Since ancient times, raising chickens has been considered a popular and profitable occupation, because a person at relatively low cost could provide himself with natural and nutritious food. But in order to achieve high rates of egg laying, you need to create comfortable living conditions for your feathered pets. To complete this task, a number of bird care requirements must be observed.
Along with high-quality and nutritious food, it is pure drinking water in sufficient quantities that is the main component of the life of all domestic animals. Therefore, the process of making do-it-yourself drinking bowls for chickens, the ideas, drawings, materials and designs of these devices are of interest to all owners of a private farmstead.
Drinker Requirements
The existence of chickens without a sufficient amount of moisture in the body is impossible, therefore, every farmer must create the conditions for the timely supply of water. Given the temperament and habits of chickens, simple containers to provide them with water will be ineffective. Birds fuss and climb into the drinking bowls with their paws, which often leads to their turning over and pouring out the liquid.
Therefore, the following requirements are made for do-it-yourself drinkers for chickens:
- Convenience of placement of devices for drinking. Drinking bowls should always be filled with water, so free access to them should be provided not only to the birds, but also to the owners, for their timely filling. In the case of automatic watering systems, unhindered access is necessary for cleaning.
- The stability of the structure will prevent overturning and loss of fluid. Lack of moisture can even lead to the death of birds.
- Drinking bowls should be made of environmentally friendly and durable material. The case of drinking devices is made of unbreakable material and should not have sharp corners and edges to prevent injury to the bird. The use of metal containers is undesirable due to the possibility of release of toxic substances. Food plastic constructions are recommended.
- Water must be clean. For this, it is better to use closed drinking bowls. In open containers, it is possible that the liquid is contaminated with harmful microorganisms, as well as contamination of it with droppings and dust.
- The winter chicken drinker should be equipped with a heating system to prevent freezing of the liquid.
Types of drinkers
All devices for drinking chickens, depending on the method of fluid supply, can be divided into the following types:
- nipple;
- cup;
- vacuum;
- siphon.
According to the principle of action, conditioners can be classified into automatic drinkers for chickens and hand-held devices. Of course, such a division can be called conditional, since everywhere a person should be present.
Nipple bird watering system
The principle of operation of such a system is quite simple. In special tanks, which are connected to the terminal nipple device by means of plastic pipes, pure water is poured. Fluid may come from the plumbing system, but manual reservoir filling is more commonly used.
The length of the pipes, their number and distribution pattern are completely dependent on the livestock of the chicken herd and the internal structure of the chicken house. Therefore, before proceeding with the installation of the nipple system, it is advisable to draw up drawings of drinking bowls for chickens.
Nipples that give a stream of water when the rod moves in any direction are designed for broiler chickens, as well as for chickens. Layers are equipped with nipples with a rod that moves up and down. The bird quickly gets used to such a system of drinking.
Making a nipple watering system
By design, such devices can be simple and more complex. More often, household owners raise a large number of birds at the same time, so it will be more useful to describe the option of making nipple drinkers for chickens with a complicated design. Such a system will require the use of a large number of nipple tips, as well as connecting it to a water supply system or a large volume mounted tank.
Materials required for work
The main materials that will be used for homemade chicken drinkers are plastic pipes and nipple tips.
The following tools and materials will help to make the fixture qualitatively:
- special polypropylene profile or round pipe;
- nipple tips, at the rate of 3-5 pcs. per meter pipe;
- droplet eliminators in terms of quantity should correspond to the number of nipples;
- tees and adapters for connecting pipes;
- plugs that are installed at the ends of the pipes;
- flexible hoses;
- clamps or hooks for fastening the drinking bowl;
- plastic canister or bucket.
Of the tools necessary for the work on the manufacture of a drinking bowl for chickens with their own hands, we can distinguish:
- electric drill;
- drill;
- tap;
- wrench.
Drinking bowl installation procedure
If the watering system will be connected to a running water supply, then you need to include in the design a water pressure regulator, as well as a shut-off valve at the inlet.
The procedure for the manufacture of do-it-yourself drinking bowls for chickens:
- A plastic pipe of the required length is cut off.
- The marker marks the installation location of the nipple tips, and then holes are drilled at the marked points.
- Using a tap, a thread is carefully cut into the holes for screwing the nipple into the pipe.
- Then it is imperative to seal the installation location of the nipple. This operation can be done using a special tape that is wound on a thread.
- After that, all the nipples are screwed into the prepared holes on the pipe and the inner surface is cleaned of sawdust made of plastic, so that in the future no water bloom in these places.
- The next step will be the connection of pipe segments with nipples in a common design. Such a connection is made using a tee. Plugs are installed on the free ends of the pipes. The third tee hole is connected to the water tank through a flexible hose.
- All joints are well sealed.
When installing a nipple drinker for chickens, make sure that the height of its fastening is optimal for drinking chickens.
