DIY Automatic Chicken Watering System | Simple Worry Free 5 Gallon Bucket PVC 

Raise the water cups high enough from the bottom so you can set the bucket on the ground without damaging them. Also a square bucket like kitty litter comes in makes it easier to seal your connections. Lessons learned from years of experience. Never tried the float vale and the overflow is a great idea..

Great idea. It will save me and my wife time. I used the links to order the cups and the float valve. We also ordered the bucket with the screw on top so it can be easy to open and clean if needed. Thank you.

Came for the feeder video and saw this. Exactly what I needed for my 8 hens. We've been in a terrible drought in northeast TX as I'm sure you're aware. Subbed. Thanks a lot.🤙

This is brilliant! I’ve been looking for something that could replace my Chicken Fountain that just failed after several years. I’ve found many DIYs that’s are “ok”, but this one is just head and shoulders above! Thank you!

That is a great build. Need to try this out after we finish our coop.

Just got my stuff in. Building it today! Wish me luck.

This video was amazingly helpful, thank you!

Thank you so much man. I'm building it this weekend I had a hose already there.

Very nice vid. I just got the watering cups in today. I live in N.C. and it does get cold here in the winter. I got a heater from Tractor Supply to sit the 5 gallon bucket on. I am not going to do the float valve. I will take the lid of the bucket and use some PVC fittings to fill the bucket up. Very nice vid. Thanks.

Great system.. if only I could use it in the winter in Northern Michigan...

Thank you for this tutorial.

Thanks for the video, we made this as instructed. One problem, the water in the cups gets dirty quickly (like hours) - I think it's because our birds free-range and get muddy beaks!

Ordered the cups and the float valve was out of stock, so just bought another brand. Great video! I live in Northern California where it's triple digits in the late spring through early Fall. My 4 hens drink a lot of water. The thought of them almost dying due to water is criminal. As soon as I get these, I'm putting it together. I just moved to this homestead in Nov 2020. I've had to make due for the chickens. They're in a luxurious shed the prior owner had just built with a concrete slab. I just needed to outfit it for the girls. Last week I built the run. Next, I will build the roof to it. They are locked in at night when predators are around, but the run has impenetrable bear and lion-proof steel fencing on 6x6 frames with 2x2 frames inside. I take no chances. I subscribed! Great content.

Excellent DIY

I liked your waterer and your feeder, but I think it would much more effective if we saw them being used by the chickens for a couple of minutes.

I’ve got some 3/4” pipe mounted cups and originally planned to build a small water tower that feeds them. Had a wood box with a plastic bucket hidden inside. I’m in Arizona, so it’s pretty hot… I insulated between the bucket & the box… only thing is, the plastic bucket split in the heat before I was able to set it up. Ultimately I think I might try to find a small RV water tank & stash it in my air conditioned coop, and supply water from there? Otherwise, I’ve got another bucket similar to yours without the auto-fill. Cool feature! Great videos by the way - I like the solar ones too! I’m gonna have to take advantage of some of this sun.

Good info great ideas!

I made it and I love it! thx

Thanks. Very helpful 👌

I enjoyed learning how to add an auto fill valve and overflow to the "cup" style 5 gallon bucket waterer! I made a 3 quart "cup" waterer for my brooder but never realized how easily it would be to make a bucket auto fill with an overflow! Thank you for another great idea and how to video!

Good Stuff, Thank you

❤❤❤Husband will do this ASAP😉

thank you!!

Great tutorial! Definitely gonna have to try these. Nipple ones definitely haven't worked well for me.

Good stuff

mice job good info

Mine will be outside, but still love the overflow idea.

Good...

I have those cups, I find they start to get dark spots in the cups so need to scrub periodically. I thought of the float valve but didn't get to it. Also, hang the bucket high enough the chickens will drink at shoulder height. AND check often because 4-5gallons will heat up to ambient temps, currently 100° during the summer. Way too HOT.

I have also seen someone drill holes in bucket for the chicken to put their head in to get water but holes were higher at top😊❤

Great video! No need for the float valve if not connecting to a continious water source I assume?

