Chicken waterer nipples

[jcummins]

This spring bought a few ducks and some guineas. I setup to vertical pvc pipes to feed one horizontal pipe with nipples along the bottom. Got that ideas from the internet.

Think it would be a good setup...but it leaks. Got screw in type nipples from Amazon, and used thin wall sewer pipe.

The thin wall pipe might be the issue, the nipples did not screw in securely. I did put sicilone around the bases. I need to redo this, but those who use, advice please on how to setup. PVC sch 40? A better different nipple, note some use gormets. Or use a completely different setup?

Here's what I setup.

 

[Sysop]

I never had any luck with the dripper style. They always dripped and leaked all over the place leaving a muddy mess. I water my chickens from a spring, so water refills my system all the time. There was no end to the mess...

What I ended up doing was getting some of the flat sided kitty litter buckets and the side mount nipples. No sealant, just make the hole the size they say to make it and screw it in; no leaks. Water comes in from the spring, out of an overflow plumbed about halfway up the bucket, and the bucket sets on a block of wood to be high enough for the chickens. Even has a snap-close lid that came with the bucket to keep bugs and random stuff from getting into the water or getting lodged in the nipples.

 

[jcummins]

I stumbled across the tough guy auto waterer on Amazon for $16+...it's a fair amount more elsewhere. Anyone used this item?

This item.

 

[nybirdman]

I stumbled across the tough guy auto waterer on Amazon for $16+...it's a fair amount more elsewhere. Anyone used this item?

This item.View attachment 508865

That's for a dog I believe;birds would roost and crap all over it.

 

[Sysop]

Yea, any sort of dish gets nasty a dozen times a day. You'll never clean it often enough... I like my chickens to have clean water that they cannot contaminate. A bucket with a lid and side facing nipples is ideal. These are the ones I purchased.

Amazon.com : 5 Horizontal (Side Mount) Poultry Nipples : Patio, Lawn & Garden

With my system, I dug out and laid some drainage fabric in an area that always has running spring water. Installed a pipe to collect the water from the spring and covered it with more fabric and some gravel. That pipe goes into a box that allows any sediment to settle out of the water. From the box I have a smaller pipe that runs to my chicken watering bucket that has the nipples on it. There is also an overflow plumbed to the bucket and away from the chickens so there is no muddy mess. With a steady flow of spring water, I just have to clean any sediment out of the "spring box" occasionally and it never freezes. There are occasionally bits of ice at the nipples, but the chickens seem to keep it working by pecking at it.

 

[ning]

I just set up a system with a bucket filled from a hose via a float valvle; a short nipple (MPT/MPT PVC nipple, not chicken watering nipple) on the bottom of the bucket going to a PVC T, then a more-or-less horizontal run of 3/4" PVC from below the bucket. Nipples are drilled in (11/32 if I recall?) to the 3/4" sched 40 PVC line; I used teflon tape but no silicone. No leaks at all.

Part of your problem may be excess pressure - no kidding. These things are meant to have almost no water pressure; if your 2" verticals are full, that's probably too much water pressure. The top of the water level in my bucket is maybe a foot above the nipples.

(BTW - I went cheap on the nipples and expected some duds, but all 10 of mine were fine - Amazon.com : Oasis Poultry Water Nipples, 1 Pack : Hanging Bucket Poultry Nipple Waterer : Patio, Lawn & Garden - I even put 3 into the bottom of a very thin-walled junk bucket I had lying around as a test and then reused them.)

 

[mddorange]

We use old 2 liter Coca Cola bottles with nipples on them hung upside down and they work very well. The only drawback is that the bottles have to be refilled about once a week. Cost, only the price of the nipples.

 

[jcummins]

I just set up a system with a bucket filled from a hose via a float valvle; a short nipple (MPT/MPT PVC nipple, not chicken watering nipple) on the bottom of the bucket going to a PVC T, then a more-or-less horizontal run of 3/4" PVC from below the bucket. Nipples are drilled in (11/32 if I recall?) to the 3/4" sched 40 PVC line; I used teflon tape but no silicone. No leaks at all.

Part of your problem may be excess pressure - no kidding. These things are meant to have almost no water pressure; if your 2" verticals are full, that's probably too much water pressure. The top of the water level in my bucket is maybe a foot above the nipples.

(BTW - I went cheap on the nipples and expected some duds, but all 10 of mine were fine - Amazon.com : Oasis Poultry Water Nipples, 1 Pack : Hanging Bucket Poultry Nipple Waterer : Patio, Lawn & Garden - I even put 3 into the bottom of a very thin-walled junk bucket I had lying around as a test and then reused them.)

I used thin wall sewer pipe, and believe it is an issue. I tried 11/32, could not get them screwed in. Used 23/64...and believe it was just so slightly to big. After finding this setup leaking, I had a small piece of sch 40, drilled 11/32, and they screwed in.

I bought the same nipples. I also used a couple in the bottom of a thin plastic 1 gal jug in a brooder area it worked fine....something about that sewer pipe I think is the issue.

 

[ning]

I used thin wall sewer pipe, and believe it is an issue. I tried 11/32, could not get them screwed in. Used 23/64...and believe it was just so slightly to big. After finding this setup leaking, I had a small piece of sch 40, drilled 11/32, and they screwed in.

I bought the same nipples. I also used a couple in the bottom of a thin plastic 1 gal jug in a brooder area it worked fine....something about that sewer pipe I think is the issue.

