Building Your Own Chicken Watering System
Have you noticed your chicken’s watering bowl is a bit dirty? I did, it has feathers, dirt, algae, and probably a bit of poop in it. What can you do to clean up their water? I decided to build a watering system for the chickens. A system like this could be used for a goat pen, the cups would need to be a different type.
How do you go about it? For me, I decided on watering cups. They are for chickens, ducks, and other fowl. They can also be used in the chick’s nursery by putting the cup a little lower to the ground.
I built mine using a 5-gallon bucket, some 1/2inch sch 40 PVC, some elbows and RentACoop cups and Tees. It can be built in a couple hours once you have the materials. The planning stage will save a lot of headaches and wasted time.
Of course, the unplanned part may cause some headaches. Either goats or dogs have tried to drink from the cups and knocked them off, or chickens tried to roost on them. I have a couple solutions that may help, and they do have replacement springs you can purchase.
I planned for a 4 cup watering system, with some spares if something broke, or later in the winter trying something to keep it from freezing. I spaced the cups out by cutting the PVC into 12” (inch) sections. I wanted to have a drain at the downhill end of the PVC, for cleaning or whatever else came up. I cut a small section of PVC and had a threaded endcap for that. I then cut a section of PVC for the first elbow that would connect to the rest of the system outside the chicken coop.
All the pieces ready to be assembled are in the image below. I will also put a list at the end with links.
I bought a 6 pack of watering cups https://amzn.to/3iSQwDO produced by RentACoop, it came with 1 extra cup. I also purchased a 6 pack of connecting Tees https://amzn.to/35LaKvz . They can be found on Amazon. A small commission may be earned with purchasing through the links on this page.
Once most of the pieces were cut, I began assembly. I used some rough sandpaper and took some smoothness out of the PVC (outside) and the RentACoop connecting Tees (inside). I did a dry fit (no cement) with the PVC and connecting Tees and marked a straight line on the PVC and connecting Tees with a Sharpie. I then cemented them together making sure everything lined up keeping the threaded portion of the connecting Tees lined up and level.
The 5-gallon bucket needed a connection that would not leak. I bought a threaded connector that would connect to a threaded elbow. The 5-gallon bucket outlet is also threaded and has gaskets to create a seal but allow me to disconnect it from the bucket for cleaning or to move it to a new location. I used the inside of the gasket ring to approximate the size and marked the base of the whole I was going to cut out 1” (inch) above the bottom of the bucket. The one I used is a 1/2inch threaded female adapter union fitting. I have seen something like this called a bulkhead adapter.
The 1” (inch) gap from base of bucket is important. It allows a settling area if there is any dirt that gets into the bucket. It also gives you enough space to spin the nut that attaches inside the bucket.
The final assembly needed most of the pieces in place so I could get the correct angles. I did a dry fit with everything connected but no cement in the last pieces. Once I had the correct angle, I then marked the locations with a Sharpie and took it apart.
With everything ready, I did the final assembly. I sanded and cemented the PVC and elbows, making sure the marks I had made lined up. With everything assembled and in place, I zip tied the PVC, with the watering cups, to the fence. Then filled the bucket with water.
I thought the threaded end cap for draining would get tight enough, but it was leaking water. It is a quick fix. Unscrew the cap, I had to use channel locks because it was slippery. Then use plumber’s tape to create a better seal. Looking at the open end of the threaded drain, smoothly wrap plumber’s tape clockwise around the threads several times. You want to go with the twisting motion when you thread the cap back on.
One cup also had a slow but steady drip. This was fixed with one more twist of the cup seating it further into the connecting Tee. Final inspection and there were no more leaks.
It was getting close to 100 degrees F when I assembled the watering system. In those temps with about 15 chickens, the 5-gallon bucket lasted for about 3 days. There is a lid on the bucket to keep it from evaporating out from there, which should have also helped keep it clean.
Over the next several days, the chickens went right to it and stopped drinking out of the dirty water bowl. The cup being knocked off from a chicken wanting to roost on it is a different problem.
The alternatives I have thought of are listed below this image. The list of build items is below that. Don’t forget to check out other Articles and Reviews for more ideas. As well as the Gear section for any missing items.
Alternatives:
Water container could be something smaller or larger. I would like to switch to a 15-gallon barrel if this is extended to the goat pen. The main consideration is being able to attach it to your chosen water delivery system. For my build I used a 5-gallon bucket from Tractor Supply that is BPA free and foodgrade quality.
