Nipple Waterers--Which Brand?

[KatGold]

Wow! See what happens when you forget to subscribe to your own post? Things get really interesting!

ChickenJerk, I am interested in the VAL. Right now, my chickens drink rain water from a 40 gallon rain water collection barrel. So there is no pressure, it's pressure free, or I guess I could say, it is gravity drawn.

So I have two questions for you:

1) Does the VAL need to be connected to a hose with pressure, or will my gravity set-up work?

2) Would the VAL attach to the end of a water hose. All the pictures show it on a pipe. Which of these would work best? I see they have Floor Drinkers, Water Cage and Water Floor systems.

Thanks!

 

[KatGold]

bluelucky, that looks great. How long have you had yours in place?

 

[Hawgon]

Mine are from QC Supply also and I prefer push-in style to the screw-in ones.

 

[bluelucky]

bluelucky, that looks great. How long have you had yours in place?

I have had mine for over a month now.. They took to them in minutes... Also, QC does have the push in ones too...

 

[ChickenJerk]

ChickenJerk, I am interested in the VAL. Right now, my chickens drink rain water from a 40 gallon rain water collection barrel. So there is no pressure, it's pressure free, or I guess I could say, it is gravity drawn.
The force of gravity is pressure.

So I have two questions for you:

1) Does the VAL need to be connected to a hose with pressure,
If you are thinking a hose with, say, more or less regular house pressure, no.
or will my gravity set-up work?
Depends on how high the water column is. The water column is the distance on the y axis that the top of the water in the reservoir is above the drinker. Nipples are designed to work at 4 to 10 inches of water column height but in the backyard situation a little more than that can usually be tolerated. No VAL nipple drinker is designed to work well with 24" of water column height or 1 PSI. Not to say that they won't "work",

2) Would the VAL attach to the end of a water hose. All the pictures show it on a pipe.
All VAL nipples are designed to go into a glue on saddle that only fits a 3/4" PVC pipe.
Which of these would work best? I see they have Floor Drinkers, Water Cage and Water Floor systems.
Those are systems that can accommodate any of the drinkers, not the drinkers themselves. If you are raising only broilers from day old or mature large chickens I would suggest the VR150. For egg type chickens, any bantams or upland game birds (not turkeys) use the VB150 from day old to maturity.
http://www.val-co.com/pdfs/sell_sheets/watering/22-028_Floor_Drinkers.pdf?ValcoPDF=1

 

[breakout]

I used the QC supply screw in ones. Best combo of price plus shipping costs and I had heard some people had problems with the Chinese ones which I think are on Ebay. No leaks, no problems other than it took a little force to screw them in. I ended up putting them into my portable drill to get them started. It might have been easier if I wet them first. BTW you cannot use normal hose pressure with nipples.