Could be. My proof-of-concept bucket was really thin, not sure how it compares to sewer pipe as I've only seen black ABS sewer pipe - if it's sched 125 pvc, I'd be surprised if my crappy test bucket was any better, but then it was a flat surface vs your 2" round - mine are now screwed into a 3/4" round side but it is thicker.

I couldn't screw the nipples in by hand; I used a nut driver and let them spin and then they finally grabbed and went in (I've heard of people tapping a thread, but I'm lazy enough to try without the first time and it seemed to work).

 

[FTG-05]

I never had any luck with the dripper style. They always dripped and leaked all over the place leaving a muddy mess. I water my chickens from a spring, so water refills my system all the time. There was no end to the mess...

What I ended up doing was getting some of the flat sided kitty litter buckets and the side mount nipples. No sealant, just make the hole the size they say to make it and screw it in; no leaks. Water comes in from the spring, out of an overflow plumbed about halfway up the bucket, and the bucket sets on a block of wood to be high enough for the chickens. Even has a snap-close lid that came with the bucket to keep bugs and random stuff from getting into the water or getting lodged in the nipples.

I bought 10 of those horizontal nipples, I have 7n of them in use as we speak.

I use three 5-6 gallon screw-on-type lided buckets, one inside the coop, two outside. Fill them once a week or so, no hurry they never run out.

Here's where I bought mine: 1 Pack Horizontal Water Nipple Drinkers Poultry, Chicken Hen - Screw In Waterer | eBay

 

[Sysop]

I started out with manually filling them. With a flowing spring just up the hill from the chicken shed, going to "constant flow" system was just a matter of time. My great-grandparents actually used that spring for their chickens. With the water flowing all the time, there is no freezing issues.

 

[two_bit_score]

This spring bought a few ducks and some guineas. I setup to vertical pvc pipes to feed one horizontal pipe with nipples along the bottom. Got that ideas from the internet.

Think it would be a good setup...but it leaks. Got screw in type nipples from Amazon, and used thin wall sewer pipe.

The thin wall pipe might be the issue, the nipples did not screw in securely. I did put sicilone around the bases. I need to redo this, but those who use, advice please on how to setup. PVC sch 40? A better different nipple, note some use gormets. Or use a completely different setup?

Here's what I setup.View attachment 508864

Use what the pros use: Ideal poultry equipment for broiler growing | Poultry growing | Big Dutchman


If you have any commercial poultry operations around you they should be able to set you up real quick.

 

[farmer2009]

Watering - VAL-CO

Our water system is from this company. We use the roaster style nipple on 10 inch spacing. If your water lines are kept at the correct height very little leak and mess. Current number of birds is 90,000.

 

[EddieWalker]

We like to keep it simple. We go into the coops every day to collect eggs, so adding water and food is also part of our daily routine. The double wall metal waters work great. You just have to put them up on a cinder block so they don't poop all over them. At that height, they can easily drink from them, but not stand over and go potty. One will still stand on the very top, but we have roosting branches in the coops that they all prefer to stand on when hanging out in the coops.

 

[jcummins]

Those commercial watering system pretty fancy. Like Eddie says...need it a littler simpler.

One thing I notice, the nipples are on square tubing, and also little catch cups for dribbles of water.

 

[FTG-05]

We like to keep it simple. We go into the coops every day to collect eggs, so adding water and food is also part of our daily routine. The double wall metal waters work great. You just have to put them up on a cinder block so they don't poop all over them. At that height, they can easily drink from them, but not stand over and go potty. One will still stand on the very top, but we have roosting branches in the coops that they all prefer to stand on when hanging out in the coops.

No offense, but screw that.

I use three 5-6 gallon buckets for water, add and/or change once a week or so.

I use one 5 gallon bucket with a 3" PVC elbow glued to it so that the chickens have to stick their head into it get food. No mess and no wasted and/or pooped on food. Fill it once a week or so as well. Here's some pics:

Here's the BYC thread on making them: Make your own - No waste - 5 gallon (25# feed) bucket feeder for about $3

Any water or feeder that is open will pooped on, scratched into or simply wasted unless it's contained. That's why I stopped using all those typical open ended waterers and feeders. No mess, holds a crap ton more water or feed and very little if any waste.

I have 10 hens and one rooster. He's a mean little bast*** but he protects his hens, so there's that.

 

[Sysop]

Indeed. Delivering table scraps, collecting eggs, and spending some time with the ladies daily is one thing; but the chicken feed, water, and doors should be automatic and no mess.

 

[jcummins]

Indeed. Delivering table scraps, collecting eggs, and spending some time with the ladies daily is one thing; but the chicken feed, water, and doors should be automatic and no mess.

I AGREE.

 

[FTG-05]

Indeed. Delivering table scraps, collecting eggs, and spending some time with the ladies daily is one thing; but the chicken feed, water, and doors should be automatic and no mess.

I haven't touched one of my coop doors since the last time I opened it up one day, which was about 1 1/2 years ago. My coop doors stay open 24/7/365. My two Great Pyrenees/Lab mixes are excellent guard dogs. Haven't lost a chicken yet.

 

[jcummins]

It's where I'm headed, but I don't need more dogs. Right now, 5 ducks, 14 gunieas. All will free range.


Having said that I have this coop next to an 8 acre pond. I've let the ducks out the last couple of days thinking they would surge towards the water. They haven't. Little puzzled by that. But raised in a pen...didn't have this coop ready to use until just a few days ago. With out doubt...they need the pond to be their sanctuary. We've had deer killed right in the yard by coyote. SO...will they take to the pond over time?