The Ultimate Chicken Waterer

[@karlthorson971]

nice to see someone with decent construction skills putting this together, nice work.

[@kimlucero4630]

Great set up. Your chickens and kids are adorable! Thanks for the “how to” video!!

[@bvisbuilds]

Thank you!

[@UsmanFaraz854]

Yes water nipple always work good and where ever there is sunlight there might algae growth. So keep your water line always in shadows. You have good creative mind 😊😊😊

[@jimmyponds5504]

Good help is good to have!! You have excellent assistants!! I like the "flattening " of the round pipe. I think a flat surface works better!

[@machfab434]

Quick tip……..If you store the glue can upside down, it will never dry out😁. Nice setup

[@cassandradagati6922]

Man i wish you had a diy coop build. Love your coop

[@bvisbuilds]

Cassandra, thank you! I didn't have my channel when I built it but if I did, I definitely would've made a video. I tried my best to mimic the Carolina Coop design.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

You're the first person I've seen do this with a bigger diameter pipe, which is what I want to do. I might do 3", however. I have the nipples that also come with the wing nuts in the back, to give extra stability (in case a chicken goes crazy on a nipple and knocks it out of the pipe).

[@bvisbuilds]

@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403, I wanted the larger diameter pipe just for the water volume!

[@LilTexasRose]

How did yours turn out with the 3”? Did you use a table saw, too? I have plenty of 2” and only one 3”.

[@mcastro825]

It’s a good set up but if the water ever get lower than the level of the nipples water won’t come out it’s basically half water just setting there the only water that will go is above the nipple. Maybe have the pipe sit higher and where every nipples gonna go put a T and put a PVC pipe down and then put your nipple there where the chickens will drink basically like an L-shaped I can drain for example, that instead of being a valve it’ll be the nipple where they drink.

[@bvisbuilds]

Thank you. I realize that once the water gets low enough to not come out of the nipples that it will just be stagnant underneath them. I change the water frequently so when I go to change it, I just open the drain valve, drain out the old water, and put new water in. The system works great.

[@ndegraafndg]

I have this same sorta setup on my chicken tractor, works great other than the cheaper nipple drinkers I have leak, been waiting for the rent-a-coop ones or a couple other brands to come back in stock here in Canada, but being in a chicken tractor the little bit that does leak isn't an issue, not like its enough to make it muddy or anything, but building a mobile coop for my laying hens and really don't want it to leak in there. never thought about making a flat surface on the pipe though, just use a little pipe dope on mine and the threads don't leak on any, only the nipples themselves on a few. I will also need a bigger pipe or a circulator of some sort for the winters to prevent it from freezing in my coop, not sure the best way of doing that yet or if I should just drain it and use a heated waterer in winters.

[@bvisbuilds]

Yeah, I struggle with water during the winter‘s also. I just use a heated dog food bowl and it works but I have to refill it every day and it’s kind of a pain in the neck.

[@davidthompson9359]

To reduce stagnant water maybe rotate the pipe so that the point downward so there's less water not flowing. I was thinking of a narrower pipe to prevent this issue.

[@bvisbuilds]

David Thompson, I wanted to put the watering nipples as level as possible because I thought if they were on an angle downward that I would lose too much water. Really, the water staying in the pipe has never been an issue. I change it frequently and my chickens are healthy and laying consistently so I’m not worried about it.

[@vandyau1]

I like the 4” pipe, less chance of freezing. I’ll paint mine black here in the south and probably never worry about it.

[@EnzymeRush]

Whaaat. 33k views. People struggling with these chickens. Good idea and enjoyed your sweet family. Thanks!!!

[@GunClingingPalin]

Could tap the holes I suppose if you can find the tap to work with them, but if they are threading in no need to tap them.

[@vtjpd]

Looks like a warm climate setup only. Up in Vermont, I’m going to need to keep the water moving and/or have a heating element.

[@bvisbuilds]

Yes it is, in the winter, I just use a heated waterer from Amazon.

[@charlesjacksoniii8787]

Nice project, the chickens seems to catch on fast.

[@bvisbuilds]

Yes they do! They are not the smartest animals but they have intuition.

[@johnnyelvis]

Wonder if putting heat tape on this would help keep the water from freezing in the winter.

[@bvisbuilds]

I should try it!!

[@avistar9664]

Great! I can't figure out how to use this watering when it's 30 Below Zero??

[@bvisbuilds]

This doesn’t work in the winter!! I end up using a heated dog water bowl to provide water for the chickens during the winter months. Kind of a pain in the neck.

[@jafarithefinest]

Question, how does the 4" dia schedule 40 perform in the winter time; particularly if the water freezes. I'm interested in trying a similar configuration with the water nipples since my 50 chickens are accustomed to use them with the EZ coop waterer. Please let me know from your experiences. Thanks!

[@bvisbuilds]

Honestly, I don’t use this in the winter time and I’ve never tried. I just assume it would freeze up solid and not work. I thought about putting some heat trace on the pipe and I may try that this year but I typically just use a heated dog bowl to provide the chickens with water.

[@kosarfawzi6608]

good job .

