Nov. 3, 2025

Poultry Water Systems-Part 2

Show Notes
Transcript

In this follow-up episode of the Poultry Keepers Podcast, poultry experts Jeff Mattocks and Carey Blackmon dive deep into the details of building and maintaining reliable poultry water systems for every season.

Learn how to design a system that keeps your flock’s water clean, cool, and flowing — even in freezing winter temperatures or summer heat waves. Discover the pros and cons of nipple and cup systems, how to reduce water pressure safely, and practical DIY tricks for heat and freeze protection that actually work.

You’ll also get hands-on insights from real setups:

How to size pumps and manage water pressure correctly.
Cup and nipple system pros, cons, and maintenance tips.
Gravity flow vs. recirculating setups — which is best for your flock?
Winter freeze protection using heat lamps, pipe heaters, and low-voltage systems.
How poor water access stops hens from laying — and what to do about it.

Whether you raise backyard layers, breeders, or show birds, this episode is packed with real-world advice from trusted experts who’ve built systems that last.

Listen now: www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com
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WEBVTT

00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.709
Welcome to the Poultry Keepers Podcast, we're happy that you joined us.

00:00:04.330 --> 00:00:11.500
In this episode Jeff Mattocks and Carey Blackmon finish their conversation about poultry water systems.

00:00:12.109 --> 00:00:15.109
So, we'll just turn things over to them and they can get right to it.

00:00:25.772 --> 00:00:33.963
This is a part of my nipple line that I, or no, part of my cup line that I have in some of my individual pins.

00:00:34.052 --> 00:00:36.902
I've got I don't even know how many of those I have.

00:00:37.503 --> 00:00:43.652
I have a lot, but I run half inch PVC along the back of'em'cause they're in a straight line.

00:00:44.253 --> 00:00:50.073
On this group, they're on the back because the sun is on the front side of the pen.

00:00:50.673 --> 00:00:54.393
On another one, they're on the front side because the sun's on the backside.

00:00:54.872 --> 00:00:58.813
I did that just to, keep the line out of the sun as much as possible.

00:00:59.412 --> 00:01:01.033
Try to keep the temperature down.

00:01:01.633 --> 00:01:03.073
But they love it.

00:01:03.643 --> 00:01:08.203
The water flows through, these cutoff valves that you see on the other side.

00:01:08.802 --> 00:01:10.453
I have those things everywhere.

00:01:11.052 --> 00:01:11.832
Lots of them.

00:01:12.433 --> 00:01:20.373
The ones that I purchased were, they're designed for rabbit stuff because of the size tube that I'm using.

00:01:20.972 --> 00:01:23.403
It all puts, goes right on there.

00:01:23.403 --> 00:01:32.272
I'm using a 800 gallon per hour pump, which is a bit much a 600 wheel work.

00:01:32.873 --> 00:01:40.162
The smaller system that I'm gonna be putting together in the next couple of weeks for the other side of my yard, I'm gonna use a 600 pump.

00:01:40.763 --> 00:01:57.442
But the key on it is to make sure you've got at least five or six foot of rise, and that's one of the things in the pump that it has in the specs, because if the water won't go uphill, you're gonna wind up with problems.

00:01:58.043 --> 00:02:00.893
But, so that's how that is.

00:02:01.492 --> 00:02:06.822
And here you can see where in the edge of the drum I cut a notch out.

00:02:07.393 --> 00:02:15.673
That is a power cable that goes down for the pump, and that's water coming in.

00:02:16.122 --> 00:02:20.717
And you can see the tube feeding the line coming from the pump in the bottom.

00:02:21.318 --> 00:02:22.397
And that's what it looks like.

00:02:22.518 --> 00:02:35.987
Look, looking down the green blurb is the pump, the float valve that I have in the drum because I like to automate as much as possible with water.

00:02:36.587 --> 00:02:38.177
Birds run outta water.

00:02:38.358 --> 00:02:39.798
You're gonna have a problem really quick.

00:02:40.397 --> 00:02:43.608
They run outta food, they'll live for a day or two.

00:02:44.207 --> 00:02:54.258
Depending on the population of your pen, you, they, that'll be how long they can go before they start pecking at each other.

00:02:54.798 --> 00:02:55.877
That is what it is.

00:02:56.478 --> 00:03:02.717
The Renta co brand or type float valve is probably one of the better ones that I found.

00:03:03.318 --> 00:03:07.967
I did not try to use a toilet bowl style float valve.

00:03:08.372 --> 00:03:12.362
I know a lot of people that have with great success back here.

00:03:12.362 --> 00:03:14.883
You can see where the waterline comes in.

00:03:14.883 --> 00:03:21.152
I've got a freeze miser that's to keep my hose pipe from freezing on a y connector going into it.

