Rain Barrel Water System

[adylina]

Hey everyone,
I have some plans in store for my coop to attach a fifty gallon rain barrel to the side of the coop, then run pvc pipe into the coop and attach the water nipples to the PVC for a no mess chicken waterer. Very simple in theory, but after looking at some of the "nipple attachments" online many of the reviews state they leak under too much pressure.
Is there a type of them that I can buy that is made for PVC pipe and higher pressure, or should I rethink my design for a smaller barrel?
Do any of you use a system similar to this, and if so would you be willing to share a couple of photos as examples, or link the nipple water pieces you bought?

 

[snow5164]

Sounds great, but my experiences with rain barrels is that it can get out of control very easily. Even with a strainer on top mine filled up with junk and got mouldy inside. I guess you could add vinegar ???

My nipple bucket might drip a bit but Itsnot a problem especially outside .

 

[adylina]

Yeah I am looking into options for filtering and keeping it clean, I just really liked the idea of having such a big barrel. We have a large flock and they go through a lot of water daily, so it would be nice to not have to refill twice a day.

 

[snow5164]

I did see a set up where he had two barrels in a wooden frame. One filtered into the other than out to the chickens, maybe you could have a two step filtration system?you know who could help you.. People that sell pond stuff, they are knowledgeable about filtering water , have fun!!!

 

[PapaChaz]

I put up a 30 gallon barrel. Used pvc and screw in nipples. yeah, they drip a little bit, with that much pressure behind them it takes but just a touch and water RUNS out of them. I don't mind a little leaking though, it's outside, and the kids seem to enjoy the cool spots to lay in. It's not standing in water at all, but there is a damp spot under each of the nipples.


Oh, I don't have mine hooked to the gutter yet, I fill it every couple weeks from the garden hose. With all the talk of the bird flu and making sure no outside bird (even wild ones) can spread it, I don't want to risk any bird poo on the roof running into my chickens water. Still a LOT less trouble to fill a barrel every week and a half to two weeks than every day or multiple times a day

 

[MeepBeep]

I gave up on vertical nipples, got tired of them dripping and leaking all the time... Switched over to horizontal nipples and have not looked back...

I drilled and tapped the horizontal nipples into the side of a poly 55 gallon drum and hooked a float valve up inside... My birds drink about 10 gallons of water a day, so about every five days I hook up the hose, since it has a float valve it automatically shuts off when full, so I don't have to stand around and wait... I could keep the hose attached all the time but for now it's not a big hassle to hook it up every once and a while...

Nipple are at various heights since I have a mixed flock, also it's easy to test the water level by pushing the highest nipple no water = time to fill, all the while the birds still had water they just had to use the lower nipples...

In regards to rain water, you will need to filter out all the sediment if you use nipples or else they will stick open, leak or get clogged...

 

[barneveldrerman]

Because you have a big flock I would put a couple of barrels that the pipes connect so you have a big capacity and still be safe. You could also put a valve on the second barrel so you have more control.

Hope this helped here is is design I did.

 

[adylina]

You guys are amazing, thanks so much for the replies!

I like the idea of using the 30 gallon barrels, and I think I will use multiples like barneveldrerman suggested. I don't mind a little bit of leaking, so long as it is not too large of a problem. I don't keep bantams and my chickens are all about the same size but some of them are notorious broody's, so having different heights on the nipples would probably be a good thing as well, I have heard the hens will teach the chicks to drink out of them if some are low enough to reach.

 

[PapaChaz]

You guys are amazing, thanks so much for the replies!

I like the idea of using the 30 gallon barrels, and I think I will use multiples like barneveldrerman suggested. I don't mind a little bit of leaking, so long as it is not too large of a problem. I don't keep bantams and my chickens are all about the same size but some of them are notorious broody's, so having different heights on the nipples would probably be a good thing as well, I have heard the hens will teach the chicks to drink out of them if some are low enough to reach.

how big is your flock? I have 10 chickens, that 30 gallon barrel lasts two weeks. and it takes less than 10 minutes to fill it, no standing around waiting on it. I start the hose and let it run while I'm doing other chores around the coop, cleaning the poop tray, filling the feeder, knocking down wasp nests etc. My coop is just a few steps from the garden, I can start the water and go pull a few weeds to throw in the run while it's filling. It's not like its a big deal to wait a few minutes to fill a water barrel, LOL

as for the hens teaching them, well, yeah they would so make sure to put some at different heights for sure, but, I used nipples on coke bottles in my brooder and they took right to them within minutes. Not hard for them to learn to use them at all. I didn't actually like the coke bottles though, without some kind of vent hole, they don't work that well. I eventually just went with a small bucket for the brooder.

 

[MeepBeep]

how big is your flock? I have 10 chickens, that 30 gallon barrel lasts two weeks.

To add to that i have somewhere around 70 birds and my 55 gallon barrel last about 5 days...