# Watering options



## Edgewood Farm (Jul 31, 2011)

I am trying to figure out a way to water my pigs that doesn't involve carrying five gallon buckets 100 yards to their pen. I was thinking about bringing a 55 gallon drum down to their pen and installing nipple waterers around the base. That way i should only have to water once a week, rather than twice a day. The problem is I have never done this, or worked with nipple waterers. What kind should I get? How should I install them? What are the possible problems? Leaks? I have both plastic barrels and steel. Is there a preference? 

Thanks,

Brian


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We have springs and run the overflow through 1" black plastic pipe to a series of waterers. Each waterer feeds the next so it runs constantly. This works as we're on a slope, to put it mildly.

If I was on flat I would setup a water tank up high, fill up and then use a automatic waterer to a trough. Automatic waterers freeze up in our winters so I'm thankful for our hills and springs.

I have tried the nipple waterers. They work but plug up a lot. Keep the water very clean. No grit. No algae. FarmTek.com has them.

I would suggest two separate waterers as dehydration can easily kill pigs.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
ButcherShop | Sugar Mountain Farm


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

With all due respect, a hundred feet of hose doesn't really cost that much. If you don't have running water set up a stock tank outside the pig pen and dip water out every day.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

One thing to note is hauling water can be very bad for your shoulders. If you really do have to haul, consider making an old time yoke to be able to carry two pails. Consider carrying two half pails if the full weight is too much.

For us, a hose doesn't work in the winter because we can't store it indoors and it never seems to drain completely so one ends up with pockets of ice. This is why we go with the continuous flow or carry pails when we absolutely must - really try to avoid the latter.


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## Edgewood Farm (Jul 31, 2011)

I currently do have my drum just outside their pen and I fill their water from that. The problem is that they spill, and muddy their water so fast. I have to clean out and change their water at least once a day if not twice. I am trying to set things up so the chores are minimal. I have access to some self feed bins, pour feed in the top and they eat out of the tray as the feed comes out. Anyway, my intent was to put a few of these self feeders out with them. That way I can fill the grain on Saturdays and leave them alone the rest of the week. I need to find a similar system with the water. Hence the 55 gal drum with the nipples. I will still be checking on them periodically, I will be feeding scraps, and grocery store waste, but the main chores of grain and water will be done. Farmtek has about a dozen nipple options. Anyone know how well they work with plastic 55 gal drums? As for hoses, it's more than 100' it's at least 100 yards. Big difference. And I would rather not have to buy 100 yards of hose if I don't have to. Also, I am trying to set things up to eliminate the daily watering. If I had a spigot right there I would still want some kind of auto set up to save time. 

Walter- what do you mean about automatic waterers? What brand/kind? My pigs are currently in about 5 acers of woods on a hill. I could use gravity to my advantage. Any suggestions? 

Thanks,
Brian


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Brian, the trouble with a system like this is that it allows you to ignore the herd for several days at a time. You really do need to give them a good look-see at least once a day and feeding/watering time is a good time to do this.


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## Edgewood Farm (Jul 31, 2011)

I agree with you about the problems of a self supporting feed and water system. My only saving grace is that I love to scavenge and so I have a couple of deals with a local bakery and grocery store. I pick up old bread twice a week and the same with past date milk, eggs, cheese, etc. I am just trying to eliminate the 15 min a day of water and grain issues. 

Brian


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## Mesa Goat Man (May 12, 2012)

I set up a 55 gallon barrel behind my pens in the shade. I ran a garden hose between the pens and set up a nipple drinker for both my big hogs and my babies. They move enough water between all 4 of them to keep the water in the hose cool. We also add frozen liter bottles when its real hot. I have to string a hose to fill the barrel but that is only 1 to 2 times a week.

My hogs never have trouble with the nipple drinker as they know how to unplug it. They always have fresh clean water this way.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

I ran a hose out to ours, used a float-valve to a low trough. But they like to step in it, which flips it over, or at least puts it up on end.

It wastes a lot of water.


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## Viking (May 1, 2012)

I ran PVC pipe out to my pens, hooked up to my domestic water and use nipple waterers. There is no way in the world I'd carry 5 gallons buckets of water out there at a time, and I'm in good shape. Even filling up a barrel every week would get very, very old. Spend the $100 for some irrigation hose, they'll have a constant supply of fresh clean water and you'll never have to worry about it again. 


My only concern is winter, but I'll be trenching the PVC into the ground and putting a frost free spigot out there for that. The nipples obviously won't work then, and I'll be hand watering at that point. My weaners are hand watered right now and they're always either crapping in the pan or standing in it or dumping it over. So, hand watering is not my preferred technique, but that's life on the farm. 

I do hand feed the sows and boar twice a day, so I still get plenty of time to observe them.