I love the idea of the float, but I can't implement it since it gets cold where I live. What I did in the end: * got a 55 gallon, food grade barrel I had lying around (that I paid $11 for) * put a $30, 500W heater in it. It only turns on when the water is near freezing * drilled two holes, one on top of the other and put two bulkhead fittings, then garden hose connectors, a stainless steel washing machine hose for each, a small pump on the inlet side (which I have plugged into a temperature controlled outlet), then a 1 inch, 4 foot long pvc bar that I screwed 5 nipples into * (what I haven't done yet) Will connect a gutter to it to catch the rain water. What does this do for me? * 55 gallons of water? Yeah, my 8 girls aren't going through that any time soon! Even if I never connect it to a gutter, I might have to fill it up, what? 3 times a year? Maybe 4? But trust me, I'll eventually connect it to a gutter. * No freezing? The lowest temperature we've seen so far is 18F. No problems at all. The pump kicks on at 37F and constantly circulates warm water into the PVC bar. I prefer the nipples over the cups for a few reasons. 1. Obviously, in the winter time, even with a heater, the water in the cup will freeze. 2. I've seen videos of people that use cups. The water still gets dirty from dirt and poop. With nipples, the water stays perfectly clean. 3. I've seen just as many people complaining about the cup system failing as I did the nipples It's easy enough to confirm if the nipples are failing because the wall for my run is on a cinder block foundation (yeah, I'm crazy) and every morning I look out and see a little wetness on the cinder block right below a nipple or two (they refuse to use all of the nipples and would rather fight over 2 of them!). I see that wetness, I know that water has been coming out of it. I also periodically check that they're all working by pushing it myself. About the only thing I have to do with my setup is throw a couple of ounces of bleach in the water once a year to stave of any algae and legionnaires.

This is exactly the vision ive had so thanks for showing me how to make it come to fruition. Now that 4 years have passed, do you have any suggested updates?

The bucket needs to be black to prevent algae growing in the water. Painting the outside will work very well. But, I know, sunlight will cause the black to heat the water, so, maybe foil on the outside......

Judging by the way the cups are tilted back toward the bucket I think maybe the 1 inch from the bottom instruction was intended to place the wedge shaped part under the bucket.

I love it! There are a number of these on Amazon that look similar, but I'd like to make sure I'm getting the right ones - would you mind providing a link? Thanks!

gd day from philipines

Thanks for the info. It would be very handy if the measurement are also in centimeters, because some of us need to stop your video and start looking to translate all of your measurement from another site. Thanks

The watering nipples i use are the best.. they are made by Columbus Aqua .. the ones that fail and break are made in China due to unpolished sub par stainless steel, cheap o-rings and brittle plastic . The Rent -a - Coup watering cups have to be continuously cleaned so they are not maintenance free. I suggest using a toilet float valve instead since they are very reliable and easy to find and are much cheaper. Using a black bucket will solve any algea issues. Cheers 🐣🐥🐤🐔

I followed manufactures Direction and put the watering cups one inch from the bottom. And it works as long as you put it on the edge of some blocks. But if I were to do it again I would put it hi enough so the bottom of the cup never is lower than the bottom of the bucket maybe like 2 inhes from bottom of a bucket. What do you think.

The best part of the video was you using you great grandfather's manual drill and bit.

Do you have an update on how this system is doing? Great video, thank you!

Another method in the event the float sticks, is to simply not leave that water source on at all times. Just crack it for a few minutes ever few days or as needed, depending on how much water your livestock may use.

Do any of those valves ever get stuck and cause water leaks? It seems like they could freeze and break.

I bought a 5 gallon bucket from Lowes ( the typical blue one everywhere). Anyway, I just realized it doesn’t say food grade but does say BPA free. Does it need to be food grade? Or will the blue bucket be fine? The blue bucket also says for concrete and asphalt and things like that. I just really don’t know if it’s okay?

We bought some cheap ones i guess. Works great on turkeys but they are pretty chill. Chickens are kind of hyper.

I feel really silly now. Overflow! Doh. I put my float valve( adjustable) in the lid to come around the issue. Over complicate things? Me?

Can a galvanized bucket be used so it can be set on a heater disc in the winter?

Hi I've one question how you clean the red cup? I made a similar watering system (sometimes ago ) for my canaries aviary but with clear hoses and tee's to connect the red cups then a hose to the bucket. I'd to stop using it because the cups I've used keep getting dirty and I have a hard time cleaning them.

Hi I’m getting ready to set mine up. I’m a little worried about algae forming. In Arizona and it gets pretty hot here. Do you add anything to the water to help? Like apple cider vinegar? Someone mentioned it but not sure if that would help.

Nice, But what about a system that you dont have to do nothing at all. Just attach to a water hose and electrical outlet. The system will run by itself!!! Its under (automatic self maintained water system for chickens) let me know what you think, thanks.

I am interested to a bucket like this but i am scared that it will.leak water as a result from the past what do you recomend

Please give me the model or how or where to buy these model of drinking cups please, thanks in advance

Great video. What do you do about keeping the red cups clean? We have to clean our everyday.

Thanks I’ve been getting frustrated with the water they set on the ground.

I was thinking about buying these cups but some of the reviews said they break easily because the chickens stand on them. Since it has been 2 years since you made this video do you still highly recommend them?

