A mandatory element of the interior design of any poultry house is drinking bowls with water for chickens. You can make containers yourself or purchase them from agricultural stores. When choosing, it is important to consider a number of parameters to ensure comfort for the chicks.
What type of drinking bowl should be used for chicks?
Unlike chicken waterers, 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:
- no foreign elements (feed residues, droppings, pieces of flooring, dust) get into the drinking water;
- broilers cannot turn containers over;
- water evaporates much more slowly than in an open drinker.
Types of drinking bowls
Depending on the water supply mechanism, appearance and design features, drinkers are divided into several varieties. To choose the appropriate option, you should familiarize yourself with the characteristics of different containers.
From a plastic bottle
The most budget option is a drinking bowl made from a plastic bottle of any size. To make it you need:
- disinfect the jar and cut off the top at a distance of more than 5 cm from the lid;
- secure the second small bottle to the container from the inside with screws;
- make small slits at a distance of 5-10 cm from the neck of the smaller bottle;
- fix 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 water large livestock. The disadvantages include rapid contamination and the risk of overturning.
Vacuum
Vacuum-type devices are suitable for chicks in the first weeks of development, when they live and drink water exclusively on the floor. The mechanism of action of the vacuum design involves constant filling with liquid due to the vacuum generated.
To assemble the drinking bowl, you will need to take a 3 liter jar, a bowl and stands. To build a drinking bowl, just pour clean water into a jar, secure the bottom of the bowl to the neck of the jar, and then turn the jar over and secure it on stands.
The vacuum structure can be installed inside the chicken coop or on the territory of the walking yard. The container can be easily fixed without the use of special tools. Maintenance and replacement of the structure will not require much time and effort.
Nipple
Nipple varieties are considered the most modern and convenient. They are ideal for watering boilers that require a large volume of liquid. To maintain the drip tank, you only need to regularly pour water into it.
To make a simple type of nipple design, you need to prepare a plastic container and drill holes for the nipples in it. Then all that remains is to make the thread, screw in the nipples and compress the joint with Teflon thread. Attach the finished structure at the level of the chickens' heads so that they can reach the nipples with their beaks.
Automatic drinking bowls
Automatic drinkers provide the ability to fill the container as it is emptied. As soon as the chicks drink some of the water, the volume will be filled from the bottle. To create automatic varieties, use a shallow tray, a 1.5 liter plastic bottle and fasteners to secure the structure. To build the device, you need:
- attach clamps to the walls of the tray, which will subsequently hold the plastic vessel;
- fill the bottle with liquid and insert it into the clamps with the neck down so that the distance to the bottom remains 0.5 cm.
Due to their ease of use, automatic drinkers have become widespread on private farms and on an industrial scale. When manufacturing a device, it is important to choose the correct tray dimensions. It should not be too wide and the sides should not be low. Otherwise, the chicks will be able to climb completely inside.
DIY making
The ability to make a drinking bowl for chicks with your own hands allows you to make any variety, taking into account your own requirements. The manufacturing process directly depends on the type of structure and method of water supply.
Tools and materials
The list of materials and 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 devices may be required.
Step-by-step instruction
The creation and installation process varies for each drinker option. Since many private households use a siphon subtype of vacuum design, we can consider an example of creating such a device.
Instructions for creation include the following steps:
- Place a bowl on the floor and place 2 sticks in it, the length of which depends on the dimensions of the neck and the dimensions of the container itself.
- The bottle is filled with water and covered with a bowl on top, spreading the neck of the container with chopsticks.
- The plastic bottle and bowl are turned over and fixed to a vertical surface. You can use wire or strong ropes as fastening.
Frost protection, how to insulate
In the cold season, drinking bowls need to be heated 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.
Training chickens to drink
Chickens are curious and at an early age begin to peck at everything. When using nipple varieties of drinkers, chicks are attracted to shiny nipples. It is important to install suitable nipples that respond to any touch and supply water.
It is recommended to add tea leaves to vacuum structures to attract the attention of the chickens. Having tried to glue the tea leaf together, the chicken will understand that it is possible to drink liquid from the container.
In microcup structures, a ball is thrown to the bottom, which ensures minimal opening of the valve and drip of water. This method also allows you to attract chickens.
Errors in selection
Beginning farmers with little experience in breeding and keeping chickens often make standard mistakes when choosing waterers for chickens. Common mistakes include the following:
- the use of containers that are too deep, due to which the chicks are completely immersed in water and, as a result, freeze or choke;
- purchasing drinking bowls with a small volume, which is not enough for the livestock being raised;
- installation of drinking bowls without a heating element in an unheated room, as a result of which the water freezes;
- purchasing a structure that is not suitable for installation in a poultry house due to its design features.
