How to make a drinker for little ducklings. Do-it-yourself drinker for ducklings: design variations. Alternative options for simple do-it-yourself drinkers

Many farmers often prefer to make their own drinkers, feeders and houses for their animals, rather than purchasing ready-made solutions in stores. In the vastness of the Internet and books you can easily find a lot of information on this topic. And about how to make a duck drinker with your own hands, let's talk in this article.

How is a duck drinker different from a drinker for other birds?

Ducks tend to consume fluids much more than other birds. That is why special attention is paid to drinkers so that they are not empty. The most common building materials are wood and iron.

Being a waterfowl species, ducklings will strive to get to the water. This means that the drinker must be made so that the chicks cannot climb there.

What should be taken into account?

The shelf should be so deep that the ducklings can completely lower their heads into the water, especially during the hot season.
The container should not be wide, but have sufficient depth.
Drinking bowls are made convenient and mobile for ease of cleaning.
The design of the drinker must be fully thought out so that the water can be easily changed. It is also worth considering that ducklings should have liquid 24 hours a day.

Simple types of drinkers for ducks

A bucket, a bowl, a bowl are very easy to use, but they have many disadvantages. The liquid is easily contaminated, you will have to pour clean water very often. In addition, ducklings can climb onto the basin and turn it over.

An open container can be used for young animals. Here you will need attention from the owner, the ducklings begin to push and spill water on themselves.

Wet chicks can easily catch a cold. The best solution for both young animals and the owner is an automatic drinker.

Nipple drinker

This option is very convenient for birds, but it is not very easy to make such a design with your own hands.

Necessary materials:

Nipple. For a grown bird, a device 1800 is suitable, it starts working when moving up and down. Little duckling nipple 3600, triggered 360 degrees.
The pipe is in the shape of a square (2.2 by 2.2 cm). There should be grooves inside the bar. It is important to remember that the nipples should be at least 30-35 cm apart from each other.
Micro bowl, drip catcher.
Plug for pipe.
Adapters are needed to connect pipes.
If the drinker is not planned to be powered by a water supply, you need to additionally buy hoses and a tub for water.

Without a drill, a drill and a conical tap, unfortunately, it will not work to make a drinker, the tools are necessary for the job.

Marking is applied to the pipe where to drill, and holes are made there, which will have a diameter of 9 mm. The thread is made with a tap. The very last step is to screw in the nipples. The plug is installed on any end of the tube that is free.

As a water tank, a plastic tank is the best choice. A hole is cut in the bottom of the tank, whose diameter will correspond to the outlet hose, it can be connected immediately. The joint is wrapped with industrial electrical tape. If necessary, those places where leakage can occur are also wrapped.

Micro bowls are fixed under the nipples if a 1800 nipple is used. Drip catcher (3600 nipple). The pipe is attached lengthwise to such a height that the ducklings can reach the water.

The water tank is installed last. It is best to put it indoors to avoid freezing of the liquid in cold weather.

Homemade vacuum duck drinker

Making a vacuum duck drinker with your own hands is very simple. The easiest option is with a plastic bottle. You will need a bottle of the required volume and a pallet. A frame is made of wire, with the help of which the drinker will be attached in the place allotted for it.

The bottle is filled with water, the lid is screwed on, and then installed in the holder (frame). The bottom should be at the top. The pallet is installed, leaving a small distance between the bottom and the neck of the bottle. To prevent water from spilling, the side of the pallet must be higher than the neck. The lid is unscrewed and the drinker can be used.

Do you have a fairly spacious summer cottage or a house in the village, and you decided to try to get ducks? Then this article is for you, because today we will talk about drinkers for ducklings and adults.

Before you buy a few small yellow, fluffy lumps on the market or in the nursery, you need to prepare a comfortable pen for them with all the necessary equipment in advance.

We will share tips on how to properly arrange a place for ducks and ducklings and, in particular, how to make water bowls for them.

One of the most important topics in the work of any poultry farmer is the arrangement of drinkers, and this type of equipment acquires special significance when it comes to ducks, because these birds are waterfowl. That is why special requirements are imposed on the manufacture of drinkers for them. The well-being of the bird, its development and health will depend on how well the duck drinker is designed.