[@faustomikhael221]

Great setup. I did a version of mine but the chickens kept destroying the nipples by pulling out the springs at the back of the metal pins causing leaks. Didn't you get a similar experience?

[@bvisbuilds]

No, I have not, they have been pretty easy on these nipples. No Issues yet.

[@BlueCollarBibleStudy]

Plumber here: i could smell the clip of you ripping that sch.40 on the table saw. 😂 Great thinking giving it that flat edge. Also im watching you put that pipe together, those are clean looking joints, im wondering if you are also a plumber. Look better than most of the guys i work with.

[@bvisbuilds]

Thank you for the kind words! Yes, that PVC has an unmistakable smell when cut. I am not a plumber but I am in the trades, so I have picked up on some techniques over the years from watching plumbers in action.

[@patrickkelly8095]

How do you keep the water from becoming cloudy?

[@bvisbuilds]

@@patrickkelly8095 I don’t do anything! The water doesn’t get cloudy. When I go to top off the pipe, I simply drain whatever water is left in the pipe out so that I can replace it with fresh water.

[@Half_giraffe]

How do you clean the watering system?

[@bvisbuilds]

I just open the valve at the bottom and drain/flush out the old water before adding new water.

[@danielpurdin6609]

How do you prevent mold and algae from forming? Do you clean inside?

[@bvisbuilds]

@danielpurdin6609 I don’t do anything other that drain out the water when I go to refill it this way there is fresh water in the whole tube.

[@jodip719]

Did you build your coop? It looks great!

[@bvisbuilds]

@@jodip719 yes I did. Thank you! I copied Carolina Coops design.

[@jodip719]

I would also like to build based on their design. Did you find plans for it?

[@bvisbuilds]

@@jodip719 no. I just watched some videos online about their coops and got the ideas and came up with some rough measurements and figured it out on my own.

[@jodip719]

Gotcha, I looked for a build video on your channel, but didn't see one. Would you consider doing a coop tour and going through how you built it? I know I'd watch!

[@bvisbuilds]

@@jodip719 yeah I would do that.! That should be easy.

[@MosaicHomestead]

That pipe here is almost $70, I made grain feeders out of that pipe, your idea is good, but I don't like what you did for maintenance, getting rid of most of the standing water inside would be important, a off set reducer would do this job perfectly, I'm building a automatic watering system that is fully sustainable, it will be solar because the system will water feed chickens from a rain harvesting system.

[@bvisbuilds]

Mosaic Homestead, the drain comes off the bottom so most of the standing water will come out. I also keep the drain valve open and flush water through it to clean it out.

[@modee-b9s]

@@bvisbuilds Plus, when you add new water, it re-mixes old & new - and I don't think you'll have any problems with that.

[@superrasmus]

Don't use rainwater as drinking water for your chickens, as it can contain all kind of diseases

[@chrismoyher1655]

How is the pressure on the nipples when the pvc is full ? Does it spray out when they peck it ?

[@bvisbuilds]

Not at all! Just trickles out like they normally do

[@chickenhead...]

I get mine from a hillbilly stream under a beech tree... Freedom!!! Thank God 😌 🙏

[@johnford3761]

Very nice! Do you think tilting it at a slight downward angle would allow them to drink more of the water?

[@bvisbuilds]

John Ford, thank you! tilting it down might help but these nipples actually have a little cup under them that holds a small amount of water so the chickens seem to be getting enough water.

[@jillra65]

Great idea to flatten the pipe! Out of curiosity, how did you put the pieces deep in the pipe...to thread it through? My arm may not go that far in to be able to get the nipples in.

[@bvisbuilds]

Jill Alexander, they just thread in from the outside. I do not have to reach in and do anything from the inside. Once I drilled all of the holes, I just screwed in the nipples to the pipe.

[@jillra65]

@@bvisbuilds How very neat! Thank you! I was trying to overthink it, lol. I was thinking they had wing nuts on the back. I want to say again that the flattened pipe is a wonderful idea. I am hoping to provide something similar for my girls.

[@bvisbuilds]

@@jillra65 good luck! let me know how it turns out.

[@jillra65]

@@bvisbuilds Thanks! I will. 🙂

[@kiryaka]

do those nipples work only horizontally? the way you did it in a middle of a pipe it feels like there will be an inch of stale water all the time because it has nowhere to go... can it be mounted lower to prevent it?

[@bvisbuilds]

@@kiryaka yes. There is a little plastic piece underneath the nipple that catches water and holds it there for the chickens to drink. And yes, you are correct that there is water below the nipples that does not get used, but I have a drain on the bottom of the pipe that I drain when I go to refill it this way there is no standing or old water.

[@Hillbillysniper]

how do you keep it from freezing?

[@bvisbuilds]

I don’t. I use a heated dog bowl in the winter time.

[@rowenabannink5940]

I tried this and all leaked from the pvc pipe How did you manage to get a seal

[@bvisbuilds]

@rowenabannink5940 is it leaking where the nipples screw into the pipe?

[@DelanoSuCkaTGaMiNg]

use silicone

[@johnford3761]

What size pipe are you using?

