Drinkers for chickens: types and features, how to do it yourself, installation rules

An obligatory element of the internal arrangement of any poultry house are drinkers with water for chickens. Tanks can be made independently or purchased at agricultural stores. When choosing, it is important to take into account a number of parameters to ensure the convenience of the chicks.

What should be the drinker for chicks?

Unlike chicken drinkers, chick containers should be shallow to prevent chicks from choking or drowning. To prevent dangerous situations, it is recommended to use closed drinkers, which have the following advantages:

• Foreign elements (remains of food, droppings, pieces of flooring, dust) do not get into drinking water;
• broilers cannot turn containers over;
• water evaporates much more slowly than in an open drinker.

Varieties of drinkers

Depending on the water supply mechanism, appearance and design features, drinkers are divided into several varieties. To choose the right option, you should familiarize yourself with the characteristics of different containers.

From a plastic bottle

The most budget option is a drinker made from a plastic bottle of any size. To make you need:

• disinfect the jar and cut off the top at a distance of more than 5 cm from the lid;
• fix the second small volume bottle to the container from the inside with screws;
• make small cuts at a distance of 5-10 cm from the neck of the smaller bottle;
• attach the structure to the wall of the chicken coop and fill it with liquid.

The main advantages of plastic containers are ease of manufacture, minimal costs and the ability to drink large livestock. Cons include quick soiling and risk of tipping over.

Vacuum

Vacuum-type devices are suitable for chicks in their first weeks of development, when they live and drink water exclusively on the floor. The mechanism of action of the vacuum design involves the constant filling of liquid due to the vacuum generated.

To assemble a drinker, you will need to take a 3-liter jar, a bowl and coasters. To build a drinking bowl, it is enough to pour clean water into a jar, fix the bottom of the bowl on the neck of the jar, and then turn the jar over and fix it on stands.

You can install a vacuum structure inside the chicken coop or on the territory of the walking yard. The container can be easily fixed without the use of special tools. It will not take much time and effort to maintain and replace the structure.

Nipple

Nipple varieties are considered the most modern and comfortable. They are ideal for watering boilers that need a large volume of liquid. To maintain the drip tank, you only need to regularly pour water into it.

To make a simple variation of the nipple design, you need to prepare a plastic container and drill holes for the nipples in it. Then it remains to make a thread, screw in the nipples and press the junction with a Teflon thread. They fix the finished structure at the level of the chickens' heads so that they reach the nipples with their beaks.

Autodrinkers

In automatic drinkers, it is possible to fill the container as it is empty. As soon as the chickens drink some of the water, the volume will be filled from the bottle. To create automatic varieties, a shallow tray, a 1.5-liter plastic bottle and fasteners are used to fix the structure. To build a device, you need:

• fasten clamps to the walls of the tray, which will later hold the plastic vessel;
• fill the bottle with liquid and insert it into the holders with the neck down so that the distance to the bottom remains 0.5 cm.

Due to the ease of use, autodrinkers are widely used on private farms and on an industrial scale. In the manufacture of the device, it is important to choose the right tray dimensions. It should not be too wide, and the sides should not be low. Otherwise, the chicks will be able to fully climb inside.

Handmade

The ability to make a drinker for chicks with your own hands allows you to make any variety according to your own requirements. The manufacturing process directly depends on the type of construction and the method of water supply.

Tools and materials

The list of materials and a set of tools required for the manufacture of homemade drinkers is compiled depending on the required version of the device. To build a standard variety, it is enough to prepare a couple of plastic bottles, fasteners and a knife for making holes. If you want to make more complex devices, additional tools may be required.

Step by step instructions

The process of creation and installation varies for each type of drinker. Since many private households use a siphon subspecies of a vacuum design, we can consider an example of creating such a device.

Instructions for creation includes the following steps:

1. Put a bowl on the floor and put 2 sticks in it, the length of which depends on the dimensions of the neck and the dimensions of the container itself.
2. The bottle is filled with water and covered with a bowl on top, bursting the neck of the container with chopsticks.
3. The plastic bottle with the bowl is turned over and fixed to a vertical surface. You can use wire or strong ropes as fasteners.

Frost protection, how to insulate

During the cold season, heating of drinkers is required so that the water does not become covered with a crust of ice. To do this, you can use a cable that is usually used in heated floor coverings. The cable is wrapped around the container, all connections are carefully insulated and connected to the network.

Basic training of chickens to drinkers

Chickens are curious and begin to peck at everything at an early age. When using nipple drinkers, chicks are attracted to shiny nipples. It is important to install suitable nipples that react to any touch and supply water.

It is recommended to sprinkle tea leaves in vacuum constructions, which will attract the attention of chickens. By trying to glue the tea leaves, the chicken will understand that you can drink liquid from the container.

In microcup structures, a ball is thrown to the bottom, which ensures minimal valve opening and dripping water. This method also allows you to attract chickens.

Mistakes when choosing

Beginner farmers with little experience in breeding and keeping chickens often make common mistakes when choosing drinkers for chickens. Common mistakes include:

• use of too deep containers, due to which the chicks are completely immersed in water and as a result freeze or choke;
• acquisition of drinkers with a small volume, which is not enough for the livestock;
• installation of drinkers without a heating element in an unheated room, as a result of which the water freezes;
• buying a design that is not suitable for installation in a poultry house due to design features.

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