00:03:21.752 --> 00:03:23.867
Let's see here if we have any questions.

00:03:23.967 --> 00:03:26.747
Oh, yeah, cups got, cups do get really dirty.

00:03:27.348 --> 00:03:28.818
Especially those big ones.

00:03:29.418 --> 00:03:32.418
And with the ones that have the yellow piece in the middle.

00:03:33.018 --> 00:03:39.888
They're probably not an inch, maybe an inch and a quarter at most at the opening.

00:03:40.427 --> 00:03:45.647
And I thought some of my large comb birds and my Rhode Island reds and my American breasts might have problems.

00:03:45.858 --> 00:03:47.568
Nope, no issues.

00:03:48.168 --> 00:03:50.358
So that worked out really good.

00:03:50.717 --> 00:03:52.022
They do like the nipples.

00:03:52.622 --> 00:03:53.522
Rob likes'em.

00:03:54.122 --> 00:03:56.013
They're not much to break.

00:03:56.612 --> 00:03:57.932
That's true from China.

00:03:57.932 --> 00:03:58.983
They're like 40.

00:03:59.043 --> 00:03:59.342
Yeah.

00:03:59.943 --> 00:04:00.182
Yeah.

00:04:00.212 --> 00:04:02.612
They're, the nipples are not bad at all.

00:04:02.682 --> 00:04:12.733
If you order'em from China, even if you order a couple hundred of them, the shipping will be about as much as the nipples themselves.

00:04:13.332 --> 00:04:15.853
They're still not that expensive.

00:04:16.452 --> 00:04:16.663
Yeah.

00:04:16.663 --> 00:04:18.163
The cups, they break.

00:04:18.762 --> 00:04:20.377
Standard says Hello, Jeff.

00:04:20.978 --> 00:04:24.913
Let's see the high heat strategy again.

00:04:25.062 --> 00:04:28.093
Shade your wattles, keep'em outta direct sunlight.

00:04:28.692 --> 00:04:38.817
You know when you look at your birds at two o'clock in the afternoon and you see where they are, that's where your water should be because.

00:04:39.418 --> 00:04:41.877
Two, three, that's when it's gonna be the hottest.

00:04:42.478 --> 00:04:44.127
And they're gonna be in the shade.

00:04:44.728 --> 00:04:46.677
If their water's not there, they're not gonna drink it.

00:04:47.278 --> 00:04:57.177
If you, if I'm really hot and I'm outside working and I sit down in the shade to take a break, I'm not gonna walk 50 feet to go get hot water.

00:04:57.778 --> 00:04:58.437
Not doing it.

00:04:58.767 --> 00:04:59.517
They won't either.

00:05:00.117 --> 00:05:19.338
Flusher lines midday in the when it's hot, at the very end of my line, I actually have a tube put there and a wide adapter with a ball valve on it, and I can cut it off from going back to the tank and just shoot it out, down the.

00:05:19.923 --> 00:05:20.343
Heal.

00:05:20.942 --> 00:05:25.773
I did that so I could let you know if it got hot, I could let the hot water out.

00:05:26.372 --> 00:05:43.382
I also have, my plan is to raise the drum up about four feet off the ground, and I'm going to put a valve in the bottom, like not the very bottom, about two inches off the floor that way.

00:05:43.983 --> 00:05:54.182
I can put a wide adapter in the line that feeds it, and if I lose power, my battery backup dies, my pump stops circulating.

00:05:54.692 --> 00:06:08.882
Gravity will take water to the cups and the nipples that's there, and also I'll be able to dump that thing before I let it fill up and put ice in it during the summertime.

00:06:09.302 --> 00:06:09.593
Okay.

00:06:09.598 --> 00:06:12.877
Anything else you can think of for a high heat strategy, Jeff?

00:06:13.298 --> 00:06:17.528
No, just try to keep it cool as best you can.

00:06:18.127 --> 00:06:18.668
Let's see.

00:06:18.668 --> 00:06:22.088
Rob says, don't make the holes too big for the nipples.

00:06:22.117 --> 00:06:25.747
He's probably talking about when you drill the holes out, that is key.

00:06:25.807 --> 00:06:30.877
You want to almost force the edge of the nipple in there and start screwing it.

00:06:31.478 --> 00:06:39.778
And let the teeth bite and pullet on in plumber's tape works and gorilla Glue works too.

00:06:40.377 --> 00:06:43.377
The downside to the Go Gorilla Glue is you can't really,

00:06:43.978 --> 00:06:46.682
it's once swap it out, you're not out again.

00:06:46.983 --> 00:06:52.382
I'm pretty sure he was responding to Sue's where she talked about him drip around the connection.

00:06:52.793 --> 00:06:56.492
And I was just curious what Sue's pressure is, right?

