Drinkers

[rick]

I've just ordered some of these drinkers. The chickens are staying in their run when when we go away for a couple of weeks (rather than off to boarding like before) and, although they are having a hen sitter, it will be easier for them and peace of mind for myself knowing that the water supply will look after itself.
I think these should be better than drinker nipples as there is actually a pool of water in the cup although the valve works the same way by being agitated by the chicken when it takes a drink. We shall see. They are very cheap and I will have 15 of them - I only need two or three.

 

[Marigold]

They look interesting, Rick. Shall look forward to pics when you've set them up, showing how they're connected.

 

[bigyetiman]

Looks an interesting set up Rick. Assume from the pic that it just screws into the water supply, and can be as easily removed for cleaning.
Let us know how it works

 

[Hen-Gen]

They do look good. Show us when they’re all set up.

 

[rick]

Well it seems quite successful so far. I puzzled a while how to use a 22mm pipe. Most examples online use a bigger diameter pipe but I had 22mm and didnt want to buy a long length. The third pic shows my way of doing it - sleeves of the same pipe to build up the wall thickness and give more support to the thread. A 9mm hole worked well to self tap the thread on the cups into. Ideally an 8mm hole and the right size tap (as in engineers tap for forming a thread in a hole) would make things perfect but without one of those...
They are obviously leaking a little bit as Linden is preferring to drink the drips from under the cups at the moment. I thought the cups would fill just by the chickens nudging the yellow valve levers. Pom demonstrated that is much more effective to grab the yellow thing like a worm and try to rip it out! Plenty of water - Hooray! I'm glad I've got spares.

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[rick]

 

[rick]

Its a low pressure system, by the way. Not for connecting directly to mains pressure. I've got the other end of the hose connected to a 100L water butt.

 

[bigyetiman]

That looks really good Rick, I assumed it was connected to the mains glad you said it was a low pressure system.
You just knew didn't you that one of them would find an alternative method of using it, well done Pom. Keep us updated

 

[Tweetypie]

What a brilliant idea! I think I will try to convince my OH to make something like this, using our water butt. 08

 

[Marigold]

What a brilliant idea! I think I will try to convince my OH to make something like this, using our water butt. 08

You will need to set up a new, clean water butt and fill it with mains tap water, because rainwater will have run over a roof somewhere where birds sit and poo, and other contaminants will get into it - which is why rainwater butts get a smelly slime at the bottom if not flushed out sometimes. Good for house plants but not for chickens! i have a dedicated water butt next to the run, which I fill from a hose when necessary, and it stays clean with no hole cut for a drain spout in the lid.

 

[Hen-Gen]

Looks great. Hopefully the hens will not kick the floor covering into the drinking troughs.
I always use a chicken sitter if I go away because I can never quite believe that any system is fool proof. But certainly this system looks excellent.

 

[Tweetypie]

Ahh thank you Marigold, I never thought of that! I feel it would be really useful in Summer, particularly after last year when it was so dry.

 

[rick]

There's a while yet (over a month) before we go away Hen-Gen so I'll see what goes wrong with it if anything. Will have a chicken sitter but they may have to miss a day on occasion and so if they only have to check the water is still working, top it up etc
We didn't have a rain water butt so I bought a slimline 100L one just for potable water storage. Could scrub up an existing one, I think, but yes - it would have to be for water that you would happily drink yourself and with a proper lid.
It's a little bit worrying at the moment because I'm going out in the morning and there is no water to be seen until they draw it themselves. Good thing about having valves is that the store of water should never be dirtied by them drinking from it.

 

[rick]

checked the drinkers when I got home and two of the cups were full, one empty. They were all almost empty this morning so they are obviously making the valves work. Also two eggs laid today

 

[rick]

After using these for a while I should let you all know that they work... but... not very well.
So, what I think is going on is that a slightly more pricey design may have a flat (or flatter) faced o'ring (and maybe a bit stiffer) so that displacement of the lever has more effect. The round o'ring is sealing too well at all angles.
However, I also think that the spring is a bit too strong so have cut a quarter off its length and tightened up the narrow end so it doesn't slip over the fixed middle ring on the lever. Seems to work much better. Id rather them let through a little too much water than not enough.
... the design is good but I think it is the materials in that the silicon o'ring is too soft for the strength of the spring. A bit of fine tuning to match them required.
... Yes, much better!


The supplied weight of spring (with the supplied o'ring) only needs to be a bit longer than the end of the lever.

 

[rick]

 

[rick]

One valve is now slightly leaking water through while standing so that length of spring is obviously right on the minimum. Easy to tighten it up a bit with some packing behind it on the shaft.