I have two of these set up inside the chicken coop for my flock of 24 birds.
Our friend Richard put them together using the components I purchased from an Amazon.com merchant by the name of the Coop Queen , in addition to some supplies from Lowe's. (Not that the bucket doesn't make it apparent!)
The system is based on these.
They are poultry drinking nipples. They work just like a water bottle for a hamster. The chicken pecks at the nipple and drops of water come out.
I chose the saddle-style nipples rather than the kind that are threaded and screw in because the saddle-style ones are easier to work with. They can be removed, replaced and reused. The screw-in kind can be replaced, but not reused.
I also ordered the bulkhead fitting assembly from the Coop Queen. The shutoff valve on the assembly will make cleaning the system a lot easier.
In this photo, you can see both the bulkhead fitting and the shelf used to hold the 5-gallon bucket on the wall. Richard cut the shelf a little narrower than the diameter of the bottom of the bucket to allow the bulkhead to hang freely.
Simply drill a 1 1/2" hole in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and screw in the bulkhead.
I used a leader hose for a hose reel to connect the bulkhead to the PVC pipe.
The PVC is 3/4" and is capped on the end opposite the hose connection.
Richard drilled 5/16" holes along the PVC then wrapped the pipe with teflon tape before snapping on the drinking nipples. According to the directions, the teflon tape isn't necessary, but we decided to take the extra step to help prevent leaking.
It's important to line up the 5/16" holes along the PVC so the nipples are vertical. In the photo, the nipples are pointing up. During use, they will be straight down.
Richard used a section of 2x4 to mount the PVC pipe on the wall of the coop.
Once the bulkhead tap is opened, water flows through the black hose and into the PVC pipe. When a chicken pecks at one of the drinking nipples, water drips out.
The buckets are topped with Gamma Seals. Those are screw-on lids. These lids keep dirt out of the buckets. Just don't screw them on tightly so that air can get in and allow water to flow out. These lids also make it a cinch to fill the buckets.
I have two of these watering systems in the coop.
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Once they were installed, it was a breeze to show the chickens how they worked. Chickens are naturally curious, so all I had to do was tap the drinking nipples to allow some water to drip out. A couple of the chickens noticed immediately and began pecking at them. Once some of them knew what to do, the others followed suit. In less than 24 hours, all were drinking from the systems.
The ten gallons total in the two systems lasts my flock of 24 birds one week. Twice a day, I check the water level in the buckets as well as the functionality of the drinking nipples. Then once a week I fill up both buckets. It doesn't get any easier than this. The flock always has fresh, clean water available. No more cleaning poopy water containers!
I've already been playing around with some design improvements. If I replace the end cap on the PVC with some type of connection for garden hose, I can clean out the entire system by flushing it with water while it's still in place inside the coop. I can just connect a garden hose to the end of the PVC, run the hose out the coop door and then flush the system. I could even run a weak bleach solution for disinfection through and rinse it well afterwards. Since the water buckets are closed, they don't get dirty, but it's still necessary to clean them out periodically.
As a post script to this, I wanted to tell you about the excellent customer service the Coop Queen provides. After we had the watering systems installed, one of the drinking nipples leaked. It dripped water constantly. I sent an email to the Coop Queen and within a couple of days, I had a pack of five replacement nipples at my door. They really stand behind their product! Can't ask for better service!
I popped the leaker off and put a new one on and all is well!
Between these watering systems and my feeders, my daily chicken-related chores are down to just a few minutes. Weekly refills of buckets and general maintenance of the coop itself are really the only chores that take time.
As a disclaimer, having feed and water systems like this does not mean you never have to go into the coop. Don't put these in your coop and think you can ignore the birds for a week or two. OK? That's not how this works. I still am down there several times a day to check on the levels of food and water, check for eggs, make sure the chickens are healthy, that nothing has tried to get into the coop...all the usual maintenance items. The systems reduce work by keeping things clean. Nothing more, nothing less.
Do you have any labor saving ideas that you use with your flock? If so, please share them! I'd love to see what you are doing.
The system is based on these.
They are poultry drinking nipples. They work just like a water bottle for a hamster. The chicken pecks at the nipple and drops of water come out.
I chose the saddle-style nipples rather than the kind that are threaded and screw in because the saddle-style ones are easier to work with. They can be removed, replaced and reused. The screw-in kind can be replaced, but not reused.
I also ordered the bulkhead fitting assembly from the Coop Queen. The shutoff valve on the assembly will make cleaning the system a lot easier.