00:06:56.593 --> 00:07:00.612
Like you learned the hard way on your first runup, okay?

00:07:00.612 --> 00:07:00.853
Yeah.

00:07:01.153 --> 00:07:05.353
When you, whenever you set up nipples and even cups, right?

00:07:05.353 --> 00:07:08.442
You don't, you need a pressure reducer.

00:07:09.043 --> 00:07:09.372
Oh yeah.

00:07:09.372 --> 00:07:09.642
You,

00:07:09.642 --> 00:07:13.512
you don't want to feed that straight from a hose pipe,

00:07:14.112 --> 00:07:14.262
right?

00:07:14.497 --> 00:07:29.038
And, but, well-known is well-known fact that if when using a nipple if water sprays out of it or shoots out of it with pressure birds will not drink from it effectively, right?

00:07:29.038 --> 00:07:30.298
They're afraid of it, right?

00:07:30.358 --> 00:07:33.408
Because they're getting shot in the eye every time they reach up there for a drink.

00:07:33.858 --> 00:07:36.177
So you've gotta get your pressure down.

00:07:36.358 --> 00:07:39.327
Actually nipples work really good on a gravity flow.

00:07:39.927 --> 00:07:45.298
If you wanna, if you have your reservoir up high enough, there's enough pressure just from gravity flow.

00:07:45.898 --> 00:07:46.197
Yeah.

00:07:46.197 --> 00:07:56.108
I wanna say the thing that I saw said six, six pounds was about the sweet spot.

00:07:56.708 --> 00:08:02.288
And depending on now, that's for a commercial house with a like a hundred or 200 foot line.

00:08:02.288 --> 00:08:02.348
Okay.

00:08:02.947 --> 00:08:09.307
And they're anticipating birds working the nipples on a constant basis in a smaller setup.

00:08:09.817 --> 00:08:13.358
I would tell you that six PSI is your high spot.

00:08:13.958 --> 00:08:14.317
Yeah,

00:08:14.918 --> 00:08:17.437
I would wanna see you down closer to four.

00:08:18.038 --> 00:08:23.947
Four, and then maybe five, but not, it's not a lot of, you do not want a lot of head pressure.

00:08:24.158 --> 00:08:30.598
If, you're counting on nipples and I get why Rob and you and a lot of people use the nipples.

00:08:31.197 --> 00:08:39.628
But our friend north of you Charlie Rich He did the study side by side with pen of nipples and a pen of bell wattles.

00:08:39.957 --> 00:08:43.738
And now this was Cornish cross broilers, right?

00:08:44.018 --> 00:08:47.977
Out in his field pens doing pasture poultry, but.

00:08:48.577 --> 00:08:54.307
His water consumption on the nipples was less than with the bell wattles.

00:08:54.908 --> 00:08:58.597
And and they were slower growing, right?

00:08:58.868 --> 00:09:14.168
So they did not consume as much water from a nipple as they do from something where there's a large volume of water where they can easily dip their beacon and go just stay in that, so people know.

00:09:14.768 --> 00:09:15.967
Hold that thought real quick.

00:09:16.327 --> 00:09:16.477
We'll

00:09:16.477 --> 00:09:16.658
be right.

00:09:16.658 --> 00:09:24.817
We would like to take a short break to express our appreciation to the Fertrell Company for their sponsorship of the Poultry Keepers 360 Live programming.

00:09:25.418 --> 00:09:37.868
Fertrell has been a trusted name of sustainable farming and poultry nutrition for decades, and their commitment to providing high quality natural product aligned perfectly with the values we hold there in our poultry community.

00:09:38.467 --> 00:09:42.668
Thank you Fertrell for partnering with us to empower poultry keepers everywhere.

00:09:43.087 --> 00:09:45.817
We're truly grateful for your dedication and support.

00:09:46.418 --> 00:09:46.837
Yeah.

00:09:47.437 --> 00:09:48.577
I like Bell Wattles.

00:09:49.177 --> 00:09:49.927
I really do.

00:09:50.528 --> 00:09:57.577
And in the wintertime here, the, I have problems with the rain around it freezing.

00:09:58.177 --> 00:10:01.717
But I could hit that with my knife a couple times and pop it out.

00:10:02.317 --> 00:10:04.508
I'm curious though, if.

00:10:05.062 --> 00:10:14.043
The bell wattles if the hose will freeze while in the wintertime on a system that's flowing,

00:10:14.643 --> 00:10:19.482
it will it depends on how long the feed line is from your supply line.

00:10:19.597 --> 00:10:23.378
But that really thin spaghetti tubing that feeds a bell water.

00:10:23.977 --> 00:10:27.207
That quarter inch spaghetti tubing is it's gonna freeze.

