Automatically replenishing water source (for your water nipples/cups)

[exalted512]

I'm looking to automate our watering process. Right now we have the standard waterer that you flip upside down to fill, put the base on, then flip it back rightside up to give to the chickens. I'm looking to get, most likely, horizontal watering nipples for my flock of 8. Am looking to eventually get up to about 20 birds. I live in Central Texas, so freezing isn't really an issue.

But I'm curious on what people have done so they don't have to refill a bucket, etc. I'm looking to either do something like a float in a bucket that's always hooked up to water or maybe something like this pressure reducing valve:
http://www.strombergschickens.com/p...inker-cup-system/automatic-drinker-cup-system

Just curious to see what other people have done and tricks/tips on how to set something up.

Thanks,
-Cody

 

[mobius]

While I have not done the following, I find it intriguing: Guttering on coop feeding rainwater into a barrel and then using a float system like yours to channel into chicken waterer.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The only issue I have with collecting rainwater is all the trees overhead are constantly dropping debris onto the roof and into guttering so unless you filter it going in and/or coming out, the water will get really nasty in no time.

If one has their coops out in the open, that isn't as much of a problem but still of concern.

 

[lazy gardener]

An other concern IMO is the fact that rain water, especially in the first flush from the roof is laden with the accumulated debris which includes fecal matter from birds flying overhead. Granted, chickens prefer drinking out of a puddle, which is also likely to contain the same stuff. I'd feel much more confident using rain water as a water source for my animals if I had a filtration system. It would be a very simple matter to set up a rain barrel which then would feed into a home made filtration system. They can be made quite easily with a 5G bucket, some sand, charcoal, straw, and a few PVC fittings. I've not made one, but my son took materials to South America to teach the villagers how to make them so they could have potable water instead of walking to the local watering hole where the quality was variable.