Homemade Feeders/Waterer

[archeryrob]

Yea, If I did it again, I would use street 90's cut out like the others. That said, I am not particularly convinced this container is going to last a couple winters without breaking eventually. Great idea, but I think it needs a better vessel to hold it than what I have right now.

I am probably going to copy @jthornton design for a wall feeder, but make it thicker to hold more feed. I have a ton of left over pallet planks from my pallet coop build.

 

[aart]

Yea, If I did it again, I would use street 90's cut out like the others. That said, I am not particularly convinced this container is going to last a couple winters without breaking eventually. Great idea, but I think it needs a better vessel to hold it than what I have right now.

I am probably going to copy @jthornton design for a wall feeder, but make it thicker to hold more feed. I have a ton of left over pallet planks from my pallet coop build.

JT's design is way better than the pipe elbow feeders, I don't care for them much at all.

 

[jthornton]

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

Mine took about 45 minutes to "figure it out", They started with the red bottom water bottle thing for the first few days while I was designing a vertical nipple water device for the brooder. On change day I put the empty red bottom under the vertical nipple water thing (PVC pipe). The all started pecking at the red bottom part until one pecked at the vertical nipple then within minutes they all had it figured out. I left the red bottom in to catch drips.

I'm from Missouri so you will have to "Show Me" where you read that data...

JT

 

[SHillChickMan]

The

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).

The nipples are pretty simple. It’s just a stainless steel plunger and easy for them to operate. I put 3 or 4 nipples in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and hanger it. With a lid on the bucket the water stays clean. I use a stock tank heater in winter to keep the water from freezing.

 

[SHillChickMan]

Im

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

just going by my experience. I’ve had shipped chicks and those I’ve hatched figure it out in very little time. Maybe my chicks are just smarter than the ones you’ve read about. LOL!!!

 

[archeryrob]

I bought a 15 gallon drum (blue) and added 8 nipples (red) to it. I filled it with clean plain water and left the other waterer in there with apple cider vinegar treated water. A few chickens tried it right away. I was not sure they were all using it. After a day and half the old waterer was not going down and I just pulled it out.

I let them watch me make a few wet and one or two figured it out and the rest figured it out from them.

 

[aart]

Im

just going by my experience. I’ve had shipped chicks and those I’ve hatched figure it out in very little time. Maybe my chicks are just smarter than the ones you’ve read about. LOL!!!

I put 3 or 4 nipples in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket

Well, yes, vertical nipples are easier to learn.

 

[paneubert]

Well, yes, vertical nipples are easier to learn.

Especially since they leak constantly. Haha.

 

[jthornton]

Especially since they leak constantly. Haha.

Mine have never leaked in 2 years...

JT

 

[paneubert]

Mine have never leaked in 2 years...

JT

Yeah, I was half kidding. They just seem to have a reputation for being leaky for some folks and so I was razzing on them. I have had my share of leaky horizontal nipples as well. So it happens to the best of us. Haha.