Gravity Fed Horizontal Nipple Bar and homemade grit feeder

[Welllaidacres]

I built this water tower from a 15 gallon food safe drum I found on amazon. I threaded a spicket in the bottom and put a splitter on. One hose on the splitter runs to my hog nipple waterer. The other hose runs to a horizontal nipple bar I made from 1 1/2” pvc. I hung the pvc pipe at an angle on purpose. I did this because I have a mixed breed flock and the heights of my birds varies. The water tower was built because in the winter, I do not have water to the barn. My water line is not buried below the frost line (installed before I bought the property). I will put a tank heater in this drum come winter time to keep it from freezing. I’m hoping that will be enough heat to keep the bar and nipples thawed but time will tell. This system allows me to provide fresh clean water to my pigs and chickens With less cleaning of basins or cups. I top the barrel off each morning with a garden hose. I plan to build another nipple bar and put it in my run. I will just attach a hose to the spicket at the downhill side of the bar in the coop and run it out to the bar in the run.

In the photos you will also be able to see my grit feeder I made. I constructed this from miscellaneous PVC fittings I had around. The main pipe is 2”pvc with a wye at the bottom. I sawzalled the wye so that the opening was more open for the chickens to get too. I bought a 2 to the 3 adapter for the top to act as a funnel for when I’m dumping bags of grit in. The bottom of the feeder is adapted down to 1 1/2 pvc for no reason other than I only had 1 1/2 caps on hand and an adapter, but no 2” caps.

What do you think? Anybody done something similar? Have tips or suggestions for me to improve this system?

 

[blackdog043]

That's a nice set up!

I don't think your going to keep the water from freezing in the hose and PVC, with a heater inside the drum. The drum water will heat up and get to temperature to turn off the heater.

I use 2 of those drums for my waterers. I have 8 nipples around the outside of each one. I use a 250 watt non floating stock tank deicer, to keep the water from freezing. You might need to buy another drum for a heated chicken waterer, for winter use. Then go back to your other way the rest of the seasons. I'm not sure what you would do for the hogs.