00:10:27.268 --> 00:10:29.187
It freezes easy, right?

00:10:29.337 --> 00:10:29.548
Yeah.

00:10:29.638 --> 00:10:37.908
Once you get below freezing for an hour or so, you, it's not gonna hold it, it, they're nice'cause they don't burst, right?

00:10:37.937 --> 00:10:40.477
'cause they're not a rigid, but they're gonna freeze.

00:10:40.548 --> 00:10:44.357
That's, unfortunately, that's just the way it's gonna roll

00:10:44.538 --> 00:11:02.192
I thought about in the,'cause I've built some rather large pens this summer for projects that I'm planning on coming out with, and I'm thinking about putting a bell of water in there too, just for that purpose.

00:11:02.192 --> 00:11:04.788
'cause they'll drink more and grow better.

00:11:05.388 --> 00:11:08.238
I got like 16 of them once or more.

00:11:08.837 --> 00:11:11.368
Yeah, I, I like large volume water, right?

00:11:11.398 --> 00:11:12.298
Trough water.

00:11:12.898 --> 00:11:15.898
My biggest concern is that the birds without water.

00:11:16.498 --> 00:11:24.668
So I'd rather have'em have access to some dirty water with maybe a little algae or, biofilm or something growing in it.

00:11:25.268 --> 00:11:27.607
Than to not have any water at all.

00:11:28.207 --> 00:11:28.538
Yeah.

00:11:28.592 --> 00:11:39.533
And we're here, we are, we're coming in the winter season, and I guarantee by New Year's I will have at least two calls, if not more, if my laying hands quit laying and.

00:11:40.133 --> 00:11:42.623
I'm gonna say they, they all quit laying right.

00:11:42.682 --> 00:11:50.802
I went from this production down to zero, and then, I have to tell someone your wattles froze up and they didn't have access to water.

00:11:51.342 --> 00:11:52.482
No, that ain't it.

00:11:52.482 --> 00:11:53.682
It's gotta be the feed.

00:11:53.743 --> 00:11:54.643
It's gotta be the feed.

00:11:55.243 --> 00:11:56.212
It's always the feed.

00:11:56.217 --> 00:11:57.738
It's always the feed.

00:11:58.337 --> 00:11:58.998
I said, look.

00:11:59.347 --> 00:12:10.477
If you lost massive, if you lost a large amount of production in a 24 hour period or even a two day period, I said it was restriction from water.

00:12:10.477 --> 00:12:11.738
They were unable to drink.

00:12:12.248 --> 00:12:13.868
I said, you don't have to believe me.

00:12:13.927 --> 00:12:15.038
I don't really care.

00:12:15.398 --> 00:12:16.748
But that's the truth of it.

00:12:16.868 --> 00:12:17.707
They didn't have water.

00:12:18.307 --> 00:12:18.577
Okay.

00:12:19.177 --> 00:12:19.357
Yeah.

00:12:19.658 --> 00:12:21.937
Only could get you a bunch of two gallon buckets.

00:12:22.327 --> 00:12:23.018
There's only two.

00:12:23.018 --> 00:12:25.687
Fill'em up with water and just set'em all over the place and see what happens.

00:12:26.168 --> 00:12:31.388
There's only two or three reasons that you know, a hen will stop laying abruptly, right?

00:12:31.988 --> 00:12:35.378
One is the water, two is dead.

00:12:35.498 --> 00:12:42.937
Predator her right, or three, A predator scared the crap out of her so bad that she's afraid to layer it.

00:12:43.523 --> 00:12:43.812
Okay.

00:12:43.863 --> 00:12:47.942
Those are the top three reasons why for no reason at all.

00:12:48.153 --> 00:12:49.832
And Mike quit laying right.

00:12:49.832 --> 00:12:51.993
There's a reason, but anyway.

00:12:52.592 --> 00:12:53.432
Not typically.

00:12:54.003 --> 00:12:54.273
Yeah.

00:12:54.873 --> 00:12:58.572
Them they're faithful freeze protection for the wintertime.

00:12:59.173 --> 00:13:04.182
Heated bases, aquarium heaters, insulate the lines.

00:13:04.783 --> 00:13:06.432
If you're gonna do something like that.

00:13:06.972 --> 00:13:09.852
Vertical nipples are less freeze prone.

00:13:10.452 --> 00:13:18.493
Also if you're using five gallon buckets, I have seen putting a jar of honey inside of it.

00:13:19.092 --> 00:13:22.182
Honey freezes at a lot lower temperature than water.

00:13:22.783 --> 00:13:24.743
And I don't mean dump the honey in there.

00:13:24.743 --> 00:13:29.302
I mean put the whole jar in there right by where the water comes out.

00:13:29.753 --> 00:13:31.283
I tried that last year.

