My Nipples are Leaking – Chicken Waterer Woes
Simple chicken nipple construction makes for an easy do-it-yourself chicken waterer, but debris can cause excessive leaking from the nipple.
I have a chicken waterer that uses chicken nipples. The nipples are prone to leaking, if only a little, but it’s a matter that can be addressed. What I’d like to do here is discuss causes of leaks and how to address them. Unfortunately, in some cases, the leak will have to be tolerated.
The design of chicken nipples is a simple ball and seat arraignment where the steel ball sits into a finely machined seat matching its curvature. The metal-to-metal contact points make the seal, much like a compression fitting. To some extent, water pressure pushes the ball in place, but there is also a metal shaft on top of the ball that helps provide a bit of weight to make the seal. The photo on the left is a disassembled chicken nipple showing seat and ball, lower rod that the chickens use to activates the nipple, upper rod that helps hold the ball in place, and a plastic housing.
It’s a great design for keeping water clean and readily available for your flock, but they are known for minor leakage. It’s just one of the “fleas that come with the dog.” If you want the convenience that chicken nipples offer, you’ll likely have to put up with a little leakage. Sometimes they leak excessively. Here are some of the causes and cures of excessive leakage. Read more…
Self Protection
When self-reliance and self protection meet, difficult decisions are made. It may be that remaining true to our initial instinct is what will keep us safe through a challenge. Protecting ourselves is a priority for all of us whether we realize that or not. Instinctively, we are wired to survive at all costs.
Where we go and what we do can profoundly affect our lives. Now that spring events are in full swing and tourism picks up everywhere, we may be making many choices in where to go and what do. Or where to not go and what not to do. Our hope is to never be forced into protecting ourselves and our children from outside evil, yet in this age of ever-present evil, we prepare. Sometimes the easiest way to protect ourselves is to stay away from places where the largest potential dangers are. You might decide Read more…
Frugal Gardening: Annuals or Perennials
When it comes to frugal gardening, which is better, annuals or perennials? You may think that’s a silly question, but is it? I’ve seen entire gardens planted with one or the other, so it is obvious that some people prefer one over the other. The gardens were stunning, of course, but which would you want to have, a garden done only with annuals or one with just perennials?
Everyone has a opinion– possibly without much thought going into it—but being that we are the frugal sort, it behooves us to find the pros and cons of each and with this knowledge then make the wise and frugal decision. So, what do you say…let’s delve into it, shall we? Let’s find out which is better, annuals or perennials.
Emergency Preparedness – A Small Test of Our Response Capability
Sometimes our level of emergency preparedness needs to be tested before we can satisfy ourselves that we’re ready. Recently, we had a little test of our preparedness for just a single contingency that our household faces periodically…a power outage. Right in the middle of working on the computer and talking on the phone, the power went out. This was completely unexpected as we had no severe winds, no extreme temperatures, and no reason to expect that the grid was overloaded.
Perhaps it was an equipment failure or an accident, we just don’t know. We still don’t know, and we don’t care much because we were prepared.
I’d like to provide some detail as to our response, just as an example of what one might do in such a situation. Keep in mind that this happened in the middle of the winter, perhaps the worst time for any emergency to occur, even a minor one. Read more…
I Don’t Need a Gym to get Fit!
Let’s face it, many of us simply don’t have enough money to cover going to the gym. With charges up to $60 a month, that’s money that could be used for living expenses. It is worth looking at other areas where we can get fit for free. Whether it’s simply jogging or taking part in a team sport, there are many options available to get healthy and save much needed cash each month. So, here are some of the best tried and tested sports in 2013.
Join a Team
There are many sports clubs around the country that are free to join as long as you have a passion for the sport. Whether you are interested in football, hockey or netball, there will be places available where you can enjoy some healthy competition and meet new people at the same time. Read more…
Chicken Waterer Product Review – A Solution for That Miserable Chore of Keeping Your Flock in Fresh Water
A BriteTap chicken waterer.
I’ve spoken before about a traditional chicken waterer and the problems it presents. That’s why I built my own water tower, complete with a heated line that keeps my flock of layers hydrated using chicken nipples. If you’re interested in something similar, but you don’t want to build anything, there is a product on the market called BriteTap and I’m here to do a review.
Margaret found the BriteTap chicken waterer within minutes.
The BriteTap chicken waterer uses two chicken nipples attached to a clear plastic header that mounts into place on a thermos or other suitable container. My chickens took to it almost immediately, no matter where I hung it up. Even when I moved it, they quickly sought it out.
I believe the key to success is the bright red nipples and the fact that the chickens can see the water. I like this feature of the chicken waterer for several reasons: 1) you can see when to clean it; 2) the chickens see the water in it; and 3) there is clearly air space inside the waterer that will allow for expansion during freezing temperatures, so it probably can withstand colder weather (although I haven’t tried it under our sub-zero conditions here in Wyoming).
As shown to the right, the complete kit easy hung up on a board that I had sticking out of the outdoor shelter in the chicken yard. Despite the reach, the chickens were immediately attracted to it. I later placed a concrete block on the ground just under the waterer to make it more convenient for my flock. Read more…
Join the conversation...