How to Build an Automatic Chicken Waterer
Before leaving on a 10-day camping trip, I filled up the water dish for the chickens…and grumbled the entire time. I really wanted some kind of large reservoir…so the online research began! I found a few ideas from other blogs, but they didn’t outline their steps very well and I just used their photos as inspiration and extrapolated their plans from there - and away I went!
First I ordered the water dishes. I was at first going to get “chicken nipples”, but some of the reviews talked about how their chickens couldn’t figure out how to use them, so I ultimately decided to get little cups that stay at least 75% full. I also ordered some PVC T-Connectors specifically designed for the chicken nipples or cups and then off on my camping trip I went!
Once I got back, I set to work. I got a 1/2” PVC pipe and cut lengths to go between the T-Connectors. About every 2 feet I put in a “normal” t-connector and added a length of PVC pipe with a cap as a support. I only needed three of these - one at the beginning and end of the line, and another in the middle. To keep it upright, I used zip ties to secure the pipe to the chicken run wire. I eventually changed those out for velcro straps so that I could remove this pipe for cleaning if necessary. The height is just lower than the chickens head so they have to dip down to get water, but high enough that if they scratch near by, the cups can stay relatively clean!
For the reservoir, I got a 20-gallon garbage can (here’s the link from Amazon, but I picked up mine from my local Walmart). I drilled a 1/2” hole about 6” from the bottom and installed a bulkhead fitting from my local hardware store. Unfortunately, the one I got was a little smaller than the hole, and I began the long road of trying to patch it and keep the can waterproof! The bulkhead I originally planned to use had a much wider seal, but I couldn’t separate the parts and so went to Plan B. But, after layers of silicone, tape, fiberglass, I finally have a waterproof seal. A small section of PVC goes through the wire to a control valve so that I can disconnect the pipe for cleaning but yet not lose all of the water in the reservoir. An elbow joint and a short section brings the pipe down to the main line.
I used scraps of wood to create a little table for the can to stand on and painted it white to match the rest of the backyard/house and then put the can on top. I used two bungee cords to secure it to the table so that if it got empty or low with water, the wind wouldn’t tip it over.
The reservoir doubles as a rain barrel. I turned the lid upside down and used the bungee cords to hold it in place. After drilling several holes in the center (so water would go in after pooling to the middle), I attached screen to the “inside” (the original top of the lid) using waterproof tape. This was to keep pine needles and other natural debris from getting into the reservoir. The water drips right through the holes and fills the can perfectly! In the summer or during a dry spell I can simply remove the lid and fill up the can with a hose and the chickens stay watered!
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