Drinkers for chickens: types and requirements, how to do it yourself, step by step instructions
Drinkers are an obligatory element of the internal arrangement of the chicken coop. There are many types of drinkers for chickens, which differ in design features and the method of supplying liquid. You can build a water tank yourself or purchase a ready-made version.
Drinker Requirements
Regardless of which birds are grown in the chicken coop - broilers or laying hens, the containers installed for them must meet a number of requirements. Key requirements include:
- Safety.To create a container, you need to use non-toxic materials. If metal elements are used, then their interaction with the liquid can lead to the release of components that are dangerous for chickens. It is also important to remove sharp corners to prevent injury.
- Using clean liquid. Drinking containers must be isolated from external influences, since their placement in the open leads to the development of harmful microorganisms.
- Ease of use. Changing water should not be inconvenient, so if possible, you should connect drinkers to the water supply in order to automate the process.
- Sustainability. When raising birds with an active and mobile nature, there is a risk that they will turn over and damage the containers. Structures should be firmly fixed in place and ensured that they are secure.
- Frost protection. To prevent the water from being covered with a crust of ice in winter, you can use specialized heating elements. Aquarium heaters are the best option.
Varieties
Depending on the mechanism of water supply and features of functioning, several types of drinkers are distinguished. To choose the appropriate option, you need to familiarize yourself with the detailed description and characteristics of each variety, determine the possibility of installing the selected type in an existing chicken coop and take into account your own preferences.
Simple open drinking containers
As the simplest option, open enameled and galvanized containers, such as buckets and basins, are used. It is also common to use disposable plastic bowls. Small open containers are recommended only for raising chickens, because due to the small volume, the chicks will not be able to drown or choke in them. At the same time, you need to make sure that the water does not spill out and the chicks do not get wet.
The main disadvantage of installing open containers is the need to constantly change the water to a new one due to dust and chicken excrement entering it. In addition, unsecured containers easily tip over.
Vacuum (siphon)
For watering a small number of birds, it is most advantageous to put a siphon variety. It is constructed from a glass with a siphon system and a tray where liquid is supplied. Siphon drinkers are divided into several categories - floor, hanging and fixed on stands.
In the vacuum design, the liquid level in the sump is replenished as it is empty. Due to atmospheric pressure, the liquid does not pour out of the glass. An important requirement for the operation of a vacuum drinker is a higher level of liquid in the pan than the bottom edge of the glass.
Cups
A cup drinker is a compact container connected to a plumbing system or a water tank with a hose. Flowing through the hose, the water enters the bowl, which descends under the weight of the liquid and closes the hole.Using the cup variety allows you to automate the process of feeding water to chickens.
Nipple
The nipple variety is widespread among poultry farmers due to the fact that the liquid in the drinkers remains clean for a long period of time. Water is completely protected from dirt penetration or accidental spillage, as the chickens absorb it through special valves by grabbing it with their beak.
The drip pattern is suitable for birds of all ages. To water young chickens, nipples are mounted that give water when the valve moves in any direction. Layer nipples can only be opened by moving the pin up or down. In order to economically consume liquid, drop eliminators are additionally used.
Heated drinkers for winter, non-freezing, with heating cable
If the drinkers are in an unheated room, for the winter period you need to take care that the water does not turn into ice.For heating, you can use a special heating cable, which is usually mounted in warm floor coverings. The container is wrapped with a cable, all connections are hidden and plugged into the network.
The use of a heating cable allows automatic heating of the liquid. For this purpose, you need to install a special block that regulates the start and shutdown. When the water cools down to a certain level, the cable will automatically start heating it. This option increases costs, but is effective and convenient when breeding a large number of birds.
It is also common to have a non-freezing drinker that you can build yourself. To do this, the drinker is placed in a more spacious container and foam is injected into the remaining space.
Drawings and dimensions
If you want to make a drinker, you must first prepare the drawings. The project takes into account the availability of free space in the chicken coop, the estimated size of the liquid containers, the type of construction and other features.
How to make a drinker for chickens with your own hands
It is possible to build homemade drinkers using various materials, depending on the requirements for the finished structure. By building water tanks yourself, you will be able to reduce costs and take into account all individual requirements.
Drinker from a bottle with a capacity of 5-20 liters
For the construction of this type of drinker, you will need to use a 5-20-liter bottle and a plastic container, the diameter of which will be wider than the bottom of the bottle, and the height of the side will be 10-15 cm. To make the construction, you must follow the step-by-step instructions:
- In the lower side of the bottle, make a hole with a diameter of 1 cm using a soldering iron or a heated nail. The slot should be placed 2 cm below the height of the rim of the prepared container.
- A bottle of liquid is placed inside the container so that water penetrates through the slot made.
- The structure is installed near the wall and the neck is fixed with a rope to prevent tipping over.
If necessary, add water, pour it through the top hole in the bottle. The larger the bottle was used, the less often you have to add liquid. The main advantage of this type of design is that the drinker will remain clean due to the closed type.
Automatic plastic pipe drinker
Using sewer pipes with a diameter of about 10 cm, you can build an open-type drinker that will automatically supply water to chickens. 4 rectangular holes are cut out in the pipe and 25-30 cm long, leaving a distance of 15 cm to the end of the pipe and between the holes. To make holes, you can use a jigsaw or a hot knife.
Tees with plugs are put on the edges of the pipes, necessary for pouring and draining the liquid.To automatically fill the containers with water, they are connected to the water supply and a valve cock is mounted on the inlet of the automatic drinker. It is easiest to fix the structure with plumbing clamps, which are selected according to a diameter similar to a pipe. The clamps are fixed in such a way that the pipe with the liquid is located at the height of the chickens' backs, and they do not climb inside.
Where to put the drinker and how many you need
It is better to install drinkers near the walls so that the hens do not turn over the containers, and less debris gets into them. For reliability and stability, the structures are fixed with fasteners or tied with threads.
The required number of drinkers directly depends on the number of hens and their age. When keeping adult chickens in cages, one container is enough for 10-15 birds. Inside the day old chick boxes, you can put a nipple drinker for 70 chicks.In open areas, a standard-sized container is enough for 30 chickens.
Safety precautions
Drinkers for chickens should be safe and not expose the birds to injury. For the manufacture of containers you need to use high-quality material. It is not allowed to install metal structures with burrs. In the case of self-construction of drinking bowls, the edges are carefully processed and made smooth so that the chickens do not get hurt. If you cannot make the edges smooth, you need to put a rubber band on top.
In winter, there are additional security measures. In order for the water not to freeze from the cold, it is necessary to ensure the supply of heat using a heating component, which is located under the container or around it. For convenience, many poultry farmers use standard aquarium heaters. Their main advantage is safety for birds.
Features of drinkers for chickens
Chicken containers should be selected according to the size of the chicks. It is not recommended to install deep containers, as the chicks can drown in them. It is also important that the water does not get on the chickens and they do not freeze.
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