00:13:31.283 --> 00:13:31.942
It worked.

00:13:32.528 --> 00:13:36.697
Again, it's only cold here for a couple weeks, but it worked.

00:13:37.298 --> 00:13:55.418
Another thing that I've seen is not a LED or in, or Fluorescent, but just a regular standard 25 wat light bulb or a 40 watt sitting inside of a concrete block, like in one of the holes.

00:13:56.018 --> 00:13:57.607
And put your water on top of that.

00:13:58.207 --> 00:14:02.197
The low heat will keep it from freezing.

00:14:02.798 --> 00:14:10.177
With that, anytime you involve power and water, make sure you've got A-G-S-C-I something outdoor rated.

00:14:10.778 --> 00:14:13.327
cause we don't want your chickens to get electrocuted.

00:14:13.748 --> 00:14:14.048
You're no

00:14:14.048 --> 00:14:14.437
fun.

00:14:14.467 --> 00:14:15.248
Come on.

00:14:15.788 --> 00:14:16.868
I made one of those.

00:14:16.868 --> 00:14:19.658
I made a wooden box right outta one bite.

00:14:20.258 --> 00:14:20.618
Yeah.

00:14:20.738 --> 00:14:21.878
And I made it one by

00:14:21.878 --> 00:14:22.087
eight

00:14:22.087 --> 00:14:23.738
would be the perfect height, right?

00:14:23.738 --> 00:14:26.557
So I made one by eight and I made it.

00:14:26.557 --> 00:14:34.177
So I had the octagon, the red base white, top, tractor supply, typical plastic, water.

00:14:34.327 --> 00:14:37.298
And I had three gallon, or three and a half gallon.

00:14:37.298 --> 00:14:38.857
But I built a box.

00:14:39.067 --> 00:14:43.648
So it was built precisely so the edges of the water would sit on it.

00:14:43.707 --> 00:14:48.648
And I got some of the cell text foam board with the, shiny side.

00:14:49.158 --> 00:14:50.207
And I lined the box.

00:14:50.508 --> 00:14:55.097
I put a regular old light socket in there now further north than you.

00:14:55.097 --> 00:14:57.888
So I ran a 60 watt bulb.

00:14:58.488 --> 00:14:58.817
All winter.

00:14:58.817 --> 00:14:59.057
Yeah.

00:14:59.327 --> 00:15:00.857
Incandescent, 60 watt bulb.

00:15:01.457 --> 00:15:05.388
I didn't know about gcis at that point, so I wasn't worried about it.

00:15:05.988 --> 00:15:08.057
Long cord weather resistant.

00:15:08.658 --> 00:15:14.883
And I loved it because at night, right when I'm getting ready to go to bed, I could look out, it's a little glow.

00:15:15.482 --> 00:15:16.927
I could see that pink glow.

00:15:16.977 --> 00:15:19.227
From my bedroom and I knew.

00:15:19.827 --> 00:15:22.918
That they would have water in the morning.

00:15:23.018 --> 00:15:24.758
It would take longer than that to freeze it.

00:15:25.298 --> 00:15:25.538
Yeah.

00:15:25.538 --> 00:15:29.168
You didn't have to get up until after the sun came out and go outside.

00:15:29.768 --> 00:15:30.038
Yeah.

00:15:30.038 --> 00:15:34.607
And that worked great for me for several years and just simple.

00:15:34.758 --> 00:15:34.908
Yeah.

00:15:34.908 --> 00:15:37.368
And I cut a piece of plywood for a bottom.

00:15:37.427 --> 00:15:39.798
So it was all enclosed.

00:15:40.398 --> 00:15:40.727
Yeah.

00:15:41.057 --> 00:15:43.937
Downside is when you lift the water off of there.

00:15:44.538 --> 00:15:44.868
Okay.

00:15:45.452 --> 00:15:49.293
If any water hits that incandescent bulb, you're replacing the bulb.

00:15:49.773 --> 00:15:49.982
Okay.

00:15:50.043 --> 00:15:50.373
Yeah.

00:15:50.432 --> 00:15:50.763
Gone.

00:15:51.363 --> 00:15:51.633
Yep.

00:15:52.232 --> 00:15:52.562
But

00:15:53.072 --> 00:15:53.342
yeah,

00:15:53.342 --> 00:15:53.493
and

00:15:53.493 --> 00:16:00.057
if you do that, you can unplug it, stick a potato in and unscrew the metal piece.

00:16:00.057 --> 00:16:05.937
Again, I didn't know that hack, so you know, I just grabbed a pair of needle nose pliers and got it out of there.

00:16:06.538 --> 00:16:09.977
That works too, and I'd go through four or five bulbs in a winter, just.

