# Pig's WATER - help!



## Ark (Oct 5, 2004)

This water situation is taking up WAY too much of our time!

FOUR times a day we have to go out and put water in the 3 water containers.

HOW ON EARTH do you teach a pig to drink out of one of those water nipple thingies?

We got one, but only the smaller pig figured it out. 

I finally broke down and filled up the water bowls before big sister died of dehydration. It's WAY too hot here to "let her figure it out in her own time". 

But, they keep getting in their water containers, and tipping them over, etc.

*SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!! * 

Wiring them to the fence does not work! They can still get their noses under to dump them.

Putting huge rocks in them does not work. Doesnt even phase them. In fact, I think it makes it a fun game! "Who can get the big rock out first?"


----------



## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

ARK, put in some Kool-aid to flavor the water. Have the nipple at about nose to eye level height. If too low the pig cannot drink from the nipple. If possible, fix the nipple to where it dribbles just a bit. Cram some apple or other edible in the nipple to hold the trigger to where it leaks. The pigs will learn very quickly now to get the tasty liquid.


----------



## Firefly (Dec 7, 2005)

I feel for you, I went through this too, but when I switched it was cool so I could afford to let the dumber pig learn. What was funny was some of my chickens figured it out before she did!  She even licked several coatings of peanut butter off without figuring out what the nipple was for. I think she learned by watching the other one.

I did have a bucket that they couldn't tip. I dug a hole and set a milk crate down in and placed a bucket inside it, then built the dirt up around the crate to make it extra secure. This worked for several weeks with youngsters. A square 4 gallon worked better than a round 5 gallon; it was flush with the crate and easier for them to drink from. But I LOVE my water barrel!! Not looking forward to winter....


----------



## Ark (Oct 5, 2004)

Peanut butter! Good idea! And a little piece of apple or something wedged in there so it leaks. 
I will try that. Thank you both!
My husband is rigging up a 55 gallon drum with the nipple attached at the bottom. He is going to have it sitting up on something and I will request that the nipple be at about eye level. 
This way we can run the hose out there to fill the drum every once in a while, which will free up the hose for watering the dead brown grass. *Did I mention that it is HOT here???* :Bawling: LOL
Of course, big bully sister has to figure out the nipple first...


----------



## Firefly (Dec 7, 2005)

Um, I recommend NOT putting it on a stand. They will scratch against the stand and tip it over. I first had mine inside a wooden form, a discarded packing crate sort of thing with no sides. They scratched against that too and eventually undermined the soil so that it leaned. Now I have the barrel on the ground and since it's plastic it isn't fun to scratch against and it seems safe. However, they absolutely MUST have a sturdy scratcher--a tree, stump, pallets, etc--so provide something or the barrel will be the target.

A metal drum will probably heat the water too much, too, so it needs to be well shaded. Mine is white plastic, that works well. I got it free via Freecycle.org.


----------



## John Schneider (Sep 9, 2005)

Ark...do you have a wallow set up for them? If you tip a bucket of water into a depression in the ground in the shade somewhere...they might leave the water bucket alone a little more. Others here have some great suggestions, I hope it works out for you!


----------



## Ark (Oct 5, 2004)

Yes, they do have a wallow, or three, or four! 
My son takes great pleasure in watering the pigs every morning. He spends about 20 minutes filling up all the wallows with water from the hose, then he fills up their water containers.
They have 4 trees to rub on, plus they push their hut all over the pen! They do love to sleep in it, but only at night. During the day they sleep in the mud.
Firefly, I see what you mean about a stand for the water barrell! Too bad DH already atached the nipple to a spigot at the bottom of the barrell. :nono: 
Hmmm... we'll have to see what we can figure out, because I am SURE you are right and they would try shoving it around or burrowing under it. :help: 
*Thank everyone for the help!!!!!!!!!!*


----------



## BD (Jul 23, 2005)

hi, next time you buy pigs make sure the seller has been using nipple waters. My babies in the farrowing crate usually catch on after about two weeks. I keep a bowl of water there too and it's right by the nipple so eventually they hit it and water comes out. once i see them playing with it i remove water bowl and monitor that they are drinking. Plus they see mama use hers. Some times they don't like that type of nipple if they are use to a different type. I found out that the ones where water flows through center works best for starting out; the the other type has the nipple partially covered by a guard and they bite down,some don't like that sudden pressure flow. UNLESS its 90 outside and they want to cool themself, then they know just how to do it BOB


----------



## bill not in oh (Jul 27, 2004)

OK Ark - here's the real deal...










55 gal food grade drum connected to my homemade nipple waterer. Someone makes the nipple holders for pretty cheap, but I couldn't find one close. It doesn't show in this pic, but I installed gutters on the building which collect rainwater to refill the barrels.










I put a barrel on each side of the building with its own gutter, then connected the barrells with a hose at the bottom so they would be self-leveling. The one on the left is connected to the pigs' drinking nipples so as the pigs empty that one it is auto-refilled from the one on the right (the levels in the drums are always the same). One and one half inches of rain will fill the barrels from empty.

