Home Made Waterer - Inexpensive too!!

[audioguy]

I decided it was time to find a new way to water the chicks. I tried the standard waterer and would foul in a day. I raised it and had the same problem. I tried a hanging plastic unit and for some reason it also fouled after about a day. I think the chicks are scratching on the ground and getting the dirt under their beaks, and when they dip their heads into the water tray they drop the dirt into the water. Its nasty smelling after a day.

After looking around and reading a few ideas I decided to fabricate my own version. I first found the nipple poultry waterer on ebay and bought 5 for $6 with free shipping!! Then off to Home Depot for supplies. I already had a bucket to feed the system. I picked up a 2 foot piece of 1.5" PVC pipe. Found end caps for both ends. Went to the plumbing department to get the hose end fittings that I will thread into the PVC and the bucket to connect a standard hose that will be connected from the pail to the PVC.
Took about an hour to build and the total cost was under $20.00!

The coolest part is that the birds found the nipples and started drinking within 2 minutes! I guess the red color must attract them to it!

The pail!

running the hose around the coop

they figured it out fast!!

 

[10 point]

thats awesome good job

 

[zazouse]

Great

 

[SimplyMe_AngieD]

That looks great. What fitting did you use to put the spigot on the bucket? I would like to try that.

 

[audioguy]

Quote:
No fitting except for the spigot. Its 1/2" pipe thread. I drilled a 3/4" hole with a spade bit, put a bead of silicone on the threads and screwed it in. I was going to use a nut behind it, but with the curve of the bucket it would not work without distorting the plastic.

I water tested everything before I installed it. I did have a leak at the pipe fitting on the PVC and fixed that using a two part epoxy I had in the basement that was used to fix a fish tank! It stopped the leak!

Home Depot has the PVC already cut in 2 foot lengths. I was looking for the largest size to make sure the gasket on the nipples made the most contact. The 2" PVC was just too big and the 1.5" looked OK.

Finding the nipples on ebay sealed the deal. My local co-op was selling them for $2.50 each. Ebay has a zillion for sale. All from China

with free shipping!!

 

[Kassaundra]

Looks great!!!!! You are in NJ, so what happens in the winter? Asking b/c I have been intrugued by the nipple method, but concerned about freezing weather.

 

[Tofer76]

you might want to point the nipplies straight down to prevent dripping as gravity on the tip and ball seals them

i use nips too but i put 3 directly in the bottom of 5 gal buckets and hang them then in the winter i use a deicer in the bottom to keep them thawed out

do a search for nipple waterer and you find lots of ideas and plans

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

I've been wanting to convert to the nipple system, but have been waiting for the hot weather to pass first, so water isn't as critical. I have a mixed flock, and they are different heights. My cochin roo towers over the hens, and my bantam phoenix barely hits the hens' shoulders. I'm guessing I'd need three different heights?
Are there such things as "extenders" for the shorter chickens?

 

[southerndesert]

Nice job on the waterer and here is something to also consider, white PVC will allow light transfer causing algae to grow in your waterer eventually. You can avoid this by using dark PVC or somehow covering the white one with electrical tape or paint.

 

[JackE]

Quote:
I have the same question, What about in the winter? I guess you could put some kind of heater in the bucket. But that would not take care of the exposed water pipe. Where I live, I imagine I would come out their one morning and find that pipe split with ice hanging out. Other than that, it's a cool idea, I'd probably use it, if I lived down south.
Jack