Chicken Waterer

This is my first Instructable. This is our homemade chicken waterer. It works very well to supply on-demand water, is inexpensive to build, and stays CLEAN.

I used 4" sewer pipe for the body. It's cheaper and lighter than schedule 40 PVC and works great. I cut mine to 12" as I hang it in a chicken tractor and that is the length at which the orange drinking cup is at a level with the hens back. (Perfect height for comfortable drinking.) I purchased the drinking cup on eBay from Worldvoyage for just over $2 per cup. They are adjustable for vertical or horizontal delivery. Make sure yours is set up horizontally like mine in the picture.

I used this type of drain plug as it is easy to grip to unscrew and refill the waterer. I drilled a hole and threaded an eye bolt through the top and used superglue on the threads so the nut wouldn't work loose. I also drilled a small hole through the side so as not to form a vacuum inside the waterer as they drink.

I primed and glued a threaded female adapter to one end and a cap to the other end.

I used a 3/8" drill bit to drill out a hole through the cup end of the body. I primed the hole, started threading the cup into the hole, applied all purpose cement around the base of the cup, and finished screwing the cup in making sure that it was snug and level.

The resulting waterer stays clean and can also handle apple cider vinegar in the water which is very beneficial for hens. (Don't use ACV in your water if using a galvanized waterer.)