Well, if you decide to acquire such a farm, not only for yourself, but to a greater extent - for profit, then the arrangement of drinkers for babies and adult ducks should be given increased attention. In other words, solid, high-quality, albeit home-made drinkers for ducklings (for example, from plastic bottles) will significantly improve the living conditions of the chicks, while making it easier for the poultry breeder to take care of the kids. By the way, about this - our video, presented below.

It is important to arrange the drinkers and feeders in such a way that they correspond to the sizes determined by the number of chicks. You should also be aware that the daily requirement of an adult duck for water is approximately 600 ml. This indicator must be taken into account when constructing drinking bowls for ducks, and it is necessary to proceed from the calculation of how many individuals will be in one container of water.

The height of this structure should be calculated in accordance with the height of the average individual. Usually, this indicator is about 20 cm.

So that in the cold season the water temperature does not fall below zero, experienced poultry farmers advise building drinking bowls with running water. When the fluid flow is constant, it does not have time to freeze.

Types of drinkers for self-production

Today there are many types of bird drinkers, but some of them are quite expensive, while others cannot be “copied”, i.e. they are unlikely to be able to do it yourself.

Simple design for little ducklings

To make the simplest drinking bowl for at home, you will need a regular jar of no more than 2 liters in volume and some kind of saucer or plate.

We fill the jar with water, cover it with a saucer on top and, holding it, sharply turn everything upside down. Then carefully place a small stick between the saucer and the jar. Thus, water will pour out in small portions on a saucer. A simple drinker is ready.

Drinker for adults

Over time, ducklings grow up and a simple vacuum drinker becomes insufficient. In addition, grown individuals can easily turn over such a design. Therefore, the farmer faces a new task: to make a container for grown ducklings that can not only provide water, but also act as a kind of washbasin, allowing the ducks to wash their beaks there.

It seems to many novice and inexperienced poultry farmers that it is easier to put a large basin in the poultry yard in which ducks can splash and drink water. In no case should this be done, since ducks need fresh, clean water to drink. And the water in which the birds bathe is very quickly polluted, as a result of which there is a danger of infection and pestilence of the entire livestock.

In order to independently build a simple groove drinker, you must prepare a metal sheet or a ready-made gutter in advance. You will also need a small metal grill and self-tapping screws or brackets for fastening. In addition, the gutter can be cut out of an ordinary water pipe by carefully cutting it along and enclosing it with plugs on the sides.

Then close the finished gutter with a mesh and divide it in half, blocking it with any rail that is at hand.

An important point: when using such drinkers, it is advisable to install them on any, but not on a metal surface, so that the design does not rattle and frighten the bird.

A good material for making a drinker with your own hands can be the most ordinary tire from a car, which needs to be cut along. Thus, you will receive two full-fledged drinking bowls at once. True, to begin with, you still have to treat the structure with some kind of agent that eliminates the pungent smell of rubber. For example, thoroughly rinse the makeshift drinker with water and plenty of soda - this will get rid of the unpleasant "aroma".

It should also be remembered that even small ducklings love and know how to swim very well, so the drinker must be designed and made in such a way that the kids cannot dive into it.

Each breeder thinks about how to save money, so he often arranges a poultry house on his own. Many of them decide to do-it-yourself drinkers for ducklings, because they want to create optimal conditions for individuals. To this end, they build a place for keeping ducklings, have the appropriate equipment.

As for the drinkers, they must necessarily correspond to the size directly by the number of ducklings. Wood, glass or metal are perfect for making a do-it-yourself drinker.

Features of drinkers for little ducklings

The average length of the structure itself should be on average about 20 cm. The wall thickness is 3 cm. When making drinkers for babies with their own hands, the breeder should take into account the following aspects:

The drinking bowl should be deep enough for individuals to dip their heads, this is especially important during periods of intense heat.
The compactness of the design is an important factor, because the more ergonomic the drinker, the easier it will be to clean.
Well thought out design with clean water that is appropriate for the age and number of ducklings.

Large automatic drinker for ducklings, which is very easy to make yourself

Often, such drinkers at home are made from improvised materials, including basins, plastic bowls, enameled buckets, or other available means. However, the best option for “refreshing” is the manufacture of an autodrinker.

