Bird farmers know that chickens are not the cleanest creatures. They defecate in their own food, stain perches and do other similar things. And most of all it affects the water. Therefore, the poultry farmer, who can make drinkers for chickens with his own hands, is capable of facilitating his life to a large extent. There are several options for the manufacture of such devices, varying in cost and complexity of assembly.
Drinking bowl for chickens
Varieties of drinking bowls for domestic chickens
Even before proceeding with the assembly, it is worth looking at what kind of homemade chicken drinker can be made in the existing conditions. We need to find out what materials are required for her, how convenient she is for feathered pets. And it is also advisable to understand how a do-it-yourself drinking bowl for chickens works. Because the principle of operation can also differ for different types of devices. It is conditionally possible to divide all these designs into several types. These are the types of homemade chicken drinkers:
- The simplest option is a regular basin or bucket of water. But his birds can turn over, or stain the drink. Therefore, for such dishes, additional fixators are usually made so that it does not turn over. And on top it is covered with a plastic or metal cover with holes.
- The second option is an automatic prefabricated chicken drinker. Water is supplied to it from canisters, from a glass jar or a plastic bottle. It is served either directly in a bowl, or with a plastic or metal pipe. A cup water supply system is often used.
- The third option, which is often used by farmers, is homemade vacuum drinking bowls. In fact, a vacuum device is a kind of automatic drinker. It is often used for feeding small chickens. But it is suitable for installation in a chicken coop for adult birds. The second name for such structures is bunker drinkers.
- Finally, the fourth circuit is a nipple device. And here it is most difficult to answer the question of how to make a drinking bowl for chickens according to a similar scheme. Everything, with the exception of the nipple, can be made without much trouble. But making a homemade nipple for a homemade drinker is not easy to assemble. And you usually have to buy it.
In principle, it is realistic to make these drinking bowls for domestic chickens with your own hands. But you need materials and at least some skills in working with the necessary tools. And you will also need the tools themselves, which, however, are usually available to every farmer. These devices are usually less expensive to manufacture than off-the-shelf devices. The only exception can be those constructions that were purchased from other farmers at a negotiated price. Even so, it is usually easier to assemble them yourself.
Homemade vacuum drinker
Home-made vacuum drinkers are used even by those who, in fact, do not understand their device too well. For their manufacture, you will need to take a jar, or other similar container, with whole walls and a bottom. You can make a container from a plastic bottle - for example, from a large five-liter container. All the necessary components can be found or made by yourself at home. For manufacturing, you will need a whole container, dishes like a bowl and, possibly, a grill that will prevent the bird from staining water.
The assembly principle is very simple. Pure water is poured into cans or bottles, after which the container is installed in a bowl upside down. It must be fixed in this position, so sometimes a suspension structure is made, in particular, if the drinker is near the wall. In size, of course, it will be smaller than the sippy cup used for feeding large or small livestock. For horses, sheep, pigs and piglets much larger containers are needed. Yes, and such a device will not work for cows because of the small volumes.
Nipple drinkers for chickens
If we list the types of drinking bowls for chickens, then we should also mention the drip or nipple drinkers. All its parts, with the exception of the nipple, are easy to make with your own hands. Such structures are pipes into which water is supplied from a certain container. For chickens, a liter plastic bottle will suffice, and for adult inhabitants of a large chicken coop, a large canister or even a barrel will be required. Often, such a drinker is made from a used sewer pipe, previously thoroughly washed.
In any case, each nipple drinker for chickens is made from pipes of one type or another. They must not rust or contain substances harmful to the health of birds. It is permissible to use polypropylene water pipes, which are excellent for these purposes. In principle, you can take a tight hose, but it will not last long in the chicken coop. Therefore, it is better to use durable PVC or polypropylene pipes. And such a cup can be made heated, or simply insulated.
If we consider a similar drinking bowl for chickens in a good photo, then its design will become more understandable. Nipples are cut into the pipe, and water is supplied through the pipe from a special container. The drinking tank is usually heated in winter to keep the nipples from freezing. And also so that the chickens do not catch a cold in the winter. Typically, farmers prefer to hang a similar device on the wall of the chicken coop. There it keeps better, which means it can last longer. Such a feeder for chickens can be of any size, and is designed for both 5 and 50 birds.
