How to make do-it-yourself quail drinkers

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Surely you know that quails are considered quite unpretentious birds, all that is required from the owner is to provide the bird with comfortable living conditions, a sufficient amount of food and water. If you plan to breed birds in cages, then you will need feeders and drinkers for quails, this will greatly simplify feeding and care.

Quail drinkers

If you have sufficient funds, you can purchase ready-made designs in stores, otherwise it is quite possible to do it all yourself, following simple and understandable video and photo instructions for manufacturing. Obviously, the second option is more profitable, because finished products cost a lot. Today we will learn how to make our own quail drinker and what is needed for this.

Requirements for the manufacture of drinking bowls

The first rule that you should adhere to is accounting for the volume of water that the quail drinks. If we take the average indicators as a basis, then about 70-80 ml per day will be needed for 1 head, although on hot hot days the amount can increase to 100-120 ml. If the farm has more than a dozen birds, then it makes sense to build more than one drinker, but several at once.

You also need to consider the size of the house or cage so that the automatic drinker does not take up too much space. It is recommended to save a little on its size, while adding more water.

Generally accepted standards for the production of homemade quail drinkers:

• In no case should toxic materials be used, as they will adversely affect the health of poultry. It is recommended to give preference to food and environmentally friendly materials only. It is also worth giving up wood and clay, because such materials quickly deteriorate, and bacteria can multiply in their porous structure.
• The design should take into account free access from both the quail and the person himself, since they will have to be washed and disinfected periodically.

Another rule: the feeder and the drinker should be located at some distance from each other so that no food particles remain in the water and the decay process does not begin. It is advisable to attach the drinker at a short distance from the floor, for example, hang it on the iron bars of the cage, remembering, however, to periodically remove them from the mounts, so it is important to think about this moment in advance.

What types of drinkers are there

It is customary to divide all quail drinkers into 4 types, among them are:

• Open

Considered the simplest design, it looks like a hollow container, which can be given any shape, depth and size, depending on personal preference. However, the disadvantage of this design is that the water remains clean for a short time.It is also highly likely that a small chick or day-old chick can drown in such a container.

• Drip

Hand-made drip bowls for quails, or their second name, nipple drinkers for quails, are similar in structure to the washstands that we are used to using in summer cottages. A special tip helps to supply water, which retains water until pressure is applied to it. This helps to conserve water while keeping it clean.

• Vacuum based

These vacuum designs are ideal for farms with fewer birds. Their principle is based on the fact that water is supplied due to the interaction of different pressures supplied from the outside and inside.

• quail drinking bowls

Cup or micro-cup drinkers use a bowl-and-tube design. In order for the water supply to be carried out without interruption in the cup drinkers, it is necessary to mount a stem and a spring there. Water is supplied as long as the bowl is full, that is, under the influence of its weight. As soon as it is empty, you need to immediately refill it, otherwise the quails will be left without water. Micro-bowl drinkers are used quite often.

We found out which drinker models are the most popular when keeping quails. Now let's talk about how you can do this or that option yourself with your own hands.

Making a nipple drinker yourself

It is worth saying that at the moment this particular option is the most popular. The primary reason for this choice is the simplicity of design and absolute safety for poultry, but it must be accustomed to such drinking from birth. What materials will be needed:

• pipe (for example, plumbing plastic);
• nipples;
• teflon tape;
• drip tray (optional).

First of all, you need to close one end of the pipe with a plug, then drill holes into which the nipples will subsequently be inserted. It is important to maintain a distance of about 20 cm between them. Before inserting the nipples, you need to wrap them with Teflon tape, this will prevent water leaks. A droplet eliminator can be assembled if desired. We can say that the quail nipple drinker is ready to be installed in cages.

Features of the production of drip drinkers

It is important to say that you need to carefully process all the edges of the drinker so that the bird does not get hurt. It is also advisable to take into account the fact that quails are not born with the ability to use nipple drinkers, so you have to spend some time learning.

