In my post frrom last December (message #3), I mentioned modifying this kind of cup waterer by removing the yellow plastic trigger; converting them to passive, no-moving-parts, water dispensers. Since that was the beginning of winter here, I didn't get much chance for field testing then, but now, having used them for several months, I'm reporting that they have worked very well and these are now my primary way of supplying water to my small flock. (I'm no longer interested in the other kind of cup waterer I had been asking about, the kind with a valve thqt closes from the weight of the water in the filled cup.)
A few details: in my post from last December, I did make two minor errors. One is that the fitting for screwing the cup assembly into a container fits a 3/8 inch hole, not the 3/16 inch one I had stated. The other is that the small black plastic part (on the right edge of the photo of the disassembled watering cup) isn't a screw fitting, it just plugs straight into the larger black plastic part.
I also found that after disassembling the trigger mechanism and removing the yellow trigger (plus the spring and the small red ring) it is best to reinsert that small black part. Without it, the water level in the cups ends up slightly too high and there is some loss of water besides from what the chickens drink. With it replaced, the water lasts for several days -- of course, depending on how many chickens drink from it and what the weather is.
I have been using these with 1-quart plastic bottles, screwing the fitting into a 3/8" hole in the cap. To hang the bottle upside down, I make a circle of wire a few inches wider than the diameter of the bottle, then create a couple of loops on opposite sides by twisting the wire around a dowel or something similar. simultaneously tightenings the wire around the bottle.(The bottle needs to have a groove in it near the bottom (which becomes the top)). I then put a hring of nylon cord through the two loops for hanging the bottle up. You can form this just by tying a knot, but I like to make it a welded loop. (To weld nylon cord, heat the two ends very carefully by holding them near a candle flame, then push them together after a gob of melted nylon has formed on each of the two ends. The weld can be made neater by rolling it between two moistened fingers just before it hardens. (Practice this first on a scrap piece of cord.))
I've found this kind of waterer very satisfactory for a small flock. The cup is large enough for he birds to drink out of, but small enough to stay clean between fillings. The main disadvantage is that the water would freeze in cold temperatures. I have something different for small flock winter watering.
A few details: in my post from last December, I did make two minor errors. One is that the fitting for screwing the cup assembly into a container fits a 3/8 inch hole, not the 3/16 inch one I had stated. The other is that the small black plastic part (on the right edge of the photo of the disassembled watering cup) isn't a screw fitting, it just plugs straight into the larger black plastic part.
I also found that after disassembling the trigger mechanism and removing the yellow trigger (plus the spring and the small red ring) it is best to reinsert that small black part. Without it, the water level in the cups ends up slightly too high and there is some loss of water besides from what the chickens drink. With it replaced, the water lasts for several days -- of course, depending on how many chickens drink from it and what the weather is.
I have been using these with 1-quart plastic bottles, screwing the fitting into a 3/8" hole in the cap. To hang the bottle upside down, I make a circle of wire a few inches wider than the diameter of the bottle, then create a couple of loops on opposite sides by twisting the wire around a dowel or something similar. simultaneously tightenings the wire around the bottle.(The bottle needs to have a groove in it near the bottom (which becomes the top)). I then put a hring of nylon cord through the two loops for hanging the bottle up. You can form this just by tying a knot, but I like to make it a welded loop. (To weld nylon cord, heat the two ends very carefully by holding them near a candle flame, then push them together after a gob of melted nylon has formed on each of the two ends. The weld can be made neater by rolling it between two moistened fingers just before it hardens. (Practice this first on a scrap piece of cord.))
I've found this kind of waterer very satisfactory for a small flock. The cup is large enough for he birds to drink out of, but small enough to stay clean between fillings. The main disadvantage is that the water would freeze in cold temperatures. I have something different for small flock winter watering.