How to build a drinker for ducklings with your own hands?

Simple advice and recommendations from farmers will certainly make it easier for beginner breeders. There are many manufacturing options, but consider the simplest and most budgetary way. Stages of making a drinking bowl for ducklings in the household from improvised materials:

Take an ordinary glass jar, the volume of which is 1.5-2 liters, as well as a plate or saucer.
Then this container must be covered with a plate and turned over sharply. A stick or tube should be placed between the jar and the plate, so that the liquid will gradually and slowly pour out as it decreases.
When there is no water in the drinker, it is worth turning the structure back 180 degrees.

Simple drinker for ducklings

Before you start breeding poultry, you should carefully study the information on keeping and proper care. Ducks, like other birds, need a regular balanced diet and a well-organized drinking regimen. Therefore, an important part of any poultry farm are special feeders and drinkers for indouts. Ready-made drinkers for ducks can be purchased at a pet store or you can make your own.

In small poultry farms, many breeders use the usual improvised items that are available in any home as drinkers:

Metal or plastic bowls;
Enameled buckets:
Small bowls.

Simple designs have their merits. First of all, they are easy to use and do not cost a lot of money.

You should know that they have more disadvantages:

Ducks will always strive to climb into an open container, thereby overturning it;
Water in simple drinking bowls quickly becomes contaminated, droppings and other dirt get into it;
The liquid cools quickly and is easily sprayed by ducks, so if the temperature drops sharply, they can catch a cold;
Simple containers are more suitable for young animals. It is inconvenient for adults, especially in a large poultry farm, to drink from them.

There is a large selection of specialized drinkers for poultry.

The most popular are automatic designs, vacuum and nipple drinkers.

It is very easy to make drinking bowls for ducks with your own hands. The most difficult is the manufacture of the nipple design. But at the same time, it is considered the most convenient device for ducks.

In terms of popularity and convenience, vacuum drinkers are practically not inferior to nipple drinkers and are well suited for self-production. Most often it is made from a large canister or plastic bottle.

Such products have more advantages. They protect drinking water from dirt and droppings, and also make housekeeping easier. Automatic designs provide a continuous supply of liquid and take up little space in the house. They can be made independently from improvised materials.

Requirements and dimensions

Ducks need a lot of water.

The amount of liquid consumed per day exceeds the amount of feed. To improve digestion, the bird always drinks dry food with liquid. For this reason, ducks must have constant access to water, regardless of the season and conditions of detention.

Ducks are very sloppy birds, they scatter food and love to swim. If the water in the house is open, they will definitely climb into it to swim. This is not very correct, since the liquid for drinking should always be clean and the bedding dry. Otherwise, in dampness, the birds will often get sick and may even die.

What are the requirements for duck drinkers:

The size of the product depends on the number of individuals in the poultry houses. It is necessary to install such structures that can fully satisfy the needs of birds for liquid. For large poultry houses, several large structures will be needed;
When choosing a drinker, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of birds. Indians love to swim. Therefore, in addition to devices for drinking water in poultry houses in summer, it is necessary to equip swimming containers. It is advisable to install them away from the drinkers and use shallow basins for this;
Drinking facilities should be easy to clean and disinfect. For this, it is best to use shallow narrow drinkers. They take up little space and are easy to clean;
Separate containers should be provided for ducklings. They should fit and be comfortable. For these purposes, automatic drinkers for ducklings are suitable. For a small number of young animals, simple home-made structures can be equipped.

Manufacturing instructions

The duck drinker must meet all the requirements for home-made designs. To save money, you can not spend money on ready-made designs, but make any model you like on your own.

Nipple

A nipple drinker for ducks is called a nipple drinker according to the principle of liquid supply. It is suitable for adults and small ducklings. To make a nipple structure, you will need the following items:

Square plastic pipe;
Nipples. The size of the nipples depends on the age of the birds. For young animals, type 3600 is suitable. It is very convenient, as it rotates in different directions. For adults, it is better to use type 1800, the principle of which is based on the movement "up and down";
One square pipe cap;
rubber tube;
Large volume liquid storage tank;
Electric drill. You will need a drill with a 9 mm drill;
Conical thread tap;
Adapter for fastening pipes.

