When breeding pigs, providing them with enough clean drinking water is paramount. This is especially important when raising young animals, and special drinking bowls for piglets are a significant help in this regard. They provide free access to drink, suggest a more economical and metered supply of liquid. But in order to choose the right equipment for your farm, you should understand the existing types of drinking bowls for pigs and their features.
Drinker for pigs
Requirements
There are many different versions of this type of product. Between themselves, they differ in form, principle of operation, volume and a number of other points. At the same time, in order for the drinker to really save the time and effort of the owner, and also bring the maximum benefit to the animals, its choice should be approached taking into account the following requirements:
- ensuring a constant and uninterrupted supply of fluid;
- optimal size and design suitable for comfortable use by piglets;
- the absence in the design of such elements that will complicate further regular cleaning of equipment;
- tightness of the tank from which water is supplied.
Another equally important point is the strength and durability of the drinker. And they, in turn, depend on the material and design of the product. Of the various materials, the most popular include:
- Stainless steel and various metal alloys offering anti-corrosion protection. This option is the most durable and reliable. But it is quite expensive.
- Polymers. They cost less than steel structures, but, as a rule, pigs quickly gnaw through plastic. Therefore, it is not suitable for long-term use.
- Wood. Wooden drinkers are often made independently. They are quite durable and completely eco-friendly. Their only drawback is the complexity of disinfection and cleaning.
Drinking bowl for pigs made of polymers
To reduce the effort spent on caring for animals and make the use of the drinker as convenient as possible, you can select models with certain design features. Among them, the most useful are:
- Filter. It traps small particles and dirt, making the water cleaner and safer. In some embodiments, such a device is already mounted in the main structure.
- Pressure meter. It provides water supply only if its level in the drinker has dropped significantly. Such a device allows you to more economically consume liquid from the tank.
- A heating element. Especially useful in winter, when the water in the drinker and container freezes.
Important! When self-assembling a drinking bowl at home, you will have to take care of heating the tank located outside. In this case, it makes sense to install a heating element under it. To prevent water from freezing in the pipe coming out of the tank, it can be wrapped with a special thermal cord.
Types of drinkers
Based on the design features and intended purpose, drinking bowls for pigs and piglets are divided into several types. Among them, the most popular are nipple and cup options. They differ from each other both in design and principle of operation.
Nipple
Nipple drinkers for piglets have appeared relatively recently. Such a device is extremely convenient when caring for young animals, but is also often used when growing adults.
The system itself consists of the following components:
- A tank that is located slightly above the intended place of fluid consumption.
- One or more pipes supplying liquid from the tank to the points of consumption.
- A special nipple with a nipple, which is put on the ends of the supply pipes.
The nipple has the most complex design of all the listed devices. It consists of a metal body, a valve and a filter element. When the piglet is thirsty, he goes to the pipe and presses the nipple with his tongue. He presses on the valve and opens the free passage for the liquid that comes from the tank until the animal relieves pressure on the valve. After that, the pipe is again blocked and the flow of water stops.
Nipple drinker for piglets
What is characteristic, in such systems, if desired, several nipples at different heights can be installed on one tank at once. Accordingly, this allows you to simultaneously water individuals of different ages with a common content.
The high popularity of nipple designs was the result of a number of advantages that such a drinker has. Among them are:
- more economical consumption of water, which does not splash around and does not pour out, as in open containers when overturning;
- high hygiene of the drinking process, which can be achieved due to the fact that dirt or infection cannot enter the closed system;
- durability and reliability;
- no need for frequent maintenance and washing.
But, it is worth noting that such equipment has a significant drawback. Its price is quite high, which can be a problem for small farms and backyards.
Cup
The cup drinker suggests certain differences in structure. There are 2 types of such devices: cup nipple and pedal. In the first case, almost the same system is used as in conventional nipple drinkers. It consists of the following elements:
- Storage tank.
- Pipe with a special nipple at the end.
- Bowl limiter.
In these designs, water in a small amount is already present in the bowl. When the piglet wants to get drunk, he approaches the device and starts drinking. At the same time, it acts on the nipple. He pushes the rubber seal and provides free movement of water, which neatly flows along the inner wall into the cavity of the bowl. When the pressure on the nipple is reduced, the hole in the pipe is again blocked by the seal and the flow of water stops.
Drinking bowl for pigs
In the pedal version, the only difference is that a special metal pedal is used as a drive for the valve. Approaching the feeder, the pig presses on it with its paw, the plug moves away under the action of a special lever and opens up access to the liquid. When the pig moves away from the device, it releases the pedal and the water stops flowing.
The advantages of such a system include the following points:
- preventing splashing of liquid in the room, which is stopped by the sides of the bowl;
- economical liquid consumption, which allows using drinkers with the proper volume of the tank even in the absence of a full-fledged water line;
- ease of installation of the purchased structure;
- the minimum time for piglets to get used to the equipment, which ensures the constant presence of a small amount of liquid in the bowl.
As a disadvantage of the device, rapid contamination can be noted, which implies frequent maintenance and cleaning. It happens due to the fact that the piglet can bring dirt and leftover food into the bowl on the patch.
How to make a drinker with your own hands?
If you have enough material, you can build a drinking bowl with your own hands. Moreover, you can make both the most primitive version of the pipe, and a full-fledged nipple system.
Drinking bowl from a pipe
You can make a water tank from an ordinary steel (cast iron) pipe by following this algorithm:
- A pipe with a diameter of 0,5 m is cut in half (it can be slightly higher or lower than half, depending on the age of the animal).
- Along the edges of the resulting gutter, semicircular metal inserts are welded, corresponding to the diameter of the pipe.
- Metal legs or pieces of a corner are welded to the bottom.
- Further, all seams, sharp elements, joints are ground, and the drinker is installed in a pre-selected place.
Homemade drinker for piglets from a pipe
Nipple variant
In this case, more effort will be required to assemble a full-fledged working structure. Moreover, the main work is carried out in accordance with the following plan:
- We prepare the necessary materials, which include a volumetric water tank, pipes of suitable diameter and a nipple (nipples). As a container, plastic barrels with various capacities are suitable.
- One or more holes for the nipple are made in the barrel. If the tank is at a distance, then the diameter of the hole is calculated from the cross section of the supply pipe.
- Further, with the help of seals, the pipe is securely fixed in the wall of the barrel, and at the end I fix the valve with the nipple.
- If a mortise nipple is used, then it is mounted directly into the tank wall using a seal. At the same time, such a nipple is placed slightly at an angle, which improves the flow of water and prevents it from splashing.
- The resulting structure is installed on the selected site. In the case of supply pipes, the ending with a nipple can be installed on the fence grating or built into the barn wall.
Attention! The nipple is selected based on the age of the animal. For small piglets, it should be small and with an easily retractable nipple. For adults, large devices with a tight tongue are suitable, which will provide better fluid permeability.
Conclusion
High-quality drinkers, despite their high cost, can greatly simplify the care of small piglets, saving a lot of time for their owner. The main thing is to accurately calculate all the points related to installation and use even before buying a specific device. This will help you make the right choice. In extreme cases, you can make a drinker at home that will exactly fit the task.
