'nipple training'.
-First, it's good to know how much water your flock consumes 'normally', I top off water every morning and have marks on the waterers so I know about how much they drink.
Some feel nipples will not ever provide enough water and the birds will suffer because of it. By monitoring quantities consumed both before and after, I found they drank just as much via the nipples as an open waterer.

-Show them how with your finger(tho that might just train them to wait for your finger), and/or manually grab them and push their head/beak onto the trigger(easier with chicks than adults).

-No other water source, best to 'train' during mild weather when dehydration is less of an immediate health risk. I do provide an open waterer late in day to make sure they don't go to roost dehydrated, especially young chicks.

It can take days or weeks to get them fully switched over, just takes observation, consistency, and patience.

All great info. I did not mean to come off as hostile or anything. Just thinking about all the commercial operations that use nipples (sometimes cups I suppose, but still requiring a trigger to refill) for their thousands of birds, and all the folks who post their individual anecdotes about their experience. I think the only stories I have read where it was a struggle were either very young birds who could not press the trigger (like you mentioned), or cases where they had other water sources (also like you mentioned).

 

[HopeSprings]

Thats what I do.....plus I run a long bolt up through the middle of the bucket and put a funnel upside down in the bucket to push the feed to the sides. Works great

Can you post a picture or two? I've got to figure something out that will hold more food for my flock of 17!

 

[archeryrob]

We use this one for 19 and it lasts all week. 54 quart tub.

Plus - holds 7 - 8 gallons of feed. See through and cal tell its amount easy.
negative - The plastic is thin and I am afraid winter could be hard on it and the birds like to roost and crop up the lid.

 

[aart]

We use this one for 19 and it lasts all week.

The 45° angle is kind of ineffective for 'no waste', tho saves on fitting costs.
Better to go almost 90° so level of feed is lower than level of opening,
then you don't need to constrict pipe opening to deter spillage.
Their 're-design' was ill conceived, IMO....as they actually pointed out themselves.