Official BYC Poll: Which waterer is better: Nipples or cups?

[electrycmonk]

I have a question about the picture on the welcome page for this poll.

Where can I see pictures &/or thread of the right side picture? The hose with a 90° pipe fitting that has chain(?) Hanging it from rafter & a red cup/saucer under it?

Thanks in advance.

I've seen all kinds of diy systems for all 3 answers in this poll.
I've only used the cup/saucer method but, all things being equal, I'd love to test all three on a set of chicks kinda like the research thread on roosting rails.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

The rent-a-coop cups are the only really good cups, and they work excellently.

 

[Abriana]

I like the horizontal nipples. With the vertical ones I found it was harder to figure out how to set it up, hanging it was way harder than just setting it on a stool. Also storing was more difficult because it’s easier to accidentally break the vertical ones. I’ve never tried the cups before. I like the nipples best of all waterers I’ve tried because the water stays clean, as opposed to me coming out every hour to clean it out so my birds had fresh clean water.

 

[Jadakraft1]

Thanks for the input - I've been reading more and more each day about waterers and it's like noses, everyone has one and they're all different/similar in many ways.

I think I'm not sold on the nipples, but I would like to try the cups. I may even do both (a traditional waterer and the cups) and see what they all prefer.

I am loving the chicken nipples, the chicks dig them!! lol

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Well the nipple would mimic water dripping off plants and leaves. So it's not like it's unnatural.

I have had both the old style drinker for my baby chicks and now a nipple drinker with two nipples on a gallon one for them at 8 weeks which hangs in the pen. It has two on it that are red of course which got their attention right away and caused them to peck or hit them immediately. Then next I just found another plastic drinker which was the only other plastic drinker that TSC had in stock to purchase the other day which was a three gallon drinker so I got it. I did not want to get galvanized and I needed a portable one that I could carry back and forth from the house to the coop in case I needed to supply it with ice, electrolytes, etc because in Mississippi our heat has been in suc extremes. I do plan to install a pvc watering system at some point with a series of nipples for them to be able to access water in any area of the coop or run. They have a large space under the final stages of construction and they will have a large area in the shade to play and range in under all shade but our heat and humidity is always deadly from June through October if you don’t watch it closely. I believe they have done well in the nipple system but I can’t be sure that all of them have gotten 100% enough water like they used to. That is a good question. It is hard to sit and watch all the time. Slow process.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

This is a tough question, we have an Igloo 5 gallon round water cooler I have converted to a 4 nipple horizontal drinking system, next a Harrison farms 3.5 gallon 4 nipple vertical and a traditional gallon and a half TSC round waterer that is in the coop. With all that being said typically the girls the old metal round feed pan that we put water in so they can "wade" in to drink out of. HOWEVER they all drink from the horizontal watering system and we freeze a 2 liter bottle and drop it into the cooler and the water stays cold to cool for 4 to 5 days and extremely clean and easy to maintain...I voted horizontal...I think I am going to try the cups so they have all the options available.

 

[aart]

I have a question about the picture on the welcome page for this poll.

Where can I see pictures &/or thread of the right side picture? The hose with a 90° pipe fitting that has chain(?) Hanging it from rafter & a red cup/saucer under it?

@electrycmonk
This one?

I don't know where they get those pics, rarely are they credited.
The waterer you refer to is a type of auto fill waterer

 

[sunnie7]

I use vertical in the brooder and introduce them at 3 days old and I’ve had no issue! I leave the regular waterer in there for a week or so. My guineas, Chickens, peafowl and even ducks use horizontal nipples on 5 gallon buckets but they also have a bucket of water that’s for the ducks they use too. Winter I use a heater regular waterer but might try this year adding the heater to my buckets and see how they do.

 

[WGHowell]

I prefer the old way of watering . I have 2 five gallon , 2 three gallon and 1 large pan I keep water in out by the well so they have plenty of watering holes to choose from. In Georgia during the summer you can never have to many watering holes. I do my best to select places in the yard that stay shaded most of the day so the water don't get so hot in the bottles. I have also found that ducks do make a big mess out of the watering holes. They seem to dirty up the water pretty good.

 

[firewalker1]

Here’s my setup