00:16:10.577 --> 00:16:11.268
It was a thing.

00:16:11.388 --> 00:16:17.857
But if we hit the, like occasionally we'll get down close to zero for maybe a week.

00:16:18.398 --> 00:16:21.488
Yeah, a week or two I would run a hundred wat bulb.

00:16:22.087 --> 00:16:29.138
I could go out there in the morning, I can go out there in the morning, I can stick my finger in that water, and it was warm to the touch.

00:16:29.437 --> 00:16:31.268
So my hands were drinking,

00:16:31.317 --> 00:16:32.383
oh yeah, they were loving it.

00:16:32.413 --> 00:16:33.163
That was like they

00:16:33.163 --> 00:16:33.538
were loving it.

00:16:33.538 --> 00:16:33.778
Yeah,

00:16:33.913 --> 00:16:35.143
that was like hot chocolate.

00:16:35.592 --> 00:16:36.013
Exactly.

00:16:36.013 --> 00:16:36.163
It was

00:16:36.163 --> 00:16:36.763
cold out,

00:16:37.212 --> 00:16:37.482
right?

00:16:38.082 --> 00:16:41.023
Yeah, so I'm looking forward to that.

00:16:41.082 --> 00:16:51.552
Rob said he uses the pipe heater, the like heat strips zip tied to the PVC pipe that the nipples come off of and that heats'em up.

00:16:52.153 --> 00:16:52.842
Should work anything.

00:16:53.202 --> 00:16:55.332
Yeah, anything simple like that works.

00:16:55.932 --> 00:16:58.113
Just, keep it where it's bearable.

00:16:58.712 --> 00:17:09.663
Here's where we talk about set the nipples height, it's chicken's beak level where they slightly stretch up level surfaces for the cups and the bells to prevent tilting or overflow.

00:17:09.663 --> 00:17:18.857
I have all of my bells hung up with the, they're designed for greenhouses.

00:17:19.458 --> 00:17:27.228
It's got a little carabiner on the top and on the bottom, and it's a pull string where it ratchet ratchets up and down so you can adjust the height.

00:17:27.468 --> 00:17:29.988
I use those and they work out really good.

00:17:30.587 --> 00:17:33.857
Low pressure regulators is definitely gonna be key.

00:17:34.428 --> 00:17:36.798
There's, like what I'm doing.

00:17:37.067 --> 00:17:40.067
I've got the pump and running through the system.

00:17:40.667 --> 00:17:44.357
I got the smallest pump I could find at the time that had.

00:17:44.942 --> 00:17:46.893
Over five or six feet of lift.

00:17:47.492 --> 00:17:59.613
With that, I would say also if you're gonna feed it with a hose pipe, then you can look at systems for drip irrigation.

00:18:00.212 --> 00:18:03.692
There's a reducer that you can get.

00:18:03.752 --> 00:18:09.573
It only go takes it down to 25 pounds, which is still a lot, but.

00:18:10.173 --> 00:18:14.752
It won't make your stuff leak 40, 50 pounds, 60 pounds, whatever you got.

00:18:15.353 --> 00:18:17.423
So you could do that.

00:18:17.962 --> 00:18:22.792
But ideally gravity works great.

00:18:23.393 --> 00:18:29.663
If you're just gonna have it, put your container four feet up off the ground, and that should be,

00:18:29.873 --> 00:18:38.972
but you can't do your recirculation, the gravity's all fine depending on where you live, but the recirculation system that you're working on.

00:18:39.542 --> 00:18:41.347
'Cause you can now heat it in the winter.

00:18:41.887 --> 00:18:42.038
Yeah.

00:18:42.038 --> 00:18:43.208
You have one heater.

00:18:43.557 --> 00:18:47.008
And you could put any stock tank heater in there that you wanted to.

00:18:47.607 --> 00:18:47.788
Yep.

00:18:47.867 --> 00:18:52.367
And, or you can put huge ice chunks in it in summertime.

00:18:52.968 --> 00:18:53.268
Yep.

00:18:53.417 --> 00:18:54.557
And not have to worry about it.

00:18:54.887 --> 00:18:55.157
But,

00:18:55.758 --> 00:18:58.788
and that's, see that's a key thing.

00:18:59.387 --> 00:19:10.337
We've actually, there's a lot of people in my house and we've talked about getting a commercial ice machine, a small one because my wife found a refrigerator that she absolutely loves.

00:19:10.938 --> 00:19:16.907
It's got plenty of room in both sides, but the ice maker in it absolutely sucks.

00:19:17.508 --> 00:19:18.587
It's horrible.

00:19:19.188 --> 00:19:26.117
We've looked at that and I'm like, shoot, if I get one of those, I can just get a couple five gallon buckets of ice and it'll be back in a couple hours.

