drinking cups for quail

[davedavey]

Does anyone use the drinking cup pvc pipe system for there quail? And how well does it work? Dave

 

[dc3085]

Does anyone use the drinking cup pvc pipe system for there quail? And how well does it work? Dave

If you mean the orange cups with the yellow float from GQF, I have in the past . They aren't appropriate for quail despite whatever Georgia Quail Farm might say. They work great for chickens because they peck the float hard enough, quail do not. The float doesn't constantly fill the bowl it only allows water out when the bird pecks it, so the cups are never full, if that makes sense. The quail get bored or frustrated before they get enough water. Thats not to mention it takes about a week of constant supervision to teach the birds to use it.

Needle watering devices work much better.

 

[Chicken-Farmer]

I use them for my quail. I have a 24 cage battery and each cage has its own cup. I installed the cups into each cage. And removed their other waters. They learned to use the cups out of necessity or they would have gone thirsty. Hunger and thirst are pretty powerful motivators. I use a gravity water bucket. 5 gallons lasts about 3 days in the summer heat. The cups keep clean and are easy to repair if they start leaking. It's nothing but an O-ring and spring attached to the yellow nipple. Sometimes a little piece of Crud will keep the o-ring from seating all the way. No big deal,jiggle the yellow nipple a few times in and out and it usually clears itself.
The cups are a little pricey. I spent $40 per 10 waterers, I have 30 cups total. Then the additional hose and fittings. Probably close to $170 for a 30 water cup system.
Originally I had the little nipples that hook onto PVC. I could never keep the system from leaking. The cups work better for me. Others may disagree.

Chicken-Farmer

 

[dc3085]

The PVC nipples don't stop leaking. Some are better than others and only leak for a few seconds after they are used. I put a wire pedestal under the nipples so that the birds aren't making a mud hole under them. In battery cages it would be nearly impossible to use them. The thing I dont' like most about the GQF cups is that any time that offer the birds using them a full water font they will attack it like they haven't had any water. The cups give them enough to survive but I don't feel like it gives them as much water as they would drink naturally. Quail really drink a lot of water for their size. They do learn to use the cups because they need to, but I also lost birds to nerve damage because they were bullied off the cups or afraid to use them often enough for it to irritate me.

 

[pawtraitart]

The PVC nipples don't stop leaking. Some are better than others and only leak for a few seconds after they are used. I put a wire pedestal under the nipples so that the birds aren't making a mud hole under them. In battery cages it would be nearly impossible to use them. The thing I dont' like most about the GQF cups is that any time that offer the birds using them a full water font they will attack it like they haven't had any water. The cups give them enough to survive but I don't feel like it gives them as much water as they would drink naturally. Quail really drink a lot of water for their size. They do learn to use the cups because they need to, but I also lost birds to nerve damage because they were bullied off the cups or afraid to use them often enough for it to irritate me.

I use the horizontal nipples for my quail. If you already have a PVC vertical nipple system, you can convert it over to the horizontal nipples which have NO leak issues. You can purchase the nipples separately for any DIY project. I use them in my brooders, too. For my breeders, I attach the brooder bottles with an outside mount with the nipple going through the wire, one bottle per quad of jumbo coturnix. It's nice because I can re-fill it from the outside without removing the bottle from the bracket holder.

Here's some babies using the horizontal nipple.

 

[dc3085]

I use the horizontal nipples for my quail. If you already have a PVC vertical nipple system, you can convert it over to the horizontal nipples which have NO leak issues. You can purchase the nipples separately for any DIY project. I use them in my brooders, too. For my breeders, I attach the brooder bottles with an outside mount with the nipple going through the wire, one bottle per quad of jumbo coturnix. It's nice because I can re-fill it from the outside without removing the bottle from the bracket holder.

Here's some babies using the horizontal nipple.

I'll definitely be ordering some.

 

[davedavey]

Thanks all!!