My new Mondo Chicken Condo(Update 04-29-09)

[60ACRES]

Great job!

I would like to see a little more of that water system you have created!




...and exactly what kinda little feathered critters you got there?

 

[codybird]

I will take some better pictures this afternoon.

I can only take credit for copying "rebelcowboysnd"'s idea.

It is just a 3" piece of PVC about four feet long with a cap glued to one end and two 90 degree elbows at the other. Lay it on it's side, fill it with water, stand it up, and the water will not come out until they drink it. It's a gravity, vacuum, physics, hydraulics, mystery kind of thing.

The six feathered creatures are Black Sexlinks.

 

[60ACRES]

Quote:
So what if you didn't glue the cap on, could you not take it off to fill it? Or even use the screw on cap? I guess all the water would just run out if the top wasnt on,... hmmm there has to be a way...

I would like to use this design if I could make it a permanent fixture. Instead of laying it on its side to fill.

 

[jrleader99]

I love the watering system too.

Maybe have another cap that you can screw or a shutoff valve on the bottom/chicken side so you can fill it without it all draining out. That might eliminate the issue of all of the water emptying out. Great idea though.

 

[bagendhens]

on the outside pipe instead of gluing the cap on get a screw top attatchment for the pvc and the screw top...

we used this system at the zoo i worked at for most of the animals. it works exceptionaly well, they woth the same way as the gravity waterers you can buy for dogs (and the same way the large coop waterers work, once the water level gets high enough to cover the air acess it stopps filling (the water itself works as the stopper) as the animal drinks and the water level drops it simply refills itself to keep the level constant.

 

[codybird]

If you unscrew a cap and put water in the pipe it will run out, not allowing you to refill. The vacuum is the key.

Some kind of shut off valve would work, but if you are going to do all that, the inexpensive simplicity of the device would be lost.

But, YMMV

 

[dukecitychick]

I LOVE your waterer. I'm so copying it.

I think the height of it and the flange are fine - I currently have a dog dish of water out in my run up on a cinder block. The cinder block is up on its 8" side and the dog dish is another maybe 4", and the chickens (I have standards) have no problem reaching their necks over. I just have to keep the dish about half full or they can't reach the water surface.

But I like your design better because the less surface area of water is exposed, the less dirt will blow into the water. It's the desert here, and a lot of dirt blows into the water! I feel bad dumping it out each day to put clean water in. (I was thinking about planting some veggies to grow up the outside of the fence and then I could at least dump the water on a living thing!)

 

[codybird]

The four week old BSL's have been in their tractor for six days now and are doing well.

I built a 1/8th inch mailbox type insert to put into the plastic tub feeder to regulate feed and it's working great with little waste.

The birdies are not tall enough to drink out of the PVC waterer so I built a little deck for them to stand on. They still didn't get it so I put the chick waterer next to it and they seem to be getting the idea.

I can't seem to get them to go up the ramp at night, so I have been picking them up when they are "sleep dopey" and putting them on the roost in the second level. I hope they will get it soon.

They came down the ramp on their on this morning.

Waterer in training and obligatory poop shot

Chicken mini me's.

Inside of feeder

They don't stay chicks for long!