How to make a do-it-yourself duck drinker from improvised materials

Any farmer or a person who breeds pets is often faced with the need to independently manufacture devices for keeping their pets, in particular, feeders, drinkers, and so on.

Today we will talk about how to make a do-it-yourself duck drinker of different types for both adult ducks and very small ducklings.

What is the feature of drinking bowls for small ducks

It is known that ducks are birds that consume a very large amount of water, so you need to carefully monitor its presence in the drinkers for these birds. Do-it-yourself drinkers for ducks are most often made based on wood or metal.

When you assemble a bird drinker with your own hands, whether small or adult ducks will take food from it, always consider the average number of individuals for which it will be designed. In the manufacture of duckling drinkers, the average length of one design is about 20 centimeters with a small flock of ducks. The best option is a trough made of wood with walls about 2-3 centimeters thick.

Ducks are very fond of swimming and climbing into the water, so the design of the drinker should be provided so that the birds do not climb into it. When building a drinker for little ducklings with your own hands remember the following:

• It is very important for small ducklings to be allowed to submerge their entire head in water, so the capacity of the drinker must be deep enough for this. They submerge their heads in water in summer to cope with the heat. So, the drinker should be both deep and narrow at the same time;
• so that later it is convenient to clean the drinker, it must be compact enough;
• the design must be thought out entirely in advance. Ducklings should have access to water constantly during the day, and it should always be in the amount necessary for them.

The most basic bird drinkers

The role of duck drinkers can play a variety of handy things:

• galvanized or enameled buckets;
• basins;
• plastic bowls and more.

However, these and other devices have many disadvantages:

• water will be constantly clogged with duck droppings and garbage;
• it will have to be changed too often;
• ducklings can sit on the same bowl and knock it over.

therefore similar devices can be used as drinkers only for the smallest ducklings, but at the same time be extremely careful that the water does not splash heavily on the birds and they do not catch a cold because of this.

The best solution for feeding ducks is an auto-drinker, which, in size and placement, should correspond to the number of individuals and their age.

Do-it-yourself teat (nipple) drinker

The nipple drinker for ducks is the most convenient, but at the same time the most difficult in terms of doing it yourself. If you want to make it yourself, you will need:

• nipples. If you are making a drinker to provide nutrition for not quite small ducklings, then you will need an 1800 nipple that works from the bottom up, and for feeding baby ducklings – a 3600 nipple, respectively;
• square pipe 2,2 by 2,2 cm with internal grooves. When purchasing it, be sure to consider the length and remember that the distance between the nipples must be at least 30 cm;
• drip trays or microcups;
• muffler under the tube;
• an adapter connecting square pipes to round pipes;
• a hose and a container for liquid, if you do not connect the drinker to the water supply system;
• drill;
• drill 9 mm;
• conical thread tap.

Now we can get to work includes the following steps:

• mark the drilling points on the pipe and drill holes 9 mm in diameter on them;
• cut the threads in the holes with a conical tap and screw in the nipples;
• prepare a container for water, for example, a plastic tank with a lid and make a hole in its bottom that will correspond to the diameter of the outlet hose. You can cut the thread, or you can insert the hose;
• wrap joints with Teflon tape, as well as other places that are dangerous in terms of water leakage;
• fasten microbowls under nipples 1800 or drip eliminators under nipples 3600 to the pipe. The tube with nipples should be attached horizontally at a convenient height in terms of duckbill access;
• we put a tank above the pipe with nipples, it is better to do it indoors so that the liquid in it does not freeze in the cold. If there is a risk of freezing, then a special aquarium heater can be placed in the water.

Do-it-yourself vacuum drinking bowl for ducks

A bird’s drinker from a vacuum is quite simple in terms of construction, but at the same time it is no worse than a nipple drinker in operation, which is quite difficult to make.

Vacuum drinker has several production options. The simplest is a drinker based on a plastic bottle:

• take a bottle of the right size and a shallow pallet. It can be purchased ready-made or adapted to any plastic container;
• attach the bottle to the wall with a wire frame or metal profiles;
• pour water into the bottle and screw on the lid;
• put the bottle in the frame upside down;
• place a pallet under the bottle so that there is a small space between the bottom and the neck;
• so that the water does not spill out, the sides on the bowl should be above the level of the neck;
• open the lid, and the drinker is ready.

Design features of drinking bowls for adult ducks

Basic requirements to the duck feeder are:

• ease of use;
• food convenience;
• no problems with filling;
• ease of cleaning and disinfection.

The material must be strong and durable. With your own hands you can make a drinking bowl for a small number of birds. The most common option is a trough-shaped wooden drinker that is suitable for dry food or wet mash. To prevent loss of feed, the drinker should be filled to a third, and then, if necessary, renew it.

Best for ducks extended tanks with high walls, the sides in them are needed for the purpose of protection so that the bird does not trample the food when climbing inside.

How to make a duck feeder

Duck feeders are divided into three categories according to the type of feed they consume:

• for green fodder;
• dry;
• wet.

Also, the feeder should be appropriate for the age of the birds. So, for example, for one adult duck, you need to lay out dry food 6 cm in length, and wet food – 15 cm, respectively.

A plank is nailed on top, which will serve as a carrying handle and prevent trampling of feed. The length of the feeder is on average a meter, the width is 25 cm, and the depth is 20 cm, respectively.

It is advisable to divide the feeder into several compartments, this will allow you to allocate space for different types of bird food. Then the structure is hung on the wall about 20 cm from the floor level.

It is best to use a tree for a feeder, since ducks mainly feed on dry mineral feed. But for wet food, use metal feeders.

The feeder is done like this:

• take wooden boards of the right size;
• hammer them together with nails at least 5 cm long;
• so that there are no gaps, treat the joints with a primer or adhesive solution;
• install a handle so that the feeder can be carried from place to place.

As you have seen, making your own drinking bowl or feeder for domestic ducks is not so difficult. You will save a lot of money and provide your poultry with constant nutrition and raise healthy flocks.