Scheme of a nipple drinker

For the manufacture of a nipple structure, it is necessary to adhere to the following sequential steps:

We take a square pipe and make a small hole in it with a drill 9 mm in size;
Using a conical tap, we make a thread and carefully fix a nipple suitable for the size of the drinker in it;
We perform the same actions throughout the pipe, the nipples should be spaced from each other every 40 cm. The length of the structure should correspond to the number of birds. On average, three points are enough for a small farm;
Install a plug at the end of the pipe. An important point is that water should not flow out of the pipe, so you need to carefully check it for possible leaks.
At the other end of the pipe we fix a rubber hose, the second end of which will be located in a large container. In order to prevent water from dripping, all joints must be treated with special sealants or wrapped with FUM tape.
Under each nipple we install special bowls into which excess moisture will go.

Automatic nipple design is ready.

From a plastic bottle

To make a drinker from plastic bottles, you will need plastic bottles of 2 and 5 liters, a nut, a bolt and washers.

Cut off the top of a five-liter bottle so that you get a neat bowl;
Then, on the cap from the five-liter bottle, we attach the cap from the two-liter bottle. You can fasten the covers with self-tapping screws or a bolt with several washers and a nut. The junction must be treated with a sealant to prevent leakage;
We attach a two-liter bottle to the finished bowl. Make a hole on the side of the bottle. It should be slightly below the edge of the bowl;
Then we unscrew the bottle, fill it with clean water, screw it on;
After the design is ready, we fix the bottle to the wall of the house.

Nipple design from plastic bottles

Cup

Cup drinkers for ducks consist of a container with water, a bowl and a rubber hose.

Homemade design is suitable for adults and young animals.

It is easy to assemble by hand. To do this, a hole is made in the container for the hose. The junction of the hose and the tank must be treated with a sealant. Then insert the hose into the drinking bowl and fix it securely in it.

The bowl drinker is considered automatic. The flow of liquid into the bowl occurs due to the pressure of the atmosphere.

From the canister

To make a drinker, you will need a plastic canister, a small faucet, and a water tray. The volume of the canister can be anything from 10 to 100 liters.

A hole for a faucet is drilled in the lower side part. We twist it securely into a canister and draw water into it.
We put the canister on the pallet, close it with a lid and open the faucet. When the liquid is drawn into the pan and reaches a certain level, the water supply will automatically stop. As it decreases, it will independently top up from the canister into the pan.

Winter

One of the main problems when breeding poultry in winter is the rapid freezing of water in the drinkers.

If the poultry house has electricity, you can use a special device for heating. It helps to safely heat water in winter.

If it is problematic to purchase such a device, the best solution would be to make a special non-freezing drinker with your own hands. For this you will need:

Rubber bath;
Old car tire;
Styrofoam;
Stuffing balls or other insulating materials.

We take the tire and insulate it with foam and stuffing balls. Then we put in the sun and lay bricks, sawdust or paving stones in the center and under the tire. Thus, the tire should be at a small distance from the ground. Then we put the rubber tub inside the tire and fill it with water. The bath should be flush with the tire and not go beyond its edges. Thanks to the warmth of the sun, the water in the structure will not freeze, and the ducks will always be able to drink.

Every farmer needs to ensure that the birds remain fed and watered. Creating a drinker for ducks does not require special skills; even an inexperienced owner of a poultry farm can do this. The easiest way is to make a product from an ordinary plastic bottle. There are also more complex variations: nipple, cup, groove and automatic drinkers.

What should be a good drinker

When choosing or creating a drinker for ducks, consider:

Convenience. The device should not be too low or too high. The height should be optimal for each bird, regardless of whether it is a small duckling or an adult. The first ones need about 5 cm to approach, at the same time, grown birds need to be provided with 15 cm. It should also be convenient for the owner of the farm, who will have to regularly replace the water. The best solution is to provide tap water directly into the feeder.
Pack size. The number of drinkers depends on the number of individuals; for each, a separate one is allocated. Ducks have a large need for water, this must be taken into account
Structural stability. Water tanks must be securely fastened, and their shape is made such that water does not spill.
Ease of cleaning. All components should be easily removed to clean from dirt and feathers and disinfect.