[@bvisbuilds]

John Ford, 4" PVC

[@TheFrogfeeder]

So did you check if the nipples cut threads into the pvc? Because I would think the pvc is a lot stronger than the plastic of the nipples and probably just crushed the nipple threads and it’s gonna eventually leak? Especially when using the drill and heating up the plastic.. I have some parts I been wanting to put something like this together, but I think Imma go get or order the pvc T fittings with the threaded side hole…

[@TheFrogfeeder]

Don’t get me wrong, I like this idea, pretty clean job with that flat side on the table saw!

[@bvisbuilds]

TheFrogfeeder, the threads actually did a good job of cutting threads into the PVC. I can sent you a picture of the test hole I did so you can see the threads. I did this same process with my old feeding system and had no leaks!

[@TheFrogfeeder]

@@bvisbuilds ok, that’s what I wanted to know, thanks!

[@bvisbuilds]

@@TheFrogfeeder I can’t figure out how to attach a photo in the comments. I’ll keep trying but if you thread them in nice and slow you won’t have any problems. The little washer/gasket probably helps too.

[@TheFrogfeeder]

@@bvisbuilds I don’t think it’s possible to put a pic in KZbin comments, it’s all good, I appreciate you responding. I’ll give it a shot here in a few days myself

[@TheShrewdServant]

Where the high point hat come from?

[@bvisbuilds]

I have a connection to the high point team!

[@TheShrewdServant]

@@bvisbuilds so correlation to high point north carolina?

[@bvisbuilds]

@@TheShrewdServant no, the High Point that sponsors a NASCAR team

[@TheShrewdServant]

@bvisbuilds6571 oh okay, Nascar did start in NC tho lol

[@TheShrewdServant]

Thanks for your video and time!

[@frederickmeilak]

I would have placed the nipples under the pipe instead the way you got it because as it is once the water reaches the nipple level they won't be able to drink and you will be toppinug fresh water with old water. Chickens will still be able to get at the nipple if they were under the pipe.

[@modee-b9s]

Excellent video - Thanks! Call me Butthead.

[@lisav1186]

couldn't you put the pipe up higher and have the nipple things more at the bottom? seems half the tube is wasted when water gets lower than the nipples.

[@bvisbuilds]

To put the nipples lower on the pipe, they would be on an angle. The nipples have a little flat spot on them that holds a small amount of water so the chickens can grab that little puddle of water. The wasted water below the nipples is not a problem because it still lasts about a week with eight chickens. I just drain all the water out of the pipe and add freshwater whenever I fill it up.

[@krystelmontgomery4148]

He sounds like Tom Cruise

[@AztecWarrior69_69]

You should never ever drill into the pipe. If you go too deep the CN may leak. If you need to replace one it may leak because the new one may not seat correctly. Plus when you have to replace one you are going to have to empty the tank. In the location you put it in that will take extra work. Plus one very important thing. That huge pipe is doing NOTHING for water storage and be useful. Once the water level gets down to the nipples, no more water for the birds. If you say well that why I will keep it full then why bother using that big of a pipe. Use 3/4" pvc irrigation risers/nipples. 3/4" threaded tees, a union, ball valve and 3/4" threaded plugs. Much easier to put together and maintain. Drill and tap the plugs and install the nipples on THEM instead. if you F one up, all you did was F up the plug. it is way cheaper than spending a ton if time trying to get it to stop leaking on the 4in pipe. When the time comes have a few extra and shut the water off, unscrew the plug with the bad nipple and replace it with a plug with a new nipple. Replace the nipple on the old plug and keep it read for the next time. Makin it a smaller size will make it so you can take it in and out to maintain. 7:36 You really should buy the proper tap to do this. 8:25 Try not to use plastic ball valves. get some decent brass valves. Yes they are a bit more cost but they don't seize up(not be so tight). 10:35 It is way better to use the large pipe as a holding tank and feed it to the smaller pipe manifold system. Stick the 4" pipe past the walls and put in 4" x 4" x 2" tees. One end 2" facing up (fill side ) and the other 2" facing down (to manifold). The ends put clean out adapters. Why? Well to clean the main pipe out, if it ever seems to get dirty. Make a U shape system. Input on one side 4" pipe, to the other side drop down to manifold, manifold comes back to the input side. Add a hose bib to the end for attaching a hose to drain system when needed. This will make it easy to add a utility pump for circulating the water during the winter and for mixing/agitating Food Grade Propylene Glycol Antifreeze or just Apple Cider Vinegar. You can put multiple "tank" pipes and tie them in to the manifold. Also you should be angling your 4" pipes so there there is no air trapped at the top of that pipe. I have pix but youtube won't let me link to them here in the comments. If you go to my channel and leave a comment in the videos that talk about the chicken water system, I will then place the link in the description section.

[@reloadNshoot]

In today's economy thats about $1000worth of pvc😢

[@bobbalcom2658]

Look at the dirty water they have to drink. Nasty.

[@PatrickFoster-s2m]

Waste of time with these big ass 4" pipe and cups to clean. Use a plastic drum with 3/4" PVC pipe and nipples. Way more hygienic set up. 🤣🤣🤣💯💯💯🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