In this photo, you can see both the bulkhead fitting and the shelf used to hold the 5-gallon bucket on the wall. Richard cut the shelf a little narrower than the diameter of the bottom of the bucket to allow the bulkhead to hang freely.
Simply drill a 1 1/2" hole in the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and screw in the bulkhead.
I used a leader hose for a hose reel to connect the bulkhead to the PVC pipe.
The PVC is 3/4" and is capped on the end opposite the hose connection.
Richard drilled 5/16" holes along the PVC then wrapped the pipe with teflon tape before snapping on the drinking nipples. According to the directions, the teflon tape isn't necessary, but we decided to take the extra step to help prevent leaking.
It's important to line up the 5/16" holes along the PVC so the nipples are vertical. In the photo, the nipples are pointing up. During use, they will be straight down.
Once the bulkhead tap is opened, water flows through the black hose and into the PVC pipe. When a chicken pecks at one of the drinking nipples, water drips out.
The buckets are topped with Gamma Seals. Those are screw-on lids. These lids keep dirt out of the buckets. Just don't screw them on tightly so that air can get in and allow water to flow out. These lids also make it a cinch to fill the buckets.
I have two of these watering systems in the coop.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Once they were installed, it was a breeze to show the chickens how they worked. Chickens are naturally curious, so all I had to do was tap the drinking nipples to allow some water to drip out. A couple of the chickens noticed immediately and began pecking at them. Once some of them knew what to do, the others followed suit. In less than 24 hours, all were drinking from the systems.
The ten gallons total in the two systems lasts my flock of 24 birds one week. Twice a day, I check the water level in the buckets as well as the functionality of the drinking nipples. Then once a week I fill up both buckets. It doesn't get any easier than this. The flock always has fresh, clean water available. No more cleaning poopy water containers!
I've already been playing around with some design improvements. If I replace the end cap on the PVC with some type of connection for garden hose, I can clean out the entire system by flushing it with water while it's still in place inside the coop. I can just connect a garden hose to the end of the PVC, run the hose out the coop door and then flush the system. I could even run a weak bleach solution for disinfection through and rinse it well afterwards. Since the water buckets are closed, they don't get dirty, but it's still necessary to clean them out periodically.
As a post script to this, I wanted to tell you about the excellent customer service the Coop Queen provides. After we had the watering systems installed, one of the drinking nipples leaked. It dripped water constantly. I sent an email to the Coop Queen and within a couple of days, I had a pack of five replacement nipples at my door. They really stand behind their product! Can't ask for better service!
I popped the leaker off and put a new one on and all is well!
Between these watering systems and my feeders, my daily chicken-related chores are down to just a few minutes. Weekly refills of buckets and general maintenance of the coop itself are really the only chores that take time.
As a disclaimer, having feed and water systems like this does not mean you never have to go into the coop. Don't put these in your coop and think you can ignore the birds for a week or two. OK? That's not how this works. I still am down there several times a day to check on the levels of food and water, check for eggs, make sure the chickens are healthy, that nothing has tried to get into the coop...all the usual maintenance items. The systems reduce work by keeping things clean. Nothing more, nothing less.
Do you have any labor saving ideas that you use with your flock? If so, please share them! I'd love to see what you are doing.
I looked into these when we built our coop 6 yrs ago, but since it was winter then, my first thought was, how do you keep this set up from freezing. You can place a tank heater inside the bucket, but any water that sits in the tubing will still freeze.
ReplyDeleteHave you already figured out how to make this system carry the birds all the way through winter and single digits and below zero temps?
~Lisa
My plan is to wrap the entire system with heat tape. It won't melt the plastic and won't catch anything on fire. I have outlets inside the coop for plugging them in.
ReplyDeleteGood idea. Keep us updated.
ReplyDelete~Lisa
I used a four inch PVC pipe instead of a bucket with an adapter to the half inch pvc attaching the saddle style nipples to the latter. Works great
ReplyDeleteI used a insulated water jug with a screw on lid. I wrapped the pipe in heat tape and insulation. Used gorilla tape to keep the chickens from eating the insulation. I installed a float valve to keep the container full. Worked all winter and summer with no frozen or hot water.
ReplyDeletemy husband built a similar system for our guinea fowl. The only difference is it has an automatic feed by a hose. Inside the bucket is a toilet valve so it will not over flow. Still works great in the third year!!
ReplyDeleteHow do you fill it?? It would be heavy to heft it up to that height.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary. Many thanks for stopping by the blog. I fill the waterer using a hose.
Delete