Poop-free waterers

greenSearcher · #1 08/26/10, 10:12 PM

I came across this site today, http://www.avianaquamiser.com/
and it intrigues me, so I am wondering if anyone is using this system to water their birds. What has been your results? I don't want to waste money if it doesn't work, but the idea of not having poop filled water with the chicks would be fantastic.
Julie

GrannyCarol · #2 08/27/10, 02:21 AM

Hah, my ducks would just play in the water until they had mud under it, then dabble in that happily, poop and all! And they'd still need bathing water, ducks need to be able to put their heads under water to clear their nostrils. Great idea, probably wouldn't work too well for me.

Wisconsin Ann · #3 08/27/10, 06:24 AM

Of the larger farms I've visited, most used water nipples for the chickens. They learn to use them quickly, and it's VERY clean. They do freeze up quickly in cold weather, tho.

There is also a mini cup thing that is often used...looks like a tiny auto waterer you often see in horse stalls or cattle.

praieri winds · #4 08/27/10, 02:28 PM

have the nipples but need the rest of it to mount in a bucket does anyone know where I can find those without having to buy it all

Missy M · #5 08/27/10, 03:50 PM

I set my waterer up on a cinder block and it stays pretty clean. Unfortunately my hen hatched 5 chicks so the one waterer has to sit on the floor for them and now it's dirty all the time.

PrincessFerf · #6 08/27/10, 07:58 PM

We keep our waterers up on blocks, too. It helps keep it cleaner, but its not perfect. In the winter, we can set our base heaters on the blocks, then the waterer on the base heater which then keeps the water from freezing.

mammabooh · #7 08/28/10, 07:07 AM

Ours is up on a regular-sized cement block that is topped with a half block. The water level is about at the level of the chickens' shoulders. I put a couple of bricks on the floor around the perimeter of the waterer at first to make sure tht the chickens could reach it just fine, but have since taken the bricks away. Our feeder is that high also and they waste almost no feed.

Ohiogal · #8 08/30/10, 12:12 PM

I use those 5 gallon plastic waterers, and put them on top of milk crates, so the majority of the birds can drink out of them but not poop in them. For the babies, I just build "steps" out of used brick on one side, so they can go up the steps and have a drink. Never had a problem using this method - I use more than one waterer per flock.
In the chicken coops, I have the waterers under the perches, so I shield them with pieces of 1/4" ply nailed to the coop wall. Use a corner and its easy and makes it very accessible and takes up less space using the corner.

rabbitpatch · #9 08/30/10, 03:10 PM

I use the hanging waterers so I can adjust the height based on size of the chicks/chickens, and they stay clean.

trbizwiz · #10 04/26/11, 04:49 PM

THread revival. I used the search button rather than starting a new thread. i hope thats ok. ANy way, I am thinking about going to the auto water nipples. most of my laying flock is atleast a year old. I have only used the 5 gallon jug type waterers. Will they learn to use the nipples? How many nipples do I need for 20 layers adn 30 meaties. All are free ranging. Is there a more reliable brand of water nipple? I am thinking about putting nipples in a 2inch piece of pvc pipe, and connecting that to a 5 gallon bucket outside. That way I can just fill the bucket outside and not carry a water jug around.

Cyngbaeld · #11 04/26/11, 06:52 PM

They'll learn to use it pretty fast. Have you ever seen a chicken drink a drop of water off a fence wire? Seems to come naturally. I would put a dish under the water nipple and fill it with water until they get in the habit of coming "there" for water. I'd also set up 3 or 4 nipples for them so if one bird is being aggressive the others can still drink.

bja105 · #12 04/26/11, 08:56 PM

I have nipples in a piece of 3/4 PVC, nipples in a bucket, and hanging bell waterers. The birds learned to use them quickly.

I hate the standard type waterers. They leak out if not level. They are too heavy for my wife to get in and out of the pasture pen. Birds roost on them.

Oxankle · #13 04/26/11, 09:20 PM

The FarmTek (spelling may be wrong) sells those watering nipples on the net for $2.95 each. They just screw into a hole drilled in the bottom of a bucket. The advertisement describes their use. Someone here posted a few days ago that they had made their own and that they worked very well. Commercial users screw them into a square pvc pipe and run a long row of them down the chicken house. BJA105's post shows that they can be put into round pipe too.
Ox

I plan to have such a set up before long.

Blair · #14 04/27/11, 08:42 AM

Now you have my brain working.

How are the nipples and system for cleaning out?

trbizwiz · #15 04/27/11, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blair

Now you have my brain working.

How are the nipples and system for cleaning out?

Now that was a very good question!!

I am going over to Ebay to order some nipples now. I have hundreds of feet of 1.5 inch pvc in the garage, so all I need are fittings and adapters. Are most just plumbing the pvc right into the bottom of a bucket? Do you need any type of a float setup or are the nipples relatively leak free?

Oxankle · #16 04/27/11, 10:20 AM

Trbizwiz:
The earlier post here showed the nipples just screwed into the bottom of a bucket. BJA105's picture shows them screwed into pipe too. The nipples have a tapered shape so that when they screw into the proper sized hole they fit tight.

The "cleaning" question is a good one. Someone tell us.

trbizwiz · #17 04/27/11, 10:26 AM

Well, what I meant was, if I plump a 1.5 inch pvc pipe to a 5 gallon or larger bucket, tehn plump the nipples into the pvc pipe. Do I need any type of float or valve between the bucket and the pipe? I may use a shut off valve in the pipe right before the nipples incase I need to change a nipple out.

gnatboy911 · #18 04/28/11, 01:06 PM

I use them in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. They don't leak at all. When I installed them, I just knelt down and clicked the waterer until the birds came over and checked it out. They quickly realized that water was coming out. They started using them right away.

As far as cleaning out a PVC line......Could you put a removable end cap on the opposite end of your water supply so it would allow you to open the pipe and flush it out to clean it?

I don't think you would need a float valve. I think that with the water supply being a 5 gallon bucket it would be a low enough pressure system that it would be fine.

just my two cents.

trbizwiz · #19 04/28/11, 02:13 PM

Cool thanks

Home Harvest · #20 04/28/11, 03:23 PM

Wow! And all this time I thought the poop made the water taste better. I mean they go out of their way to fill it with feces, so I figured they must have a reason...

But seriously, I get the farmtek catalog as well, and always look at those nipples. I may have to try them this year.