post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sillysu]

 

[Intheswamp]

*Very* nicely done, Sillysu. Tell me you have more windows on the other sides. Nice looking coop and a great board-n-board coop from pallet wood!!!!!!! Looks like a nice run in the background, too!

 

[gpeters3]

Remind me what the change was, gp.  Thanks.

This is the new design with the drink station at the outer wall rather than the inner wall. I also cut a hole at the floor level and covered it with hardware cloth to drain spillage. I also moved the drain plug outside (not shown) so i can drain the pipe for cleaning etc. without making a mess on the coop floor or having to use a bucket.

The old design had the nipples at the inside wall so any spillage had to travel all the way across the floor and no outlet to drain so it was causing a muddy puddle to form which needed cleaning in less than 2 weeks, a real mess.

 

[Intheswamp]

Good move on getting the nipples moved towards the outer wall and also the drain area. But, are you finding that the horizontal nipples do not leak/drip nearly as bad as the vertical ones did? From what everyone says they are a big improvement over the vertical ones.

Ed

 

[gpeters3]

Good move on getting the nipples moved towards the outer wall and also the drain area.  But, are you finding that the horizontal nipples do not leak/drip nearly as bad as the vertical ones did?  From what everyone says they are a big improvement over the vertical ones.

Ed

A lot of assuming going on since i have no way of determining if they are dripping by themselves or if the bead of water at the bottom of each is waiting for disturbance to actually fall off. Because the horizontal ones are spring loaded and they have a small saucer under them they dont have any apparent drops visible so probably not leaking. The very nature of the verticle ones will always have a drop hanging at the bottom but that doesnt mean they are leaking.

I watched a few chickens working them and they kept their head, mouth open, under them and let the drops fall into their mouths. I didnt see any being missed on that occasion.

Watching them for a few minutes i cant see any dripping so if they leak, its not much. Im pretty sure the water accumulating under the station is due to missed drops while drinking. It has only been a week since the change but it looks drier than before. My first clue will be slimy water leaking out into the work area. Time will tell. Ill keep you posted.

 

[YaYa27889]

Deb, yes, i intend to keep the waterers out of direct sunlight...that's a given.  I've seen the terracotta water coolers, they're an interesting thought.  Maybe the water itself in the cooler and pipe will be conductive enough to keep the temperature of the water at the nipples at slightly cooler that it would be without any ice at all.

Thanks for the input from everybody...I'll now slink back into the shadows as I feel I've hijacked this thread enough.  Once I tinker with the ideas some I'll post back in a separate thread.

Best wishes,
Ed

I

 

[MeepBeep]

are you finding that the horizontal nipples do not leak/drip nearly as bad as the vertical ones did?

Horizontal ones do not leak nearly as bad if at all, that isn't an assumption that is based on actually observing them both... I have had vertical nipples in unused brooders and the litter under them was damp, this is not from an occasional drip or what not this is due to leaking...

I have also observed them dripping at a steady pace like a leaky faucet, this happened when I did not physically take them apart and descale them about every week in a weak acid solution to remove scale build up... I suspect if you have softer water this might not be as big of an issue but for me it was huge and without fail would cause them to leak in short...

I have had the horizontals now for well over a year, zero maintenance and no leaks... A night and day difference and I would never go back to vertical ones...

 

[KoopOnTruckin]

Horizontal ones do not leak nearly as bad if at all, that isn't an assumption that is based on actually observing them both... I have had vertical nipples in unused brooders and the litter under them was damp, this is not from an occasional drip or what not this is due to leaking...

I have also observed them dripping at a steady pace like a leaky faucet, this happened when I did not physically take them apart and descale them about every week in a weak acid solution to remove scale build up... I suspect if you have softer water this might not be as big of an issue but for me it was huge and without fail would cause them to leak in short...

I have had the horizontals now for well over a year, zero maintenance and no leaks... A night and day difference and I would never go back to vertical ones...

Glad to hear, I was thinking about doing a few of the horizontal and a few vertical, but I'll likely stick with just the horizontal nipples. Thank you!

 

[Britney M]

this is my coop

 

[Britney M]

once my girls start laying I'm going to raid the nest boxes off the ground