Official BYC Poll: Which type of waterers do you like best and why?

[BigFuzzball]

I love the cup nipple waterers, however I am having problems with the 2-gal buckets I have drilled them into cracking. Complete waste of a good bucket! I will be looking for a better container.

If you can, try and find a school chemicals producer or supplier near you. The large white tubs with very tight fitting lids they supply stock in hold 15, 20 or 25kg of chemicals (all pretty harmless as for kids school chemistry experiments) and all come with chemicals in liners. They're almost indestructible, easy to clean etc. We receive a lot of our stock in them here but as in the UK it's a bit impractical to try and send you some lol.
I use 4 of our redundant ones for layers mash, pellets, mealworms, cracked mixed corn but want the next 2 for containers for nipple waterers

 

[aart]

I love the cup nipple waterers, however I am having problems with the 2-gal buckets I have drilled them into cracking. Complete waste of a good bucket! I will be looking for a better container.

Threading containers for nipples is tricky, type of plastic and sizing holes is critical.

 

[3KillerBs]

Threading containers for nipples is tricky, type of plastic and sizing holes is critical.

I was careful to heed the warning in the reviews for the nipples I bought that the use of the adapter tool for the drill tended to crack the buckets. Therefore I tightened all the nipples by hand and have gotten no cracks and no leaks.

 

[FloorCandy]

I use a hotknife to cut the holes in the bucket, but slightly too small, then you use the drill to expand them to the right size. You can also scale up drilling, start with a small bit and scale up a couple sizes at a time expanding it. Never use the tool to tighten, just tighten by hand, and if it leaks I just seal it with flex seal glue.

 

[BDutch]

In the meantime I've tried out vertical nipples in the summer months and found out they dripped alot. I use those only for chicks in a brooder now, when a wire mesh floor prevents them from sleeping on wet bedding.

It’s quit a precise work to make the nipples in a drilled hole into plastic. Best use a dril 1 mm smaller as the screw of the nipple and widen it a little bit. This way the screw of the nipple gets very tight in the plastic can/ bottle and won’t leak.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

I have the peck-and-drink waterers and the gravity founts. I prefer the founts because, although they get dirty more easily, the chickens drink more from them. This is important in NM.

 

[Teresa D]

Over ez has a heater for their waterer, which is the one I have so I will be getting the heater if it gets too cold here in Oklahoma

I think in reality the over eze waterer is to big for 7 chickens. So the chickens and I love the poultry waterer they drank almost a gallon yesterday 7 chickens I have it hanging in the coop and its going to work I'll get a picture tomorrow .

 

[Teresa D]

I'm in Minnesota, and have used the Farm Innovators one you linked for two winters. I can attest to the fact that it kept water fluid down to -34F. There was ice in the bucket, but mainly just the top 1/4" of water was iced over. The nipples were still flowing water easily when pecked. The first winter it did great, but last winter I ran into an issue with it failing. As the hens peck on the nipples, some of the water drips down the side of the pail and somehow manages to weep into the heated base. When enough water ends up in there, it shorts out the heating element. I found the waterer frozen on two occasions. To fix it, I removed the base, cleaned out the water and dried it, then removed and cleaned the element contacts. Once I did that, it was good to go again. This happened twice on me. But other than that, it performed beyond expectations. I can't use it this year, as I have a blind hen who cannot use a nipple waterer, so I am going to use the Little Giant galvanized fount waterer on a heated base. I'd much prefer the nipple waterer.

A few other things I like about the Farm Innovators one:
1) It is opaque. That makes it really easy to see the water level and know when it needs to be filled.
2) The lid can be removed without having to remove it from the hanger. This makes it really easy to just take a pitcher of water out and fill it in place.
3) It only draws 65 watts.

For my issue with water getting into the base, I think I can resolve it by simply using some silicone to seal the base and prevent water from weeping into it.

I was looking at the Premier one for this year, before I knew I had a blind chicken. I liked the removable cord feature, but didn't like the fact that you have to remove the waterer from the hanger to remove the lid. That alone makes the Farm Innovator one way better. I guess it would be fine if you didn't hang it. You also can't see the water level without feeling how full it is or looking.

All that said, If not for my blind chicken, I'd be using mine for a third winter, since it has proven itself to me at temperature I thought it would never handle.

I hang the premier one heated waterer but I also have a 31/2 gal bucket under it so it hangs and I just take the hanging lid off then the bucket part is sitting on a bucket so you just add water. I'm loving it.

 

[electrycmonk]

If you can, try and find a school chemicals producer or supplier near you. The large white tubs with very tight fitting lids they supply stock in hold 15, 20 or 25kg of chemicals (all pretty harmless as for kids school chemistry experiments) and all come with chemicals in liners. They're almost indestructible, easy to clean etc. We receive a lot of our stock in them here but as in the UK it's a bit impractical to try and send you some lol.
I use 4 of our redundant ones for layers mash, pellets, mealworms, cracked mixed corn but want the next 2 for containers for nipple waterers

Would you mind posting a few pictures of them in the original state - before you modify them.... That way we - across the pond - "know what to look for." Sound reasonable?

 

[RebelEgger]

We use buckets with horizontal nipples. So easy and clean. I only have to freshen water a few times a week. I could probably do it only once a week but I like to freshen it for them