Vertical (gravity) vs. horizontal (spring loaded) watering nipples

[ChickenCanoe]

... I would think it might work if the heat source was not too hot. Different people in different climates, different coop set-ups, different cookie tin heater designs, different wattages of light bulbs...all way too many factors to sift through to know if your setup is going to work or melt your bucket and/or burn your coop down....

X2
It's a trial and error thing. No 'one size fits all' thing with poultry management.

 

[Leahs Mom]

My horizontal nipple system seems to be working very well with the aquarium heaters I put in them. The nipples have not frozen, even when it got down to 5 degrees recently.

However, while it doesn't appear to me that my chickens haven't been getting enough water, I am surprised at how little they seem to be drinking compared to my standard waterer they were using before. They seemed to go through about 2 1/2 gallons per day with their previous system. I now have two 5 gallon buckets set up with the horizontal system and after two days, the waterers are still more than 3/4 full. Some ice build-up has formed on the bricks that are supporting the buckets under the nipples, but I am still surprised and perhaps a bit concerned with what appears to be much less water consumption.

Has anyone else experienced this when switching to a nipple system?

Yes, I have. And after monitoring them, I know for sure that my birds don't drink as much from the nipples and that they drink much more if they have water available in a regular waterer.

Honestly, my opinion is that if I can provide water for them in a regular waterer, I choose to do that. I think it's better for them to have more water for their health.

I experimented both ways. Left the nipple waterer out by itself for a couple weeks and observed their drinking habits as well as the amount of water being consumed.

Then I put out a regular waterer and observed the same. Hands down they drink much more from a source in which they can drink more naturally from a small pool. In fact, after going a couple weeks with just the nipples and then providing a regular waterer, they all stand at the waterer and drink for a long time when it first comes out. And I see them for days afterwards standing at the waterer and drinking encouraging amounts of water.

I actually did this a couple times since about August (removed regular waterer and observed using the nipples). Same results both times.

So...since I can usually keep a regular waterer thawed for them, I'm leaning toward not using the nipples.

Now...this is my experience and may not be anyone else's results. You could do the same experiment with yours if you want to see how it goes. Just need to allow enough time to be sure they all figure out how to use them before making a final judgement. I imagine if I didn't return the other waterer they would likely end up spending more time at the nipples. It's just been a stressful time with some late molters and I don't want them to have any more stress of not being able to drink as much as they want easily.

 

[rfreedlund]

Yes, I have. And after monitoring them, I know for sure that my birds don't drink as much from the nipples and that they drink much more if they have water available in a regular waterer.

Honestly, my opinion is that if I can provide water for them in a regular waterer, I choose to do that. I think it's better for them to have more water for their health.

Thanks for the honest input.

I installed the water nipple system to make it a lot easier for me to add water during these cold months. It has already reached single digit temperatures a number of days and having to carry the "gravity" waterer outside of the coop to remove the dirtied water in the lip as well as add more water without getting myself and the coop all wet and frozen is not fun. The nipple waterers have eliminated this problem, but I know my chickens aren't drinking the same amount and it concerns me.

During the winter months the only water source they have is inside the coop because that is where the electricity is, but when it has began to thaw out again periodically, I will see them drinking a lot from the puddles of melted snow and roof melt. Another thing that I don't like about the gravity waterer is that my leghorns and other birds with longer combs and wattles seem to get wetter, which also causes problems for them in very cold temperatures.

I am still torn right now about what to do. If I could be convinced that the water they are getting from the water nipple system were sufficient enough for them, I would be satisfied. Right now, I am not sure, though I don't seem to see any of my chickens dying of thirst either. I am not exactly sure how one knows, though.

I also wonder if I had started them out sooner (like when they were chicks) with a nipple water system, if it would seem more natural for them and they would be drinking more.

I will continue to monitor the situation, Obviously, the health of my flock is more important to me than the inconvenience of changing out their water.

 

[Chickens R Us]

I bought birdbath deicer from Fleet Farm. 250w its aluminum but coated, safe for plastic and auto shut off. It is regularly $29.95 but I bought mine in the summer and they were $10 cheaper. We have had temps -20F this winter and the heater has worked great so far no frozen horizontal nipples, no leaks. Much better than my plastic 1gal. waterers on a cookie tin heater. Clean water. So glad I switched.

 

[iwiw60]

I bought birdbath deicer from Fleet Farm. 250w its aluminum but coated, safe for plastic and auto shut off. It is regularly $29.95 but I bought mine in the summer and they were $10 cheaper. We have had temps -20F this winter and the heater has worked great so far no frozen horizontal nipples, no leaks. Much better than my plastic 1gal. waterers on a cookie tin heater. Clean water. So glad I switched.

Yep, same here! My birdbath heater (aka: mini stock tank heater) has been working GREAT! No problems whatsoever.

 

[Gentry1350]

Really?  Someone needs to tell this person that:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/11/make-cookie-tin-waterer-heater-under-10.html

I made 2, right before it got cold this year. I used the same instructions you saw and used a 40 or 60 watt bulb. It is in a sand-floor coop, on top of a concrete block. My waterer is a five gallon bucket with three of the horizontal nipples. We've already had temps down in the teens for several days straight. The watering system worked great! (The cookie tins don't even get HOT.)

Oh, and I also hooked it up to an outlet thermostat (Thermo Cube), so it only kicks on when it gets cold inside the coop!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@aart

How is your waterer doing now that it's gotten colder?

 

[aart]

@aart

How is your waterer doing now that it's gotten colder?

So far So good.....lowest temp has been 13F, but it's been pretty warm for the last month.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Same weather here, of course. But since it was pretty cold the last couple nights I wanted to check in and see how it's doing for you.

Are your birds drinking well from them?

 

[debp]

I have horizontal nipples in a 5 gal bucket with a 250W stock tank deicer in it. This past week the coop was in the single digits at night, and the nipples stayed unfrozen. I bring out fresh water each morning in a 1 gal. plastic waterer, but that often freezes by mid-morning, and I see my birds using both types of water regularly. I think they like the slightly warmer water of of the heated bucket over the almost freezing open waterer (when it gets to that point). It gives me peace of mind to have the HN waterer available at all times, and it will be essential when I am traveling in Feb. and my neighbor is taking care of the chickens.