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## cooper101 (Sep 13, 2010)

The nipple waterers work really well. Use a 3/4 inch wood spade bit to drill a hole about 2 inches from the bottom of the barrel. Screw in the nipple. Done. If the nipple is adjustable, make sure it's adjusted to the highest flow or take out the regulator mechanism so they get the most water out of it. Use one nipple per 3-4 pigs. The plastic barrels are thick enough that they'll work without any other support. I just set it on a cinder block and strap it to a couple t-posts to keep it upright. 

I agree you'd want to check on it daily, but if you're feeding scraps, expired stuff, then you're around them daily. 2 or 3 nipples give you a fall-back if one of the clogs, but I've never had that happen. Not great for winter, but they work really well.


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## thestartupman (Jul 25, 2010)

Is there any good watering system for winter freezing temps?


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Edgewood Farm said:


> I am trying to figure out a way to water my pigs that doesn't involve carrying five gallon buckets 100 yards to their pen. I was thinking about bringing a 55 gallon drum down to their pen and installing nipple waterers around the base. That way i should only have to water once a week, rather than twice a day. The problem is I have never done this, or worked with nipple waterers. What kind should I get? How should I install them? What are the possible problems? Leaks? I have both plastic barrels and steel. Is there a preference?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Brian


I have frost-proof yard hydrant outside my house. water pipes run out to 50 gal. plastic barrel. Barrel with faucet installed in the bottom. Barrel sits 4ft. off ground on stand i built. It overhangs the fence so it is inside the fence where the pigs are. On the ground beneath the barrel i have the end of a 50gal. barrel that is cut off a barrel and is about 8 inchs. deep. Water drains down into the container below. 4 steel posts around the container so pigs can't root it out. I have it setup next to the fence so the pigs can't get between the container and the fence. 
The water pipe from the hydrant runs underground 350 ft. out where the water barrel is. Water hose connected to the pipe and run up top of the barrel and stuck inside the barrel at the top. Just turn the water on at the hydrant and fill the barrel ever couple days. 
In the winter on cold days i drain the water in the barrel each night when it may freeze. If water freeze in the container below just bust the ice when it freeze. Excess water in the water line out to the barrel will drain back down to the hydrant and down below the surface of the ground where it is connected to the main water line. This way it will not freeze in the winter.
Took me 10 hours to set this up. Saves a lot of trouble watering the stock the old way i was doing it.

You can tee off the underground pipe if you wish to setup any other points to water the stock.
You could also install water heater in a tank below if in real cold area in the winter. I tried the little auto water deals in a steel barrel but found it not to work as well as having a tub full of fresh water all the time for them.


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## Beggs n Achin' (Feb 26, 2021)

I'm currently using the barrel with the pig nipple in it. Which is why I'm here. Frustrations abound. We have hard water that probably has grit in it. No water or electric in barn. Pigs chew on hoses and fittings and are surprisingly good climbers.

I have used so far in field and barn:

1. Water dish-. They have great fun flipping it over immediately after I fill it with water, completely disregarding that I just cleaned up their last.mess AND gave them a perfectly useable mud wallow. Then they drag the thing around like a well loved dog chew toy and treat it as such. Or Piglets will get in it, can't get out for a while and get too cold. 

2. Barrel cut in half -. They can get their noses under it and...see above. Occasionally piglets will get stuck in it and can't get out. 

3. It looks like a little mini sink with a thing they drink out of and a float valve that fills it up again? Made out of stainless steel, found on Amazon. My pigs ripped it.off it's mount and ate it. 

4. Barrels with a smaller hole cut out if.one side, tied to fence- better, but they still pushed it over and made a mess. And also ripped up fence. They had to step up a little too get to the water and only the big pigs could use it. But no piglets got in either. Water stayed cleaner.

5. There of the barrels in number 4 tired together with a ratchet strap. This one lasted a few weeks before they destroyed the ratchet strap and spread the barrels all over the field. 

6. Galvanized water trough, pig height- They thought it made a great bath. Water always dirty. If it was on a hill, they dug out underneath it and flipped it sometimes. If it got empty, they moved it around, often shorting out the electric fence. On purpose, I think, because then they would go for a neighborhood stroll. 
7. And last but not least....the barrels w a nipple on it. Up on bricks in the stall. This lasted six months before something plugged up the nipples that I can't seem to get cleaned out. I caught my sow today working very hard to tip over the barrel because the nipple wasn't giving it up. I took the lid off of it, which was a plastic tub... And filled it up for her so she would stop trying to destroy the barrel and thus save my electronic livestock scale one stall over from possibly gettibg it's connections fried underneath. Since hubs argued w me about putting it up on cinder blocks for that... very... reason.... That man makes me want to drink. He argues about everything I wanna do. Urgh.... The pig promptly (after griping about having no water w her antics) tipped over the water tub. Then went back to trying to knock over the barrel full of water. I'm on my way to Home Depot now for cinder blocks. 

I got no suggestions other than swearing a lot at the pigs and maybe drinking. Sorry.


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