So how do you kmow.when to turn the water hose off or do you leave it on

I bought the rent a coop cups as you suggested.... did this right.... they leak terribly...

So your telling me when it’s -20F and I can throw boiling water in the air and it turns to snow this watering system won’t freeze?

Has anyone tried connected to a rain barrel instead of a hose? Does it work or is there light debris in the water?

do those cups come in larger size for ducks or can your ducks drink out of those?

In an actual cold area no amount of insulation will keep your pipe or hose from freezing if it's outside. Use a heated waterer.

Can you do it without the float valve?

Could we use this for feed?

Help on this please, the chickens love to get on top of the bucket and the poop lands on the cups, so is always dirty. How do you solve that problem???

What would happen if you used an air stone in one to help it not get stagnant would that have an affect

The poor chickens almost died🤣

Ordered float on your link but no 90 degree fitting came with it. They must have changed it.

I need this, but have to figure out a good way to winterize it. I live in a place the gets really cold in the winter. The tiny holes in the nipples or cup valves always freeze.

Please how can i get those children watering cups..

how do you clean out the cups when they get nasty?

One more question. I am making another one of these to have two sources of water. Should I make a vent hole? On my other one I have a pvc pipe going in the run going into the bucket from the top and all I do is attach my hose from the outside of the run and open the valve. Actually I keep the valve open for venting and use a screen rubber banded to keep any mosquitos out. Anyway, the new bucket I'm making will have to be filled from within so I am worried that with the lid and no vent, it might prevent water from filling the cups? I'm not sure though. Probably a stupid question, I can probably just make it and see lol. Any tips would help though. By the way, the first watering bucket I made and am using is a big hit, and that idea came from you, thanks again. Do you ever have an issue with the cups getting dirty? Mine are continuously dirty and i'm always rotating the cup and wiping the dirt out.

Float valve water system for chicken 🐓

What float switch package did you use?

so in the summer.. the chickens are drinking 150 degree water?

My cups fill up with dirt making them think there’s water so the water doesn’t come in automatically it doesn’t raise back up to let them fill

How chickens can this waterer accomodates?

Yea, Great, but where do I get the TEXAS bucket?

I have a small space for my birds so I dont want to put a bucket of water in the coop, do you think using your system of bucket overflow and connect the bucket to a pvc pipe that has the cups attached it it will work? Id attach the pipe to the side of the coop and I would keep the link level with the bucket.

I like it but the only issue I have is the over flow. If that float sticks open that 1/4 inch tube isn't gonna be able to keep up with the flow of a garden hose. The over flow should in engineering terms, larger than the feed line. That way there's no possible way of the water overcoming the over flow.

I have this exact water and am not happy with it. My chickens keep breaking the cups off the bucket. Then when they're not breaking the cups off, it's leaking all through my coop. We have to replace the little yellow pieces often or the cups. It's made too cheap. I'm looking for new ideas if anyone has any...

Not just failing...my chickens are just dumb. And, when it's over 95-100 degrees, I need to have a sprinkler dripping to pool water for them to drink, & stand feet in. Lost 4 last year in one day when 104, never had a problem before. :/

What is the brand of the float valve ?? & the model # Thanks Stan 👍🏻

Where are the amazon links? :(

Cannot find the link for these cup

My cups leak and I don't seem to be able to stop it

When I click on your link for the float it doesn't seem to contain that extra PVC section.

Hey , my cups are leaking. UG

സങ്കീർത്തനങ്ങൾ 91:4 തന്റെ തൂവലുകൾകൊണ്ടു അവൻ നിന്നെ മറെക്കും; അവന്റെ ചിറകിൻ കീഴിൽ നീ ശരണം പ്രാപിക്കും; അവന്റെ വിശ്വസ്തത നിനക്കു പരിചയും പലകയും ആകുന്നു. Psalm 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Doesn't the sitting water get shimmy and nasty?

Ok, so this video was posted 4 years ago. Is this still what you use? Kate

Opps, spoke too soon about not 🥶. Sorry about the rude mom nature. ❤️🙏🏻 Hope you and yours are ok.

Most cheap step bits do 7/8”

Are your chickens free-range?

If you need an overflow outlet, I guess your float valve failed.

Your white bucket will introduce algae? No?

I tried this solution and it's useless. The hens and ducks lifted the cups so that the water was constantly flowing and spilling into the coop. Horrible mess.

DONT BUY THE TOP WITH IT... go to a local restaurant or donut shop any kind of food place really and ask if they have extra buckets that they throw away. I work in a restaurant and we used toss 5 a week, now I take them home and redistribute them for free online to anyone and everyone. Reduce the plastic in the world, dont perpetuate the cycle.

You're too much talk!

is that bucket food grade?