Maybe you want something more flexible. Getting exact angles for PVC is not flexible, to change anything with this I will need to cut the PVC and change/cement new pieces on. A garden hose with connectors to the water container and the PVC for the water cups would be useful. It would also give you a way to disconnect from the outside of the bucket.
With a 3/8” (inch) drill bit you could drill into the PVC and connect the cups directly to the PVC. I do not see a way to thread the wingnuts onto the back of the cups at that point. I have no idea how secure they would be.
Once again, with a 3/8” (inch) drill bit, you could drill into the 5-gallon bucket and place the cups directly on the bucket. You could then hang it from a post so it is off the ground, or place it on top of bricks to the height you desire. If only placed on bricks when the water is low or gone, this method will get knocked over, defeating the purpose of keeping it clean.
The above method may also work in the winter. Place a bucket water warmer inside the bucket. The warm water may be enough to keep the water from freezing in the valves and cups. I have not tried this yet, it is something I would like to see if it works.
To stop chickens from trying to roost on the cups you can try a couple things. Have something else for them to roost on nearby. This may give them somewhere else to roost, or encourage them to roost in that area, thereby roosting on the cups.
RentACoop customer service suggested removing the elbow from the water cup and then going into the connecting Tee. You would need to rotate the connecting Tees down to get the cups at the correct angle. This would reduce the distance the cups stick out from the pipe discouraging the chickens from roosting there.
Another option would be to put something over the watering cups. High enough to allow the chickens to drink, but low enough they will not be able to roost on the cups.
I hope you have enjoyed this information and come up with a fantastic solution of your own.
Water System Build Items:
I will put the items I used to build my system and the alternatives. I purchased my PVC at Lowe’s and the 5-gallon bucket at Tractor Supply. The links below will be for Amazon. Please buy your items wherever you want. Some items may be less expensive at other locations, or you might want to buy local and support the stores in your area.
RentACoop pack of 6 Automatic Chicken Waterer https://amzn.to/3iSQwDO . My pack came with an extra cup, but the pack of Tees had the 6. An extra cup could be used for replacements or maybe in the chicken nursery on a different bucket lower to the ground.
RentACoop pack of 6 Tee fittings for waterer https://amzn.to/35LaKvz.
RentACoop hanging strap, this fits square and round buckets https://amzn.to/2ZKtyYk. I would probably make my own with rope or 550 cord, but the strap would look nicer.
5 Gallon bucket with screw on Gamma lid https://amzn.to/2ZLTqD3. This is the type of lid and bucket combination I have, it was less expensive at Tractor Supply. There are also less expensive peal back lids https://amzn.to/3mpW7DU that will also work, but the easy open screw top seemed like a better idea with kids or cold weather.
15 Gallon barrel, this one is BPA free and for emergency water storage https://amzn.to/2ZN1sM5. This could be used for a larger system or in my case splitting it off to go to multiple coops/pens.
Schedule 40 1/2 inch PVC https://amzn.to/2FKbaaH. I used less than 5 feet of 1/2 inch pipe for the whole build. The size of the coop/pen and the distance to the water source will be the factor that determines how much piping or hose you will need.
A garden hose https://amzn.to/2FM9r4Q could be used to span between the water source (ie. the bucket) and the watering system (ie. the PVC line with cups).
I used a bulkhead adapter, or a union fitting, to connect the bucket to the PVC. Lowe’s calls it a 1/2inch threaded female adapter union fitting. I feel more comfortable standing in the store screwing/fitting pieces together before I buy. These can be found on Amazon and other stores online, or in store.
If you chose the garden hose route to get from water source to watering cups, you might want to use a rain barrel spigot. Something like this https://amzn.to/35ME8BC.
To connect your PVC pipes, elbows and fittings, you will need some primer and cement. This is a pack of Oatey primer and cement https://amzn.to/32HExng.
So the chickens don’t knock the line off the board, or to attach the pipes to the fence, I used Zip Ties https://amzn.to/35I8oxL. The method you use to keep it firmly in place is up to you.
I have not used a bucket warmer to try and keep the water in the chicken waterer warm, but they do work for the horse buckets. I like the look of this one https://amzn.to/35KO3ru because it is round and would hopefully keep the water in the valves and cups warm enough for the chickens to continue drinking from. The system above I think will freeze up in really cold weather.