Simple nipple drinker
For a small number of chickens, a simple nipple drinker will be quite enough. The device of drinking bowls for hens with their own hands, the ideas for their creation can be varied, while not needing to purchase scarce materials. The main element is the nipple. Then you can make a device for watering birds from a plastic bucket or a simple container.
The simplest device is a drinker for chickens from a plastic bottle. To do this, a hole for a nipple is drilled in the cap of a regular plastic bottle, which is screwed after threading. Then make a seal and fill the tank with water. The drinker is suspended in a convenient place and it is ready to go.
You can make very original drinking bowls for chickens from an old plastic bucket. To do this, several nipples can be located in the lower side of the bucket, and even better in the bottom of the tank. Installation, fastening and sealing of nipples are carried out according to the similar principle of the device of the drinking system. A bucket with nipples on the side wall is installed on a stable stand of any design, but if they are mounted in the bottom, you will have to suspend the device.
Vacuum Chicken Drinker
Structurally, such a device is an inverted tank of water, which is lowered by the neck into a bowl for drinking. Due to the difference in atmospheric pressure falling on the water in the bowl and the air pressure in the tank itself, the liquid is held in it. Therefore, water enters the bowl automatically, as the level decreases.
Such a device is considered the easiest to manufacture. To make a drinker for chickens with your own hands, you will need:
- a small plastic tank with a narrow neck;
- a bowl 2-3 cm high for chicks or 10 cm for adult birds;
- fasteners for containers;
- screwdriver and screws for securing the container.
Often, many poultry farmers use a plastic bottle instead of a tank.
Vacuum drinking bowl installation
The simplest device is a regular glass jar, lowered neck in a bowl. But this drinker is very easily turned over by the birds, which can lead to loss of water, as well as damage to chickens if the jar breaks.
Therefore, it is better to perform the following work:
- Determine the specific location of the drinking bowl, preferably near the wall of the chicken coop.
- At this point, install the mounting structure for the tank.
- Water is poured into the tank.
- Then you need to lean against the neck of the bowl.
- This design must be quickly turned over so as not to spill liquid on the floor.
- Secure the tank with the mounting system.
To facilitate the process of filling the tank with water, you can drill a hole in the lid, which must be tightly closed after filling the tank.
Siphon drinker
The operation of this type of drinker requires constant top-up of water. This process can be carried out even while outside the chicken coop, for which they open the shutter and wait a few seconds. The tank filling time is selected empirically.
To make a siphon drinker you will need:
- flexible tube with a shutter;
- capacity for liquid;
- a bowl for watering;
- mount for tube and container;
- drill.
As a connecting tube, the material of a medical dropper is perfect.
Installation of a siphon drinker is carried out as follows:
- A hole is made in the wall of the chicken coop.
- A tube is passed through this hole, while the shutter should be located on the outside of the room.
- Using special fasteners, a water tank is installed outside the chicken coop, while the bottom of the tank is placed 5-15 cm above the inlet.
- The outer end of the connector with the shutter is connected to the bottom of the tank.
- We fix the inside of the tube on the wall of the room.
- A drinking tank is installed near the wall, and a tube is lowered into it.
- Pour water into the external tank - and the system is ready for operation.
To prevent the chickens from overturning the drinking bowl, it must be attached to the wall, while the mount must be removable to facilitate cleaning.
Cup float system
Where 1 is the tank; 2 - filter; 3 - a hose; 4 - a float; 5 - distribution tank; 6 - highway; 7 - a tank for drinking; 8 - pipe; 9 - a stub.
There are a lot of varieties of such a device. Float troughs work like a toilet flush system. Therefore, to describe all the crafts of folk craftsmen will not succeed.
Chickens drink water from a gutter, which is filled from the tank, with a float system installed in it, connected to the lever of the crane. As the container fills, the contact float rises up along with the liquid. At a certain level, the tap handle rotates and shuts off the flow of water. When the water level drops, the faucet will open and the liquid will fill the tank.
The main problem with using such a drinking system is its fine tuning. Sometimes it is very difficult to avoid a dense blocking of the fluid flow, which can lead to its spill.
Drinker protection against freezing
The supply of cold water through pipes in the winter period of time is of particular danger to the health of chickens. Catarrhal diseases of a bird can lead to its death.
Therefore, in the cold season, it is desirable to carry out the heating of water in drinking bowls. The simplest method is to make a wooden box and place it inside an ordinary light bulb.
For a large number of poultry, some farmers install water heaters in chicken coops. Of course, this method is expensive, but operating in automatic mode makes it very effective.
Remember that before making a drinker for chickens, you need to determine exactly how many birds you plan to breed. It is this indicator that is fundamental when choosing a system for drinking feathered pets. After all, each design has both advantages and disadvantages in its manufacture and operation.