It is important that the birds are provided with water 24 hours a day. To do this, they are regularly filled. For musky ducks (indoutok) the requirements are the same.

Features of drinkers for chicks

Ducklings should be supplied with clean water. The shape of the vessels should be deep so that the water does not spill, but at the same time the kids can get it with their beak. There are several rules:

Baby ducks under 5 days old need water at room temperature.
If the chick is 10 days old or more, then a metal container is used.
Choose a wide container, because the young love to splash water. The mesh is placed on top.
Water coming from the downpipe must be filtered

In cold weather, it is important to maintain the temperature of the water at room temperature.

Important Details

It is important to mount the containers so that water does not spill onto the ducks.

Otherwise, they can get wet and become infected. It is advisable to make the feeder closed to protect it from dirt. Adults are not averse to climbing inside for a swim, so they do their best to prevent such situations from occurring.

The use of bowls and small basins is acceptable if the chicks are young. The older the birds become, the more complex and deep design options are used. You can not use the same basin for bathing ducks and for drinking. Water quickly becomes polluted, there is a risk of contamination of water and pestilence of the entire corral.

Do-it-yourself drinkers

There are several types of drinkers: autodrinker, nipple, vacuum, groove, made from improvised materials. As a simple and inexpensive option, ordinary basins are used. This option is convenient, but has many disadvantages: birds will often tip over the container and climb into it with their paws, which will create unsanitary conditions and complicate the cleaning of the territory.

Necessary materials

The list of materials for making do-it-yourself duck drinkers depends on the type of feeder chosen. An autodrinker is constructed from a large bottle of 6 liters or from a two-liter glass jar. A plastic bottle will not work, because it does not get enough air, it compresses, water flows out.

Nipple drinkers for ducks will require the following tools and materials: a square pipe with dimensions within 22 mm, angles, tees, ten-cc syringes, a nipple (type 3600 for chicks and 1800 for adults), a container, a rubber tube and an adapter for it. You will also need a drill with a 9 mm drill, a hair dryer and a conical tap for threading.

For the flute, a plastic tube of large diameter is used. For the simplest device, you only need an ordinary plastic bottle. You can use a two-liter or five-liter. You will need a knife to cut the hole.

Automatic drinker

Intricate devices for watering have a number of advantages. The water stays clean and doesn't spill. It is easy to provide a continuous supply of drink.

To create an automatic feeder, you will need a 5-liter canister, a drip irrigation faucet, and a square pallet. At a distance of 5-10 centimeters from the bottom, a hole for the faucet is marked.

The board of the pallet should not be higher than the faucet by more than 5 centimeters. We drill a hole with a drill. Installing a faucet. The tray will fill with water until the water level reaches the tap. The duck drinker is ready.

Nipple drinker

This type of drinkers is suitable if several automatic drinkers are installed at once. The water stays inside and doesn't spill. Ducks absorb exactly the amount of liquid that they need. Washing of such drinkers is carried out every 5 days. If there is a sick bird among the livestock, then once every 3 days.

First you need to prepare the syringes, one is closed, the other is left open and cut off. Then both syringes are inserted from different sides into the pipe. Next, turn on the hair dryer and solder the syringes into the tube. You need to heat up to 400 C.

After that, mark the holes for the nipples and make them with a drill. Using a tap, outline the thread. The penultimate step is the insertion of nipples.

The final stage: fixing the tube to the fasteners, connecting the hose to the water supply, attaching the flexible hose and tee to the cut end of the syringe. Nipple drinkers for ducks are often heated with a thermostat.

Grooved are not difficult to perform, but are not always suitable. This design will last a long time. Often, a sewer pipe is used to create, in which holes are made according to the size of duck heads.

The main disadvantage: the need for regular water changes and the complexity of this manipulation. Ducks, having unlimited access to water, will splash liquid.

