Official BYC Poll: Which type of waterers do you like best and why?

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

I Hang my plastic water feeders from shepards hooks..stays nice and clean wash them out every night, fresh water in the morning

 

[Audio51]

I prefer the automatic ones. It doesn't require me to remember to refill it. Weekly cleaning is all that is required. I am currently using this 10 gallon gravity fed one though until I get plumbing out to the chicken pen

 

[a048146]

This is my favorite and doesn't leak. We're in Minnesota and we have 15 hens and they don't all drink at once, so it works great. I put a splash of ACVinegar in to keep possible algae down. I wash it out once in a while (easy); unplug in warm months. It's next to the wall on a hanger, but supported underneath, because I didn't want it moving.

 

[Eelantha]

@electrycmonk - Hello! ^^ I've got a few DIY waterers who look like what you mentionned, bookmarked for reference. These are the ones I found most interesting:

Stock Tank Heated Horizontal Nipple Waterer by blackdog043
DIY Heated Waterer by Reedo5

In both cases, the rubber grommets, horizontal nipples and water heaters are missing from my amassed list of items needed to build my waterer. The covid-19 did not do me any favors money-wise this year, so until the prices decrease online and in stores, I won't be able to buy anything to try out a DIY heated waterer of my own making.

On that note, aquarium heaters are much more affordable than the stock tank de-icer on amazon. My only hesitation in fetching one from the local pet store is how well they perform outside the tropical setting they were built for. @Reedo5 , what says you with your 50W Tetra aquarium heater's performance? Can it withstand subzero temperatures without breaking, and even thaw itself out without problems if the water freezes during a power outage? (Do I need higher wattage against against colder temps, is there a certain level of wattage I must avoid to keep the bucket's plastic from melting and mixing with the water?)

@aart - I got my flock on vertical nipples when they were chicks last year, still in the brooder. I had removed any other water source. It took me an hour of teasing the dripping nipple with my finger for them to catch on, and after that they were fine. They even enjoyed the challenge.

This year when I tried the same thing with cups, they were adults and it was late spring. I took out all water sources and put the cups at easy reach. Then I sat down, teased the nipple cup every time a hen came near (spent an hour at this), and even put a few black sunflower seeds in them to peak their curiosity.

They drank the water in the cups without problems. But when there was no more water, I did my best to show them they could have more coming if they fiddled with the yellow nipple. Except the flow of water was so slow to come out that the hens preferred to go look elsewhere than spend literal minutes waiting to gulp down a mere tablespoon of water. When they did not find the water bowl in the run or enclosure, they went back to foraging the run and never gave the nipple cups another glance again. I left them two hours like this before giving them water, afraid they'd dehydrate.

I tested the cups myself afterward, checking to see how fast the water flowed, and if the first time was a fluke. The flow was... distressingly slow. I'm not sure how fast water must refill a nipple cup, but mine looked like it was below average speed. I deemed those items unsafe to use in hot weather and never tried them again. Another point I discovered in this thread's comments is that they also freeze in wintertime, and that's a big no-no for me.

So, I've only got horizontal nipples to try out now, hopefully these ones perform better than the other poultry nipples xD

 

[aart]

I'm not @Reedo5 and not sure they have been thru a winter yet(article date is March 2020)...but had to speak up.

@Reedo5 , what says you with your 50W Tetra aquarium heater's performance? Can it withstand subzero temperatures without breaking, and even thaw itself out without problems if the water freezes during a power outage?

Absolutely not.
Most glass Aq heaters must be covered with water at all times.
If power goes out bring it inside to thaw before plugging in again.
I highly recommend insulating the vessel to improve power usage.

Mine has worked well for 6 years now, down to negative 12°F,
once I got a higher quality heater after the cheap one failed.
ETA: fixed link on the word "Mine".

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

I honestly just use a Tupperware container, elevated, The chickens usually don't step in it, and they even drink it if it's spilled!! We also have horizontal nipples, and they drink from both. But more so the Tupperware because it's easier to drink out of!

 

[Eelantha]

Most glass Aq heaters must be covered with water at all times.
If power goes out bring it inside to thaw before plugging in again.

Hmm. If that's the case I'll have to buy two Aquarium heaters and make two horizontal nipple waterers, that way if the power goes out during the night I can switch the buckets come early mornings and let the frozen one thaw in peace.

I highly recommend insulating the vessel to improve power usage.

I'll have to look into that, starting with reflective bubble wrap. Is a thermocube needed if the aquarium heater has a built-in thermostat?

Mine has worked well for 6 years now, down to negative 12°F,
once I got a higher quality heater after the cheap one failed.

-12°F? Now that is very interesting! Is the cheap aquarium heater the Tetra brand, and the quality one Aqueon? (Or did you have a cheap Aqueon model and a quality Aqueon model?)

 

[electrycmonk]

@electrycmonk - Hello! ^^ I've got a few DIY waterers who look like what you mentionned, bookmarked for reference. These are the ones I found most interesting:

Stock Tank Heated Horizontal Nipple Waterer by blackdog043
DIY Heated Waterer by Reedo5

Okay, 1st link *IS* one of the designs I recalled. Good score dude!
The 2nd I don't recall seeing at this point at night....

The water de-icer element I got for our Kio tank is visually similar to the unit used in the 1st link FWIW... I can update more on that later. Good night.

 

[aart]

Is the cheap aquarium heater the Tetra brand, and the quality one Aqueon?

Yes.

Is a thermocube needed if the aquarium heater has a built-in thermostat?

Yes.
The thermocube controls the power to the heater via the air temp,
turns it on at 35°F and turns it off at 45°F.
The heaters built in thermostat keeps the water at the temp set on the heater.

 

[Sandbyter]

I wish you would have provided pictures for each style. The names are a bit confusing. After all, a fountain style waterer is also gravity fed. So which one is it really?

Also, I just ordered a heated dog bowl for the winter and plan on using it outside in the run only.

I will elevate it on bricks so my 5 chicks won't step into it.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075V4PGSV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1