Types and requirements for drinking bowls for chickens, how to make them yourself

A mandatory element of the internal arrangement of the chicken coop are drinking bowls. There are many types of drinking bowls for chickens, which differ in design features and method of liquid supply. You can build a water container yourself or purchase a ready-made one.

Requirements for drinking bowls

Regardless of what kind of birds are raised in the chicken coop - broilers or laying hens, the containers installed for them must meet a number of requirements. The main requirements include the following:

1. Safety. To create the container, you need to use non-toxic materials. If metal elements are used, 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.
2. Use clean liquid. Watering containers must be isolated from external influences, since their placement in the open leads to the development of harmful microorganisms.
3. Ease of use. Replacing water should not be inconvenient, so if possible, drinkers should be connected to the water supply in order to automate the process.
4. Sustainability. When raising birds with an active and mobile nature, there is a risk that they will overturn and damage the containers. The structures should be firmly fixed in place and ensure their reliability.
5. Frost protection. To prevent the water from becoming covered with a crust of ice in winter, you can use specialized heating elements. The best option is heaters designed for aquariums.

Varieties

Depending on the mechanism of water supply and features of functioning, there are several types of drinking bowls. To choose the appropriate option, you need to read the detailed description and characteristics of each variety, determine the possibility of installing the selected type in the existing chicken coop and take into account your own preferences.

Simple open drinking containers

The simplest option is to use open enameled and galvanized containers, for example, buckets and basins. The use of disposable plastic bowls is also common. It is recommended to use small open containers only when raising chickens, since 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 for new ones due to dust and chicken excrement getting into it. In addition, unsecured containers can easily tip over.

Vacuum (siphon)

For watering a small number of birds, it is most profitable to install a siphon variety. It is constructed of a glass with a siphon system and a tray into which the liquid is supplied. Siphon sippy cups are divided into several categories - floor-standing, hanging and fixed on stands.

In a vacuum design, the liquid level in the pan is replenished as it becomes 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 that the liquid level in the pan is higher than the lower edge of the glass.

Cup

A cup drinker is a compact container connected to a water supply system or a water tank using a hose. Flowing through the hose, the water enters the bowl, which goes down under the weight of the liquid and closes the hole. Using a cup variety allows you to automate the process of supplying 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.The water is completely protected from the penetration of dirt or accidental spillage, since the chickens absorb it through special valves by grasping it with their beaks.

The drip model is suitable for birds of any age. To water young chickens, nipples are installed that release water when the valve moves in any direction. Layer nipples can only be opened by moving the pin up or down. In order to save liquid consumption, droplet eliminators are additionally used.

Heated drinking bowls for winter, non-freezing, with heating cable

If the drinking bowls are located in an unheated room, care must be taken during the winter to ensure that the water does not turn into ice. For heating, you can use a special heating cable, which is usually installed in warm floor coverings. The container is wrapped with cable, all connections are hidden and connected to the network.

The use of a heating cable allows for automatic heating of the liquid. For this purpose, you need to install a special unit that regulates startup and shutdown. When the water cools to a certain level, the cable will automatically begin to heat it. This option increases costs, but is effective and convenient when breeding a large number of birds.

Also common is the option of a non-freezing drinking bowl, which you can build yourself. To do this, the drinker is placed in a larger container and foam is injected into the remaining space.

Drawings and dimensions

If you want to make a drinking bowl, you must first prepare drawings. The project takes into account the availability of free space in the chicken coop, the expected dimensions of containers with liquid, the type of construction and other features.

How to make a drinking bowl for chickens with your own hands

It is possible to build homemade drinking bowls using various materials, depending on the requirements for the finished structure. By building water containers 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

To build this type of drinking bowl, 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 structure, you must follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. A hole with a diameter of 1 cm is made in the lower side of the bottle using a soldering iron or a heated nail. The slot should be placed 2 cm below the height of the side of the prepared container.
2. A bottle of liquid is placed inside the container so that water penetrates through the cut.
3. The structure is installed near the wall and the neck is secured with a rope to prevent it from tipping over.

If necessary, add water by pouring it through the top hole in the bottle. The larger the bottle used, the less often you will have to add liquid. The main advantage of this type of design is that the drinker will remain clean due to its closed type.

Automatic drinker made of plastic pipes

Using sewer pipes with a diameter of about 10 cm, you can build an open drinking bowl that will automatically supply water to the chickens. 4 rectangular holes 25-30 cm long are cut out in the pipe, 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 placed on the edges of the pipes, which are necessary for filling and draining liquid.To automatically fill the containers with water, connect them to the water supply and install a valve tap at the inlet of the drinker. The easiest way to secure the structure is with plumbing clamps, which are selected according to a diameter similar to the 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 place the drinker and how many of them are needed

It is better to install drinking bowls close to the walls so that the chickens do not overturn 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 chickens and their age. When keeping adult chickens in cages, one container is enough for 10-15 birds. Inside the boxes with day-old chicks you can place a nipple drinker for 70 chicks. In open areas, a standard-sized container is enough for 30 chickens.

Security measures

Drinkers for chickens should be safe and not expose birds to injury. To make 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 injured. If you can’t make the edges smooth, you need to put a rubber band on top.

During the winter, there are additional safety measures. To prevent water from freezing due to cold, it is necessary to provide heat using a heating component, which is placed under or around the container. For convenience, many poultry keepers use standard aquarium heaters.Their main advantage is safety for birds.

Features of drinking bowls for chickens

Containers for chicks should be selected taking into account the size of the chicks. It is not recommended to install deep containers, as the chicks may drown in them. It is also important that water does not get on the chickens and they do not freeze.