00:19:26.718 --> 00:19:28.307
Let's see what else we got.

00:19:28.307 --> 00:19:29.688
Sanitation checks.

00:19:29.928 --> 00:19:39.472
You're gonna want to visually check your water in any kind of reservoir system to make sure it's clean, make sure it's good, descale it.

00:19:40.073 --> 00:19:41.843
Run some vinegar through there.

00:19:42.442 --> 00:19:43.222
Bleach.

00:19:43.643 --> 00:19:53.212
I like vinegar or bleach because with vinegar doesn't leave behind a residue and it also cleans and sanitizes really well.

00:19:53.212 --> 00:19:54.292
Bleach does too.

00:19:54.893 --> 00:20:00.053
Bleach will off gas in less than 24 hours and be safe.

00:20:00.653 --> 00:20:06.323
If it's summertime, it'll actually off gas in less than 12, that works good too.

00:20:06.923 --> 00:20:08.242
Let's see here.

00:20:08.843 --> 00:20:17.903
Joy says in cooler temps, if I use a three gallon trough ring water, how often should I completely change the water out?

00:20:18.502 --> 00:20:19.432
I would say if it freezes.

00:20:20.032 --> 00:20:28.073
Three gallons should, she's got nine or 10 chickens, so they should empty it on their own about every five days.

00:20:28.673 --> 00:20:29.002
Yeah, it

00:20:29.002 --> 00:20:30.623
doesn't let light into it.

00:20:31.192 --> 00:20:35.002
I don't know that you need to do a complete clean out on it.

00:20:35.063 --> 00:20:35.512
Probably not.

00:20:35.512 --> 00:20:40.712
We do, I would say once a week, once a week or once every two weeks, do the clean out.

00:20:41.313 --> 00:20:47.073
Where you're cleaning it out and doing something of a sanitation point, but should be able to, yeah.

00:20:47.073 --> 00:20:47.403
What?

00:20:47.853 --> 00:20:48.873
Keep showing it up.

00:20:49.472 --> 00:20:51.032
Wash it on the weekends or something

00:20:51.272 --> 00:20:51.452
when

00:20:51.452 --> 00:20:51.903
you're off.

00:20:51.903 --> 00:20:53.883
Yeah, she's up to 17.

00:20:53.932 --> 00:20:56.032
You know my number, my math is way off.

00:20:56.633 --> 00:20:56.992
Yeah.

00:20:57.442 --> 00:20:57.803
Let's see.

00:20:57.803 --> 00:20:59.242
17 times eight.

00:20:59.542 --> 00:21:00.712
136.

00:21:00.712 --> 00:21:01.702
That's a gallon a day.

00:21:01.702 --> 00:21:03.022
It's only gonna last three days.

00:21:03.022 --> 00:21:03.202
Yeah,

00:21:03.202 --> 00:21:05.542
she probably gonna be filling it up every two.

00:21:06.083 --> 00:21:06.442
Yeah.

00:21:07.042 --> 00:21:09.712
Winter's coming, so she might get three out of it, but

00:21:10.252 --> 00:21:10.583
Yeah.

00:21:10.913 --> 00:21:14.732
And it is heated, so they'll drink more because of that.

00:21:15.333 --> 00:21:15.512
Yeah.

00:21:16.083 --> 00:21:19.053
So she's gonna fill it every two days, two and a half days.

00:21:19.653 --> 00:21:19.873
Oh.

00:21:19.978 --> 00:21:24.147
If you have wet litter, you got a leak and a cup or a nipple.

00:21:24.748 --> 00:21:27.147
Tilt it, replace it, check it out.

00:21:27.387 --> 00:21:28.798
Might just need to be cleaned.

00:21:29.307 --> 00:21:32.458
Sometimes with some of the cups, you can get some crap back in the spring.

00:21:32.458 --> 00:21:37.948
Mechanism I've shot'em with hose pipes and fixed'em, so anything like that.

00:21:37.978 --> 00:21:40.887
If your birds aren't drinking, check the height.

00:21:40.917 --> 00:21:42.538
It could be too high, too low.

00:21:43.137 --> 00:21:43.978
Prime the nipples.

00:21:43.978 --> 00:21:44.907
Tap the nipples.

00:21:44.907 --> 00:21:50.577
If you get any kinda water in, any kind of air in the line, it can cause it to stop.

00:21:51.178 --> 00:21:53.127
It's aggravating, but sit there and tap it.

00:21:53.577 --> 00:21:55.887
That's actually what I did to get mine to use it.

00:21:56.488 --> 00:22:03.357
And, while I'm sitting here priming the darn thing, some came over there and they were like, Hey, what is that?

00:22:03.958 --> 00:22:05.678
What it was a couple of my turkeys.

