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3homemadechickenwaterer
visit our chicken waterer
kit page for up-to-date pricing
information.
Thanks for dropping by!
visit our chicken waterer
kit page for up-to-date pricing
information.
Thanks for dropping by!
Is it possible to put the nipple in the metal lid of a glass gallon pickle jar?
Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but I suspect it would be possible. You’d need to thread the nipple in very carefully so that the plastic threads weren’t stripped by the harder metal, and might want to apply a dab of silicon. I’d love to see a photo if you try it out!
Although, as I think about it more, the real problem might be a suction forming inside and preventing water from flowing out. Our system requires an air hole in the top of the container.
I’m trying to avoid plastic because of the BPA. I know 2, 4 & 5 are better plastics to have (food grade) but they still have chemicals in the plastic that can leach into the water.
So it doesn’t work like the hamster water bottle with the ball at the end, which needs to have the suction?
Is there a steel container (not aluminum) that could be used with it?
It’s just so hard to keep the water container clean. Right now my chicks are almost 6 weeks old (some use the hamster water bottle (currently plastic but wanting to get away from that) but some use the regular water container). I use the glass mason jar and within a couple hours, I have to clean it because it smells gross.
I like the idea of the nipple but not sure if I can get it rig it up with either glass or metal. I just had an idea. If a gallon glass mason jar is used and a hole is drilled at the bottom of the jar with a rubber plug in it which has a small air hole, would this work? How big would this hole need to be? Not sure how I would cut a hole in the mason jar as I don’t have a glass cutter that could cut a circular hole in class. Anybody have any ideas?
Thanks
Our pre-made waterers are made with food grade plastic, but I understand your concern. We’re actually working on developing a stainless steel waterer for folks just like you, but we don’t have it quite ready to roll out yet.
I suspect that stainless steel will be much easier to work with than glass, although if you were able to drill an air hole in glass, that would work. You might consider starting with a stainless steel bucket and drilling a hole a bit larger than we recommend in our instructions, then carefully threading the nipple in. If the stainless steel is thin enough, you might get away with a waterer that simple, or might need a dab of silicon. I wish I could be more specific, but we’re still in the experimental stages ourselves!
To answer your other question, yes, our nipples work differently from the hamster water bottle and they require no suction.
Easy solution for the glass jar:
fit a tube from the \”Lid\” to the \”Bottom\” of the jar as a breather. One thing to think about though, most jar lids have a BPA coating on them….
I would also make a light proof cover for the jar as being clear you will grow algae in a few days.
Jason — Great idea about the breathing tube! Our dollar store has half gallon glass jars with plain plastic lids (no fancy coating), and that might be easier to drill into and safer for the chickens to drink from. (Plus, the jars are big enough to water chickens for a longer period.)
hi, has the problem of finding a basin that is non-plastic been solved? what about pottery? i just called a potter to find out if they could make a reservoir for me with a perfect-size hole into which i could put a nipple. would it need to have a lid? i guess so? that could be plastic or another material because it would be above the water? i’m thinking out loud…help?
the mason jar concept is getting close, but adding a tube into the water for air brings back the plastic sitting in water issue most people, who are plastic averse, are trying to avoid. also, there is the algae.
poultry waterers from the teens and twenties were made of crockware, so it seems perfectly suited, as long as you solve the hole at the bottom and lid? thoughts?
Francine — I understand your concern. No new information other than what I present above, though, because our flock has been doing very well drinking out of food-safe plastic, so Mark hasn’t felt the urge to really put on his inventing cap and find a better option. If I were going to start, I’d begin with stainless steel. Pottery is going to be thicker, so it will inevitably strip the threads on the nipples. (Which isn’t the end of the world if you want to glue them in permanently.)
I’ll be very curious to see what you come up with, though, if you decide to follow through and make your own!
You could use a porcelain tank off a flush. It has holes in the bottom and a cover. All you need is to reduce the holes down to the size of the watering nipple.
Steve — Interesting idea. Sounds like it might be worth a try if someone is very concerned about plastic, and if they left the float in and hooked it up to a hose, it would be self-filling….
What about staring with a sun tea jar? It already has a hole in the glass, plus a breathing hole in the lid. Perhaps the newer EZ Mizer that mounts on the side of a bucket could be offered in a smaller size to fit this opening? You could unscrew the plastic spigot that comes with the tea jar and stick in the EZ Mizer.
Anonymous — Interesting! I haven’t seen sun tea jars, but I can imagine them from your description. Your best bet might be to start with an Avian Aqua Miser Original kit but to use the EZ Miser idea to make your own smaller waterer. I’d love to see a photo if you do make the waterer you imagined!