The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: gavin davies on March 05, 2013, 04:22:49 pm
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hi everyone as you know i have three kks and i have a bit of a water problem as they are on an old alltment i have no access to running water so everymorning i have to to fill up enought containers to take up there for them to drink during the day and with three of them they keep knocking the water trough over
i have been online today and seen that you can but nipple drinkers i know these have to be connected in the the water supply but does anyone know if i can connected them into say the bottem end of a water butt or do they work off pressure only
i have plenty off the blue 205 litre drums about and was thinking if i could just screw them into the bottem they would always have fresh water to drink i could fill it up at home for the first time and just keep topping it up if they just screw in and only work when they suck on them that would be a lot easier
thanks gavin
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Gavin, I am no expert but we have one of these
https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/fisher-alvin-litre-auto-drinker-p-37.html (https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/fisher-alvin-litre-auto-drinker-p-37.html)
Its filled from a tank that stands up higher on some breeze blocks, outside their pen. Of course we have to fill the tank but at least we know once done they have plenty of water for a day or two.
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I have the same as Bionic mine are just plumbed into an alkathene piping with a stop cock.. it is a small nose drinker and has a float to keep it filled up. they are brilliant although in the summer the pigs like a little bit more water
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Hi thanks both for the replys but I don't understand how it would automatically full up when the drinker is empty there must be something there like a stop cock but how would you secure that into the drum
Thanks gavin
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it has a ballcock in the back so works just like your toilet except you don't need to pull a handle to flush as the water constantly feeds until the float lifts up and turns off the water ... makes sense?
as long as your blue barrel is above the drinker it will be fine or even the water level... you need some piping and a couple of joints to go between :wave:
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We found that the pigs chewed the piping so OH enclosed them with some wood. Works a treat.
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Hi Gavin,
I'd be inclined to get an IBC tank, site it on a few pallets, locate it at the edge of the run (or even immediately outside the run) and mount the drinker on a pallet and feed it from behind keeping the water pipe out of the way of the pigs.
Pete
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We just have 2 tyre drinkers for our three kk's and they can't knock them over.
I fill a water butt and loads of empty sheep lick tubs up once a week ( outside their pen) and then just bucket it over every day into their drinkers.
J xxxx
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Nipple drinkers on a big barrel will work, we use them on alkathene pipes and fix them to a post. The nipples have an internal spring and when the pig bites on them it releases the water ;) The metal bowl drinkers usually have a ballcock and self fill :thumbsup:
HTH
Karen
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thanks karen i think i will order some nipple drinkers and see what they are like connected to the barrells i have if the work then great if not they are only a few pound if it saves me time i will try them
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We've got an IBC on a trailer that I fill and park wherever I need it. I never got round to fitting drinkers with ball valves so just keep filling the water bowls up. We use the recycled tyre rubber bowls wedged into old tyres for stability. Sadly even fairly small saddlebacks can tip them over when they feel like it.
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I use a plastic water trough which is pegged down, this is filled manually from an IBC which is on the other side of the fence. It is a bit of a pain to keep clean though, I like the idea of nipple drinkers so must look into it. Got 6 weeks to get organised before my next batch of wearers arrive, going to be 5 saddle backs this time as my supplier of osb's hasn't bred any this year.
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I everyone just to let you know I orderd the nipple drinkers and they arrived yesterday so I fittied them to the blue drum secured and filled the container up and they went straight to and started drinking straight away so each of them has their own nipple so will save me loads of hassle carrying water up everyday its just a case of keeping it topped up best 5 pound I have ever spent
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Where did you get them from?
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I put an IBC on a trailer for the top field for my sheep using one of these
https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/fisher-alvin-litre-auto-drinker-p-37.html (https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/fisher-alvin-litre-auto-drinker-p-37.html)
But the down side is the tiniest bit of dirt out of the IBC and the water keeps on trickling out, they are really good on mains water though. but for my pigs its a tyre drinker as said before
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There I got mine from ebay but there is a company from the midlands selling the I think they are called hendersons but they were out of stock when I wanted them but a friend of mine ordered them thursday and they were in stock if you google nipple drinkers uk they come up on first page
Thanks gavin
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Never underestimate how strong a pig is. We bought some old Butler sinks at anauction to use for standby water when the pipes froze. They were so heavy we could just about lift them, when empty, between the two of us. A 16 week old grower pushed her snout under one when it was full of water and it broke in 9 pieces.