What do you use for feeders/waterers?

I bought commercial feeders and waterers. I intend to switch to nipples soon.

 

I don't understand about the nipples. Really. Mine just has the tank part, then the lip where the water is..a commercial waterer. You mean like a calf bottle? How does a chicken um...drink from a nipple? Somebody please explain.. For real..

 

after paying $30 for a galvanised auto waterer, i made one out of a lowes bucket and top $3.60 there, and drilled a hole in it and sat it in a pan i already had. its summer so i just use the lay out dishes and the galvanised one i purchased which is a pita for me right now.

I refused to buy a galvanised auto feeder for the same amount after being unhappy with the waterer, i have built some out of wood, but i like what ive done here.

I dont know how much one of these cost OR how much just a round galvanized heating duct costs, but i assume its not much. The pan is $3.99 at TSC, i got the brackets on clearance, i have a scrap pc of 2x2 under the stove pipe( it has never been used, btw).. so i only invested $5 in this feeder... i had enough brackets for a buck , and scrap 2x2 and two of these tubes, i bought a second pan... i made TWO for $9!

sorry its dusty lol i just had filled it.

 

i used 2 1 gallon water [18 dollars]in coop n run. for my feeder i use one rain gutter about 4 dallars and cut down into size of the 3 feeders you can see them on my byc page

 

i use nipples and love them. they are not like a baby nipple. they are essentially a red piece of plastic (chickens are attracted to red and will naturally peck at it which is why plastic feeders and waterers have red bases) about a half inch in diameter and 3/4 inch long with a stainless steel rod running through it which acts like a plunger, when the chicken bumps the piece of stainless hanging out the bottom of the nipple water pours out around it. i have the nipples that come on a piece of 3/4" pvc i think it was ten feet long and had 12 nipples on it. i cut the pipe into sections that had 2 nipples a piece and connected them via pvc to a 55 gallon drum to water all 5 coops that i have. the chickens and turkeys caught on the first day.

 

I use a hanging kitty litter plastic bucket with 4 nipple waterers in the bottom...got the waterers from Neil G. (BYC member).

The feeder is one bought at TSC, a 10 lb. hanging feeder with fins to prevent billing out...it is high enough that they can not scratch it out. SO they are now eating their food...not so much waste!

 

I use nipple waterers for all my chickens (nipples in the bottom of 5 gallon bucket) and PVC feeders for the larger chickens. I use a regular TSC hanging chick feeder for the little ones. Chickens and keets both used nipples right out of the egg and no shavings in the water!

 

Where do you buy the nipples from?? Hubby and I are thinking about doing this but I have know clue where to get them!!

Thanks,
Missi