If you use a nipple water system, I need some advice

[Country Living Farm]

Ok, I want to switch to a nipple system but in this heat, I am afraid I will not be able to tell if it stops working. I use a auto waterer now but I can see the water so I know it is working. I guess the question is.....How do you know if it stops working if you can not see the water. I am sure I could push the nipple to see if water comes out but I would be puttingin over 25 so I do not want to push 25 nipples. Thanks for the help. Also where can you get these cheap???? I found these but I would think the clamp would break and flood the pen.

http://cgi.ebay.com/nipple-drinkers...66:2|39:1|72:1205|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

 

[briteday]

I will be making some nipple feeders from 5 gallon buckets int eh next few weeks. The nipples can be obtained from FarmTek pretty cheap. I am going to drill them into the bottom of a bucket, add a swamp cooler float valve and hook it up to a hose that I ran underground to keep it cool. I will have 2 buckets with 5-8 nipples each for 24 birds. I will keep one of my regular waterers out for any kind of crisis and until they learn to drink from the nipples.

I checked with the horse supply store here and they have bucket hangers so I can hang the buckets on the side of the shed. I think FarmTek might have them too.