Poultry nipples-Farmtek

[crperdue]

I use the Farmtek push in nipples and I love them!

I highly reccomend them.

 

[paddock36]

Can someone post a picture of their bucket waterer using the nipples. Someone gave me some of the nipple waterers but I haven't used them yet.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

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Thank you Ed! I just ordered 24 of these. Well, they are backordered, but that is an awesome deal!

 

[gryeyes]

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This isn't a great photo; taken with cell phone camera and at dusk. Sorry.

They're on the bottom of this bucket. Notice I make an entry fitting to fill the bucket without having to wrangle the lid off. This is a 5 gal frosting bucket with a great, tight seal. (Be sure to put holes in the top so the water will drip from the nipples. The pipe fitting serves that purpose for me.)

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Those of you that use the buckets & nipple waterers, do you add anything to the water to keep the yuckies down? I was thinking about using Oxine...

 

[Intheswamp]

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ACV, apple cider vinegar (with the mother). Braggs is a brand that comes to mind. Don't use pasturized as most of the bacteria is killed. I can't remember the exact amount...something like a teaspoon or two per gallon. Don't use with galvanized containers....nipple drinkers with their stainless steel pieces is OK. It'll keep the gunk from growing and it's good for the chickens digestive system, too.

Ed

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Quote:
ACV, apple cider vinegar (with the mother). Braggs is a brand that comes to mind. Don't use pasturized as most of the bacteria is killed. I can't remember the exact amount...something like a teaspoon or two per gallon. Don't use with galvanized containers....nipple drinkers with their stainless steel pieces is OK. It'll keep the gunk from growing and it's good for the chickens digestive system, too.

Ed

Thanks Ed

 

[paddock36]

Thanks for the photos. Do you have to teach the chickens to drink from it or do they figure it out on their own?

 

[briteday]

I built my bucket last year (DH added a toilet float valve and we connected it to a garden hose for a self-filling option, aquarium heater in the bottom to keep it from freezing in the winter).

When the weather was not too hot or too cold I took away all other waterers one day and sat next to the bucket and tapped on the nipples for about 20-30 minutes...until I had seen all 15 or so birds come to check it out. After that it has been smooth sailing. Just use common sense and don't make the switch on a really hot or cold day when water is crucial.

 

[Mrs MIA]

OK, here's a question for you....
I use the drink-cups (with the little spring lever that they push to squirt water out) in my breeder coop. I can't use this system during the winter without heating the coop because the water in the cups freeze, even with heat-tape along the pipes and around the base of the cup. Once they freeze, they seem to be toast, and I don't know how many times I've cleaned out wet/frozen shavings because an entire 5 gallon bucket of water dribbled out overnight.

So, much as we hate to do it, we're thinking of switching out the system to the nipples. Has anyone had these nipple waterers freeze? Are they still leak-tight after thawing? In the winter I use the soda-bottle waterers. I have a small heater in the coop now to keep it from freezing completely, but near the floor sometimes on really cold nights the bottles freeze, or at least slush. I just don't want to be cleaning out soggy shavings anymore and wasting the water... I'm glad someone started this thread, because we just got a FarmTek catalog last week and hubby's urging me to get some to play with. Sounds like they're good so far, but I'd love to hear more about them before we rip out all the old piping (which will be too low for nipples) and replace the system.