Instructions on how to make grooved drinkers for ducks with your own hands:

They pick up the phone, use the level to mark two longitudinal lines, between which there will be a hole
Mark the boundaries of the holes along the length, having previously retreated along the length from the edges of the pipe 1 cm.
After marking, they cut with a drill at the corners of the resulting rectangle along a pair of holes located opposite each other diagonally.
A jigsaw saw is inserted into the hole and a cut is made along the drawn lines.
Exactly the same holes are made in other places
3 legs for the pipe are cut out of a wooden beam: two will be at the edges, one in the middle.
We assemble the structure by closing one side with a plug, putting the knee on the other and placing the pipe on the stand.

Vacuum drinker

If you want to avoid buying new materials and tools, then a vacuum drinker will do. For the construction of a simple structure, a minimum of costs will be required. First of all, fix the frame for the bottle with self-tapping screws to the wall.

Then fill the container with liquid by screwing the lid. After that, they set the bottle upside down, put a pallet under it, leaving a little space between the bottom and the neck. We open the lid. The duckling drinker is ready to use.

Drinking bowls from improvised means

Another simple and budget version of the device, which you can assemble yourself using improvised materials. Such products are suitable as drinkers in a cage for small chicks that live in a limited space.

To assemble, you will need an ordinary three-liter jar, a bowl and stable coasters for the jar. First you need to fill the jar with clean water. Next, apply the pallet to the neck of the jar.

Finally, while holding the bowl, carefully turn the jar over and place it on special stands for fixing. Such products are installed both in cages and in open space. The vacuum design is quite easy to mount without the use of additional tools, easy to maintain and change quickly.

Manufacturing algorithm

Nipple drinkers are the most efficient drinkers in terms of material cost, assembly time, quality and service life.

First of all, they think over what the length of the structure will be, how many nipples will be needed, what will be the distance between the bowls. After everything is calculated, it is recommended to mark with a marker pencil on the pipe the location of the nipples, from which liquid will flow when the duck presses them with its beak.

A gap of 45 cm is considered optimal. After that, small holes are carefully made, cutting the material along the drawn boundaries. Next, the nipples are screwed in. A plug is attached to one end, and a pre-prepared hose is attached to the other.

A microcup is put on each nipple. The resulting structure is connected to the tank. An adapter and clamps are used as fasteners. Finally, the finished device is attached to the wall with screws.

Importance of Drinker Hygiene

The issue of sanitation is acute in poultry farms. Any virus causes a mass death of a bird. If closed-type feeders are used, then the bird does not have access to a supply of water, the liquid is not contaminated with droppings, earth. The result is improved sanitation.

In the poultry house, several automatic containers supplying water are installed at once. This makes it possible not to waste time on topping up water and maintain the health of the ducks. The most successful option is the nipple design.

The drinker is of a closed type, water does not spill out of it, and the birds absorb only the amount of liquid that is required. Feeders will require regular maintenance: cleaning and disinfection. Metal elements can be boiled.

Water plays an important role for ducks. Their body temperature is much higher than that of a person, it is 42 C. The metabolic process is faster. For a year, a bird absorbs an average of 280 liters of water.

In the first few days after birth, the chick consumes up to 30 ml of liquid. At the age of 1 month, the duckling drinks 300 g of water daily. Ducks need not only a watering place, but also the presence of a reservoir nearby.

Drinking water is something without which waterfowl cannot do a day. Lack of fluid, especially in the heat, leads to serious illness, and sometimes death. The device is chosen, guided by certain requirements for the quality of the product and carefully studied its features.

Some people decide to make a feeder on their own. However, the best solution would be not to save on buying a finished device. The manufacturer is obliged to comply with certain requirements when producing devices.

For example, the drinker must be airtight and not leak water. The bottom of the feeder should be located 3 cm higher than the back of the geese. The owner will be required to maintain the tank, maintaining hygiene. This is the guarantee of the health of every bird.

Depending on the age of the livestock, different devices are used, which must also be taken into account. The most popular options are nipple, vacuum and cup drinkers.

Conclusion

You can save a lot of effort and money, but at the same time provide livestock with a constant watering place and raise healthy birds. They make simple feeders from a glass jar or a plastic bottle on their own. More complex options, nipple and cup, are purchased from the manufacturer to save time and guarantee the quality of the design.