I am always looking for ways to make things easier on myself. I found a lot of great ideas and inspiration on YouTube and in blogs and Facebook Groups. I put my own spin on this and I'll explain how I made it and why I did the things I did along the way.
Parts:
The parts list will vary depending on the length you are making, ours is 8' long. You need 1- 5 gallon bucket with lid and that is food safe, a 10' section of 3/4" pvc, a 2' section of chain to hang the waterer, a 1/2" to 3/4" bulkhead fitting or compression fitting, 1 package of rubber o rings, 16- 3/4" t connectors with the 3rd opening threaded, 17- 3/4" barbed hose connectors, 2 34" 90 degree elbows, 1- 3/4" ball valve, 1- 3/4" cross, 2- 3/4" end caps, 12- 6" zip ties and on Ebay we found a bag of 50 chicken water nipples. For tools you will need a pair of pliers, a drill and a 1/2" paddle or spade bit and a saw or pvc cutter.
Assembling:
Flipping the bucket on it's top and using the drill and paddle bit drilled a hole where I wanted the pvc fitting to be. You want it to be even with where the bucket and handle meet on the side if you are hanging it against a fence like I am. I added an O ring inside the bucket and on the bottom of the bucket because of initial leaks.
| | Taking the threaded barbed hose connector, screw it tightly into the 3/4" t connector using the pliers. I learned that hand tight isn't tight enough to stop drips. I also used the pliers to screw the water nipples into the end of the barbed hose connector. I then cut several lengths of the pvc pipe into 8 inch sections to give the girls plenty of room to get a drink and 4- 1 1/2" sections of pvc to connect the elbows and the cross. (This step is not pictured.) |
At this point, we moved outside. We carefully removed the handle from the pail, inserted the section of chain and reattached the handle to the bucket. We attached the chain to the side of the run using an eye screw.
Using one of the stubs attach the bulkhead to one of the 90 degree elbows, attach another stub and connect the other 90 degree elbow to get the pvc pipe against the fence, if you are free hanging this, then you can omit this step and the extra plumbing.
I then attach the cross to the bottom of the bucket. The 8" sections of pvc to the left and right are next to be attached.
For the bottom of the cross I attached the 4th pvc stub to the 3/4" ball valve. For now it allows easy clean out. In the next week or two, I will extend the pvc to about 4" from the ground, add a 90 degree threaded elbow with a screw in barbed hose end and attach a drip irrigation line to water the chicken forage inside the enclosed planter I'm building. But that will be another blog.
I then attach the cross to the bottom of the bucket. The 8" sections of pvc to the left and right are next to be attached.
For the bottom of the cross I attached the 4th pvc stub to the 3/4" ball valve. For now it allows easy clean out. In the next week or two, I will extend the pvc to about 4" from the ground, add a 90 degree threaded elbow with a screw in barbed hose end and attach a drip irrigation line to water the chicken forage inside the enclosed planter I'm building. But that will be another blog.
To the end of the pvc section I add a t assembly and another section of pipe. I continue doing this until I get to the end of where I want my run to be and then I place the cap on the end. Every few feet I use a zip tie to attach the waterer to the coop fence. I twist the t connector to approximately a 45 degree angle so that it reaches inside the fencing and the girls can easily get water. In my run I have 15 chicken waterers which they figured out right away.
None of the fittings are glued so that I can clean, change or expand the configuration as the flock and run expand. Because of the distance from a water supply and fact that this is not my property, I did not attach a float or automatic fill system. Instead, I have to fill the bucket with a garden hose about every other day. The benefit of the the bucket is I can freeze bottles of water and add it to the 5 gallon pail as things heat up here. Today is a beautiful 75 degrees and I do not need to add ice bottles to cool this system off yet.
I do still have a waterer inside the coop along with a trough feeder.
None of the fittings are glued so that I can clean, change or expand the configuration as the flock and run expand. Because of the distance from a water supply and fact that this is not my property, I did not attach a float or automatic fill system. Instead, I have to fill the bucket with a garden hose about every other day. The benefit of the the bucket is I can freeze bottles of water and add it to the 5 gallon pail as things heat up here. Today is a beautiful 75 degrees and I do not need to add ice bottles to cool this system off yet.
I do still have a waterer inside the coop along with a trough feeder.
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