It is also important to provide for the required number of nipples, it will depend on how many birds there are on the farm. The ideal ratio is 1 nipple for 1 quail. Nipples can also be used if the bird needs medication when the medication is diluted in drinking water.

Drinking bowl based on a plastic bottle

What could be easier than making a drinker from a plastic quail bottle? This method is often used by many poultry farmers.

What you need:

• plastic bottles - 2 pieces;
• copper wire;
• scissors or knife

You need to take 1 bottle and cut it into 2 parts, then make 2 rectangular holes at the bottom. The holes should correspond to the volume of the quail's head so that it can easily insert it there. A small strip should be left between the holes made, its width should be 5-6 cm. The lower part will serve as the base and the bowl itself.

Now let's move on to the second bottle. You need to make small holes first, it is best to choose a place just above the bottle neck. After that, pour the liquid into the second bottle, screw on the lid, install the frame made earlier on top, then you can turn over the made structure and start installing the drinker.Water, following the laws of physics, will be below the level of the hole made in the second bottle.

The second version of the drinker with a bottle

The second option for making a drinker is also a plastic bottle, now you only need one piece. In addition, you need a semblance of a bath made of metal, it is advisable to use galvanized sheets, while for the frame you can take a small bar of wood or plywood.

It is necessary to bend the galvanized sheet into the desired shape so that it does not change, it is necessary to fix it with special rivet hooks. 2 circles of different diameters should be made of plywood, and one should be equal to the diameter of the plastic bottle in the middle, and the second to the size of the bottle in the center. In order to connect both circles, you can take a bar made of wood, and its height should be equal to half the height of the bottle.

It should also be taken into account that the distance between the neck and the tray should be approximately 2-4 cm. Turning the bottle upside down, you need to install the frame. After that, unscrew the lid, then it will become visible how the liquid will fill the bath so that the birds have access to drinking water, and its level will be constantly maintained at a certain level.

Making a bunker drinker

Often, poultry farmers resort to using another option for arranging a drinker, called a bunker. This requires a plastic bucket, a sharp knife, and a plastic bowl. It's a good idea to get bowls with multiple compartments. First, holes should be made at the bottom of the bucket, and the number of holes should be equal to the number of compartments in the bowl. Now you need to connect the bucket and bowl with screws, sealing their outer edge with Teflon tape or any construction sealant.

The advantage of this design is that you don't have to take it out every time to fill it.

How to care for drinkers

Drinking bowls should be kept clean on a regular basis so that bacteria do not grow there. At the same time, the frequency of fluid changes will change up or down, depending on what time of year and what the temperature is in the room with the birds. If it is hot outside, then the frequency of water changes should be at least 2-3 times a day. However, if food residues become visible, it is worth pouring in new liquid immediately.

Many poultry farmers believe that it is enough to simply rinse the drinkers under running water, this is wrong. But you cannot use chemicals. You can use baking soda or citric acid, and then boil the device in boiling water. Such cleaning is needed at least 2-3 times a month.

Which drinker to give preference

Now you know how to make a do-it-yourself quail drinker. It is quite possible to independently make both drinkers and feeders, while the options for drinking bowls for quails, as it turned out, differ in variety. It is up to the owner to decide which structure is suitable for the poultry farm, although you can study many videos and photo examples of how you can equip a cage using drawings.

Based on the experience of poultry farmers, the nipple design is considered the most optimal, since it protects water from accidental feed or flooring. At the same time, you do not have to often deal with filling it. Many bird owners note that it is much easier to care for cages with such automatic drinkers, as they save time, because it excludes the possibility of water spilling onto the litter. These autodrinkers can be called truly the most successful option.

If a decision is made to use any other design of an autopilot or feeder, then you should clearly follow all the recommendations so that the device works correctly. In addition, the depth of the bowl should be chosen correctly, since its excessive dimensions often cause the death of chicks as a result of drowning.