Questions about nipple waterers and birds

[RollinWithTheStones]

I use rain barrels to catch rain water for my birds, I'd like to find another way to of distributing the water. Right now I just fill dishes up with water from watering cans.

I'd like to raise up two rain barrels (next to the garage) and run pvc pipes down from them and connect nipple waterers.


My first question is how far off of the ground should I put the nipples? I will have regular egg laying birds and meat birds.

Where do I find nipple waterers?

How well do they hold up outside in the elements? I'm in Ohio so we're a zone 5 planting wise, if that helps

 

[ChickChickChicky]

I put my rain barrels up two concrete blocks high. I don't have them hooked up to nipple waterers, but I do have nipple waterers in their runs (I just fill em with the hose or a bucket). The nipples should be at about beak height or so of the average chicken, but they can reach up or bend down some either way. Neither the nipple waterers nor the rain barrels will go thru any serious freezing without busting (unless maybe you can figure a way to keep the water from freezing). I bought my nipples on ebay (they are the screw-in type), I think I got 10 or 12 of them and not too expensive. I have made my waterers out of various things... 2" pvc pipe, 4" pvc pipe, and another one out of an empty plastic gallon ice cream container.



Above photo is the waterer in the youngster's run. I can fill it from outside the run and it is attached to the bottom of the coop.



Above is the waterer in the big girl's run. It's made of 4" pvc, and I used a rubber cap on the end to make it easy to drain for winter or cleaning. Below is the feeder, again made of 4" pvc and with a rubber cap.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Thank you very much, I'd like to find a solar powered water heater that I can thread through the water barrels into the pipe to keep the water liquid in the winter. Though in all honesty my bids are not big in going out in the snow.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

The only type of solar-powered water heater that's practical is one that heats by absorbing the heat of the sun's rays (as opposed to one that converts sunlight to electricity which then powers a heater). Look online to find plans for such a unit.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Thanks didn't know that, do you think it would help if I painted my blue rain barrels and my white pvc pipe to black to absorb the heat?

 

[ChickChickChicky]

You can do that BUT be aware that black will heat up the water very quickly, and in the summertime it will be unuseable because it's so hot (can easily be scalding). You can handle that one of two ways... paint your containers black for winter, but shade them in the summer so the sun doesn't hit them, or wrap something like a black plastic trash bag around the object in winter and remove it in summer (you'll lose some efficiency that way).

When using solar to heat your homes water, you can use direct solar (where the sun heats the actual water you're going to use (pretty much practical only in a non-freezing situation) or use the sun to heat an antifreeze solution, which is then circulated in pipes within your water supply to release the heat to your water. There are also drain-down systems. Just search the web, you'll finds lots of ideas and plans.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Cool I didn't even think about covering them for winter, LOL

 

[ChickChickChicky]

Remember.... on overcast days or at night, you won't have any heating... so you'll either have to retain the heat you have or figure out some other way to protect against freezing.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Hmmm, last winter once the sun went down I just skipped putting water out there and then just took out boiling water first thing in the AM.