Comments on: Make It Your Own: Steve’s Garden Coop and DIY chicken watering system, Seattle, Washington

By: The Garden Coop

The Garden Coop — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:50:35 +0000

Rachel, see the comment thread at this post for a list of tips on getting reluctant chickens used to this style of waterer. Hope this helps.

By: rachel

rachel — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:06:27 +0000

We just made waterer out of poultry nipples and a 5 gallon bucket. The concept is great but the hens are not using it. It has been 4 days. They have stopped laying eggs.

By: Bob in Florida

Bob in Florida — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:16:12 +0000

Solution for reducing pressure from water source: For a nipple system, instead of using a pressure regulator, connect your water source to a reservoir with a float valve. Size does not matter. Place the tank above the pipe with the nipple level. Gravity will keep just enough pressure to make the nipples work and not drip.

By: Alvin

Alvin — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:43:45 +0000

Use heat tapes, such as used on trailer homes for keeping water lines from freezing, in the cold months. You can also use them to wrap buckets. They have a thermostat built in.

By: Wellington Family Farm

Wellington Family Farm — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 01:18:06 +0000

These are a great time saver but keeping your water clean and free of debris is the huge advantage.

We’re looking at a solution for heating and auto watering from a faucet with these two ideas.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/651102/my-pvc-true-auto-waterer
http://www.amazon.com/M-D-Building-Products-4309-Thermostat/dp/B0006VAMRE/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_0

By: The Garden Coop

The Garden Coop — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 16:02:11 +0000

Patrick, with a return line on the other end, would pressure increase? Not sure. But I contacted the manufacturer of the poultry nipples we sell, and was told that they are well suited to a pressure of 0.15-0.9 psi, ideally below 0.4 psi. Hope this helps.

By: Patrick Hopp

Patrick Hopp — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 14:36:33 +0000

Hello, I am looking into setting up a better watering system in my barn. To help combat freezing, I was thinking about having a submersible pump in the bottom of the drum, pushing water through the line and having a return line draining back into the drum. The barn is quite long and the plan is to have several pens along the back wall. Will the nipples still work if there is a low amount pressure of water constantly running through it? Thanks.

By: The Garden Coop

The Garden Coop — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:16:37 +0000

Kathy, wet spots beneath the waterer could be a number of things, but faulty nipples are not the first thing I typically suspect. First, check that there are no leaks in the waterer itself or around the nipples — that is, there could be a problem with how they were attached. You can check this by filling the waterer, drying the outside thoroughly, and hanging it over a dry spot of concrete (or paper or cardboard) for an hour or so, away from the chickens.

If there’s a leak or faulty nipple mechanism, you should be able to tell fairly soon, as there will be water dripping out somewhere. If there’s not, then the wet spots you’re seeing under your waterer are normal. Some chickens are more efficient drinkers than others, but almost always there’s a percentage of drops that don’t make it into their mouths and drip to the ground instead. You can play with the height of the waterer to reduce this, raising it perhaps so that the water drips out more directly down into their mouths. All told, there’s still significantly less waste than with an open waterer.

Hope this helps.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:00:33 +0000

My husband built one of these waterers for my chickens. I love it. Water is clean. The only thing I am having trouble with is that the nipples keep dripping and it’s always wet underneath. Any suggestions? Different nipples?

By: Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:13:56 +0000

In California, when plumbers replace toilets, they must be low-volume units. It seems to me, you could hang the tank part of an old toilet, complete with valve — high pressure — and seal the bottom hole. You could use silicon to seal it. Drill a hole and put a fitting that will connect to a garden hose. I’m sure any plumber would give you the tank unit, and not have to haul it away. Just a thought.