Making a simple nipple drinker
The simplest nipple automatic drinker is made by hand from an ordinary plastic bucket and nipples. Nipples, as already mentioned, are desirable to acquire, since it is not at all easy to make them. It can be 3, 6 or 10 liters, depending on the volume of the bucket and the needs of the birds. It is best to make it at least 10 liters in order to change the water less often. At the bottom of the bucket, 3-5 holes are drilled into which the nipples are inserted. It is best to place them around the edges of the bucket to make it easier for the birds to drink.
They should be directed vertically downward with the metal part, so it will be more convenient for chickens. The junction with the bucket is better insulated from leaking. Otherwise, equipping the drinker with a nipple dispenser will be a waste of time. After that, the bucket is hung at a height where birds can easily reach it. Now it remains only to draw water into it, and then the birds will figure it out themselves. When they see droplets of moisture at the ends of the nipples, they will begin to peck at them. Water will begin to drip, birds will drink it - and so on.
So that moisture does not disappear, it is advisable to adapt small bowls to drinkers, into which water will drip. A 0.25 liter bowl is enough for each nipple. Nipple drinkers for a large chicken coop are made in a slightly different, more complex scheme. A container with a drink is fixed at the top point. It is connected with a hose to a pipe fixed in a horizontal position. And in the pipe itself, nipples and bowls are already installed, according to the same principle. The pipe must be closed with plugs so that moisture does not leak.
Drinking bowl for chickens, from a plastic bottle, do it yourself.
A drinking bowl for chickens own hands.
How to make a drinker for chickens with your own hands
Automatic drinker for chickens do it yourself in the hen house
Drinking nipples
Anyone who wants to make a nipple drinker for chickens must first purchase or make their own nipple. It should be understood, however, that different designs are suitable for different birds. One variation, commonly referred to as 360 degrees, is the kind in which any pressure causes water to start flowing. These nipples are used for drinking bowls for chickens and broilers. But the autodrinker for adult chickens is usually made with a 180-degree nipple - it only moves up and down.
The design of the nipple can be seen in the video. A thin tube or tap is a moving part. Inside the nipple there is a shutter that flows around water. In the initial state, the valve is pressed from all sides to the bolt by springs or a spring. When you press it, it moves away from the shutter, and water flows through it. But the spring is compressed, and when the pressure disappears, returns the valve back. This scheme is easy to understand (from the drawing or from the video), but it is difficult to reproduce in the materials. Therefore, farmers recommend buying nipples:
“Nipple drinkers are a convenient thing. They are not difficult to make on their own, and this can be a device from an ordinary bucket, pipe or even a drinker from a plastic bottle for chickens. And there is no problem putting them in a place convenient for laying hens. The problem is not arrangement. And the fact that the nipple must be purchased. To do this, you can go to local specialty stores, or order it online. It is difficult to recommend a specific manufacturer - you need to look at the reviews and choose the most suitable one that is available. "
Cup drinkers for chickens
There is another difficult, but convenient design, which is often used for feeding animals. Such a drinker for chickens with their own hands is made only by sufficiently skilled craftsmen who can reproduce it in the material. Its name is the Cup Drinking Bowl. And cup drinkers are used both for drinking cows and for feeding chickens. Although microcup construction is usually used for small chicks. But the principle of operation is exactly the same for her, the differences are only in size and in the material used.
A similar drinking bowl for chickens can be made at home only with certain skills and materials. In bird feeders, the bowl is rarely a liter, or, even more so, of a larger volume. Although in form it most resembles a shallow bowl. It is made for laying hens and chickens, so its length rarely exceeds 10-15 centimeters. The principle is that a tap valve supplying water is connected to the bowl by a lever. When there is no water in the bowl, a special spring presses it out and opens the tap.
The principle of the cup
When a sufficient amount of water is collected, the bowl's own weight begins to overpower the spring pressure. The hens' drinker lowers slightly and the lever shuts off the water. And does not let her pour until the bowl is empty. And it can become empty only when laying hens and chickens drink from it. In this way, the moisture supply is regulated and the birds do not get more drink than they need. And when you consider that all the bowls are small and the chickens cannot jump on them, the water is not wasted.
Separate cup drinkers can even be connected to plastic bottles, from which water will flow. But this design is only suitable for chicks that do not require a lot of moisture. And for a large chicken coop, a large container will be required, from which water will be drawn into each of the bowls. Typically, a barrel is used for these purposes, from where moisture is distributed through a pipe system. The tank is usually installed at the top of the system so that no pumps are needed.
Conclusion
There are a number of different designs of drinking bowls, and each of the options can find its application. And the most important thing for every farmer is to choose exactly the design that suits him.