Obviously the same thing could be done without the building by simply manually filling the barrel as it emptied. I'm not sure how long 110 gallons of water lasts my eight pigs as they have never emptied it.

The other thing that is difficult to tell from the picture is that the barrels are outside of the pigs' area - they can't knock them over -which would be bad if it landed on them as a full barrel weighs just under 400 lbs.


----------



## John Schneider (Sep 9, 2005)

OK Ark...here is a simple solution to your problem without having to set up another barrel. This is from Mrs. Schneider and it makes sense to me. 

Put your barrel on some sort of stand at whatever height you desire in whatever location you have in mind. Having first rented or borrowed a post hole digger, simply install either three or four 5' posts around your water barrel stand site. Once you have your posts in the ground, you can nail some 1x6's around the barrel to stop them from rubbing, rooting or otherwise tampering with it and knocking it over. Leave some space where the nipples are so that they can still access. To further secure the posts, you can tamp gravel and/or concrete or simply do what I do....drill a 4" hole with the auger and then use a sledge to easily pound a 6" post into the hole. It will be fairly tight without tamping and or concrete. This will be your permanent solution to hog watering without waste.


----------



## John Schneider (Sep 9, 2005)

Bill...you are inspiring! What a brilliant set-up. I assume that the nipples are not pressurized? It is simply the gravity from the height of the barrels that allows for water flow through the nipples?


----------



## Firefly (Dec 7, 2005)

Ark said:


> Too bad DH already atached the nipple to a spigot at the bottom of the barrell. :nono:


Well, I _love_ Bill's setup but it's too much for me. You can add a 2nd nipple higher up; the one on the bottom will be ignored and won't hurt a thinkg. Although mine have two and prefer to lie down and suck on the lower one. Life o' Riley, those two!


----------



## bill not in oh (Jul 27, 2004)

John Schneider said:


> Bill...you are inspiring! What a brilliant set-up. I assume that the nipples are not pressurized? It is simply the gravity from the height of the barrels that allows for water flow through the nipples?


Yep, gravity fed. The water pressure does decrease as the barrels empty but with about twelve gallons in each (as low as it's been) they were still drinking away...


----------



## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

I whack a t-bar into the ground, then place three five gallon buckets around it, with the wire handles looped over the t-bar. Then I wrap a bungee cord around all three buckets. I've never had them tipped over, but I also have a nice big wallow for the pigs that I leave a hose trickling into for a couple hours a day.

Pete


----------



## Ark (Oct 5, 2004)

Wow, great pics and great advice from all of you!

I'm going to have to take a pic of Kris' set up tomorrow if possible. He did a great job!

Thanks for all the advice!


----------



## tsdave (Nov 3, 2002)

i use two nipple waterers in a fence, one facing each way (two pens ).
I used a stick to work the nipple when the pigs were thirsty, they would come
over at first and sip on it, i did it over and over until they started biting it, then
they could work it.


----------



## Ark (Oct 5, 2004)

FINALLY got a pic!


----------



## 2story (Apr 6, 2005)

Great thread- I got my barrel put together yesterday. My only concern is the water getting funky-I am adding city water to the barrel so it has some chlorine in it, which I imagine will keep the funk to a minimum, anybody add a little bleach? or is a cover enough. My pigs are small and I doubt they will go through 50 gallon very quickly.


----------



## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I soak their feed and then add 1/2 gallon of water 3 times a day and also fill the black wallow rubber dish with 1/2gal 3 times a day. Our pigs have done fine....but they do STINK! so I make my son do it most of the time. About 150 # and 170# at 3.5 months (Born may1) :shrug:


----------



## bill not in oh (Jul 27, 2004)

2story said:


> Great thread- I got my barrel put together yesterday. My only concern is the water getting funky-I am adding city water to the barrel so it has some chlorine in it, which I imagine will keep the funk to a minimum, anybody add a little bleach? or is a cover enough. My pigs are small and I doubt they will go through 50 gallon very quickly.


I put a capful (2 tablespoons maybe) in each of my barrels once a week to keep the algae from growing. I really don't think the algae would harm the pigs, but it will clog the filter in the nipples.


----------



## swollen tongue (Mar 9, 2006)

Ark, how much do you think your pigs weigh in that picture??


----------



## Siryet (Jun 29, 2002)

Ark said:


> Peanut butter! Good idea! And a little piece of apple or something wedged in there so it leaks.
> I will try that. Thank you both!
> My husband is rigging up a 55 gallon drum with the nipple attached at the bottom. He is going to have it sitting up on something and I will request that the nipple be at about eye level.
> This way we can run the hose out there to fill the drum every once in a while, which will free up the hose for watering the dead brown grass. *Did I mention that it is HOT here???* :Bawling: LOL
> Of course, big bully sister has to figure out the nipple first...


If you had it hooked directly to a hose maybe the water was hot coming out.

We use the 55 gal drum with a bowl on a pallet to raise it.

This has worked for us for four years now.


----------



## PyroDon (Jul 30, 2006)

Ark
what I wouldnt give for a semi load or two of your rocks . 
shoot Id trade a load of good topsoil for one too bad its so far away. 
nice little piggies


----------

