post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Madddawg]

I understand what you are saying. I use chicken nipples too. its the only way to go, I think. But, so far it's just in the brooder, trying to decided the best way for the coop and run. Can you post some picts? I have a few Ideas But I would like to see what works for other people..

 

[perchie.girl]

Nipple watering systems are as diverse as chicken coops.... LOL. Mostly a water reservior set some where convenient to access and either plumbing or a hose coming from the bucket down to a bar of PVC with nipples mounted on it.

I had considered this arrangement for myself using one reservoir and four separate bars with nipples and each one connected by hose. If you can glue PVC together you can make em. At the time I had four pens.

I was all ready to head to home depot to get the parts....Then I read some of the discussions on their practical use

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853014/nipple-watering

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/607605/chicken-water-nipples-reviews

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/399572/winterizing-nipple-waterers-update-really-no-one-knows

all you have to do is go up to the search bar at BYC and type in Nipple waterers.

While they are wonderful in many ways ease of cleaning always water available .... and on.

In some environments they may not be the best choice so weigh your situation well.

1. If they arent installed properly they will drip continuously
2. In cold climates some way to keep them from freezing is essential
3. IN hot climates they don't dispense enough water ... in my opinion...

Now I don't like regular founts either... they get gross and slimy and are hard to deal with ... heavy .... and even if they are the galvanized ones with a double wall .... organisms that grow in the water will propagate through out the whole waterer...

My climate is very hot... the waterers got gross quickly... so I went to a water tub that is three gallons and a Tank valve for constant filling. The tub waterers stay cooler but I keep them in the shade. Chicken wattles dip into the water when they drink when its hot.... a way to cool off.... Yes they poo in it and scratch dirt in it ... But all you have to do to clean it is dump it out and use a toilet brush to clean it. having air to access the water keeps the anaerobic bacteria at bay.... Green algae growing is a non issue... they are a sign that the water is good.

Blue green algae is not so the tub should be pulled and scrubbed... I use salt and no chemicals for cleaning. Blue green algae is not an algae but a Cyanobacteria... A bacteria that gets its energy through photosynthesis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria of which there are several species... Some are beneficial like Spriulina... Some are not and grow in very low oxygen and somewhat polluted water. If you have blue green algae growing in your water... you need to address the issue that is causing a good environment for it.

I have never had disease in my flocks. Good food and green leafy veggies are the best electrolytes sources to give your birds. It gets 110 here and all I ever provide is Shade Shade Shade... Good food good access to exercise and lock em up at night.

For what its worth I dont vaccinate for anything... But then again I am not raising show birds nor am I producing eggs for sale or birds for meat... except for my own consumption.

I have had chickens now for more than 25 years and I will be the first to tell you I am not an expert... Read up and use what applies to your situation. What works for me here in the Desert will not work for someone in Alaska...

deb

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I understand what you are saying.  I use chicken nipples too. its the only way to go, I think. But, so far it's just in the brooder, trying to decided the best way for the coop and run. Can you post some picts? I have a few Ideas But I would like to see what works for other people..

I'll have to get a picture for you later. We took a 5 gallon bucket and mounted the nipples on the bottom (4 of them). We keep the lid on the top but I drilled a hole in the lid for easy refilling. It just hangs in the run by a chain.

 

[tntchix]

I understand what you are saying. I use chicken nipples too. its the only way to go, I think. But, so far it's just in the brooder, trying to decided the best way for the coop and run. Can you post some picts? I have a few Ideas But I would like to see what works for other people..

I use the horizontal nipples in a 5 gal bucket. Yes, they can and do leak if not installed tightly and correctly, but there is no huge spillage like when an open waterer gets dumped. I put a heating element in for winter and no frozen water.

 

[Madddawg]

Here is my brooder set up






8 nipples on 2- 3/4 PVC pipe. I started with just the one lower ones but added the top one when the wyandottes and Barred rock got bigger. I am thinking on the coop I will have the bucket outside with the pipe going through the wall. I have a clothes dryer top that I can put under it to keep the water off the floor. but its only like. 24" square. Only 24" of pipe with, at the most 5 nipples on there don't sound like enough for 16 birds.

BTW I don't use the red feeder, I just left it in there for them to climb on. This is my feeder.

!6" of 4" PVC pipe with a bunch of 3'6 holes drilled in with a Heavy plastic plate attached the bottom. Works great! they peck at the holes,food,falls on plate, they eat.. Very little if, if any waste. I have to super size something like this for the coop.

 

[lereg15]

Have you looked at this post, Madddawg? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...te-5-gallon-25-feed-bucket-feeder-for-about-3

 

[Latestarter]

Here is my brooder set up




8 nipples on 2- 3/4 PVC pipe. I started with just the one lower ones but added the top one when the wyandottes and Barred rock got bigger. I am thinking on the coop I will have the bucket outside with the pipe going through the wall. I have a clothes dryer top that I can put under it to keep the water off the floor. but its only like. 24" square. Only 24" of pipe with, at the most 5 nipples on there don't sound like enough for 16 birds.

8 nipples is enough for about 40 birds! Figure 5 birds to a nipple. They won't be all drinking at the same time for fear of dying of thirst... I mean, once one starts to drink, typically another will come over to try and steal the water drops from the first. I use the horizontal nipples and have watched 2-3 birds drinking off one nipple at the same time with no problems at all. I have my birds separated into pens and have 1 five gallon bucket hanging in each pen from a rafter with 2-3 nipples in each bucket. The groups are 7-12 birds in each pen. I use a submersible water heater in the winter and have had sustained temps of 10-15 below with minor freezing of the nipples in 1 or 2 buckets. I will NEVER go back to any other watering system!

edit: to say nipples for the system... I intend to pipe in PVC like you did at some point again with horizontal nipples.

 

[Madddawg]

Have you looked at this post, Madddawg? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...te-5-gallon-25-feed-bucket-feeder-for-about-3

Just did. That might work on the future, But right now the little ones, Leghorns, would just climb right in there. And maybe even the Orpingtons. I like the idea tho

Latestarter... Thanks for the info. I will set up half the nipples in the coop and the other half in the run, Whenever I get that built...Wrapping up the coop this weekend..I hope!

 

[lereg15]

Is there a difference between horizontal and veritcle nipples, or is it just the placement? I would think they'd both be the same, but not quite sure.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I use the Little Giant Automatic Poultry Founts, which can be attached to a garden hose but I have mine connected to PEX pipe. They aren't perfect, but we managed to figure them out. I like them because several chickens can drink simultaneously, they drink naturally, can get a good drink out of them, and even ducks can wash their bills in them. The youngest broody-raised chicks use them with no problems (we set up a platform for them to stand on so they can reach the water).

http://www.miller-mfg.com/product/2550.html

They do require a bit of maintenance to flush the lines, tighten the valves, and adjust the water level, but that is all easy enough if you have stuff set up right.

Mostly we like them because they are super easy to clean (we walk around with a toilet brush and then swish them -- that's it), and they involve zero carrying of water during normal weather. It we lived in an area that freezes more, we'd need a different solution.