00:22:05.708 --> 00:22:06.518
They're like, what are you doing?

00:22:07.117 --> 00:22:07.807
Get away from me.

00:22:07.807 --> 00:22:08.377
I'm busy.

00:22:08.978 --> 00:22:10.417
And I just kept doing this.

00:22:11.018 --> 00:22:13.238
And, they wouldn't go away.

00:22:13.238 --> 00:22:14.798
They started pecking at it too.

00:22:15.397 --> 00:22:28.488
And my turkeys have noticeably grown in the past month because I feel like they're drinking a ridiculous amount of water because they will sit and play with the thing for minutes at a time.

00:22:29.087 --> 00:22:35.417
Turkeys love moving water, so if they can hear it moving through the pipe, it's gonna draw'em over.

00:22:35.417 --> 00:22:37.577
They probably can hear things we can't hear.

00:22:37.807 --> 00:22:43.238
I know Turkey's hearing for sure is way more sensitive than a human's hearing.

00:22:43.837 --> 00:22:44.107
Yeah.

00:22:44.708 --> 00:22:44.887
But

00:22:45.488 --> 00:22:46.117
that's cool.

00:22:46.627 --> 00:22:50.798
They, I don't know, turkeys, I've had'em for a couple years now.

00:22:51.397 --> 00:22:52.208
I really like them.

00:22:52.508 --> 00:22:54.248
They're very inquisitive.

00:22:54.847 --> 00:22:58.117
They're fun to watch, fun to hang out with.

00:22:58.718 --> 00:23:03.577
If you're in a hurry in their run, trying to fix something that's not fun.

00:23:04.178 --> 00:23:05.407
They get on your nerves.

00:23:06.008 --> 00:23:07.958
But it's still funny.

00:23:08.557 --> 00:23:11.813
I, and we've already talked about chicks, using nipples.

00:23:12.413 --> 00:23:14.002
Make sure you get the right kind.

00:23:14.002 --> 00:23:14.692
Rob uses.

00:23:15.292 --> 00:23:25.613
I'm probably not the same ones for his adults as he does for the chicks, although I will say his pan idea with the hardware cloth on top of it.

00:23:26.212 --> 00:23:30.623
So you know, water can dribble down into that and it doesn't mess up the bedding.

00:23:30.623 --> 00:23:31.613
That's a great idea.

00:23:32.212 --> 00:23:32.542
Let's see.

00:23:32.542 --> 00:23:38.182
Joy says, just so I don't have to add more water every so many days, water temps.

00:23:38.752 --> 00:23:42.083
Are more harder on us than chickens or winter.

00:23:42.113 --> 00:23:42.353
Yeah.

00:23:42.353 --> 00:23:45.383
Winter temps are a lot harder on us than they are on the chickens.

00:23:45.982 --> 00:23:46.222
Yeah.

00:23:46.462 --> 00:23:48.053
She has three of the heated wattles.

00:23:48.653 --> 00:23:53.387
So Rob uses the same nipples for all the birds.

00:23:53.988 --> 00:23:56.238
So he is probably has the broiler nipples.

00:23:56.298 --> 00:23:58.157
The layers just work'em a little bit harder.

00:23:58.758 --> 00:24:01.428
You can do that if you get the right one.

00:24:02.028 --> 00:24:04.698
You can make it work right now.

00:24:04.728 --> 00:24:06.498
I think that's what those red ones are.

00:24:07.097 --> 00:24:07.278
Yeah.

00:24:07.278 --> 00:24:12.798
A lot of times the chick nipples are usually yellow because they'll beck it yellow a little bit quicker.

00:24:12.798 --> 00:24:21.258
But you can use, yeah, like those red ones that you have on the screen right now are pretty, pretty much standard.

00:24:21.303 --> 00:24:24.452
They're the common that you see everywhere.

00:24:25.053 --> 00:24:27.663
People getting all excited about the horizontal nipples.

00:24:27.663 --> 00:24:32.343
Now, I don't know, jury's out for me, but they're all right.

00:24:32.643 --> 00:24:33.123
I guess

00:24:33.722 --> 00:24:36.752
I don't like'em because they make more of a mess.

00:24:37.353 --> 00:24:41.972
If you have this and the bird reaches up for it, waterfalls right down their throat.

00:24:42.022 --> 00:24:43.462
Less than on the ground.

00:24:43.682 --> 00:24:55.262
Often though, when I'm visiting poultry farms of all sizes and scale one of the common flaws that I see is the nipple lines are not up high enough.

00:24:55.863 --> 00:25:00.462
'cause you literally, I hate to see a bird turn its head sideways to drink.

00:25:00.712 --> 00:25:01.583
To hit the nipple.

00:25:02.123 --> 00:25:02.212