Duck Waterers
Ducks love water, and it is a pleasure to watch them splash about. Just not in the drinker. A bowl in the duck house is a paddling pool within the hour: mud, feed and droppings in the water, and a wet, smelly floor under it. A Dine-A-Chook duck waterer gives the ducks water from a Lubing nipple instead. The duck pecks the nipple, a drop is released, and the rest of the supply stays sealed in the drum or tank where no bill can reach it. The house stays dry and the water stays clean. Australian made, and $22.95 flat delivery NZ-wide, any size order.
Which duck waterer do I need?
- 20L duck drum, three nipples: the duck waterer you fill once every few days. A sealed 20 litre drum with a level window, three nipples in the frame at the base, and no open water anywhere.
- Automatic duck drinker, three nipples: connect a garden hose and never fill it. A Lubing header tank tops itself up from mains, a tap or a rainwater tank. See the whole mains pressure range for one and five nipple units too.
- 20L drum, two cups and a nipple: for a mixed flock. The chickens drink from the cups, the ducks from the nipple, one drum to fill.
Why nipples for ducks
A chicken drinks by dipping; a duck drinks by scooping, and then rinses its bill and nostrils in whatever it just drank from. That is why a duck fouls an open cup within minutes. A Lubing nipple only releases water when it is pecked, so the duck gets a clean drink every time, and there is no standing water to be splashed, muddied or tipped over. Nipples suit geese and mixed flocks for the same reason. Chickens use them happily too, and many keepers fit nipples to the whole flock for the dry floor alone.
Setting it up
Mount the nipples so the birds reach up to them at about a 45 degree angle: high enough that they stretch, low enough that the smallest bird reaches. Ducks need water deep enough to dunk their heads to keep their eyes and nostrils clean, so give them a separate bathing tub outside the house, well away from the bedding, and let the drinker do the drinking. The drum and tank are UV-treated and opaque, so sunlight cannot grow algae in them, and everything the water touches is lead-free and BPA-free.
Feeding ducks
Ducks make as much mess of feed as they do of water. The Dine-A-Chook feeders suit ducks and geese as well as chickens: the hooded base keeps the feed dry and off the ground, and the rain hood keeps the weather out. Keep the feeder and the drinker a few steps apart so the ducks cannot carry feed straight into the water.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a 20L drum last for ducks?
Ducks drink more than hens and vary a lot with the weather, so use the level window rather than the calendar. Several days for a small flock is typical.
Will ducklings manage a nipple?
Ducklings learn nipples quickly once they see one drip. Set the nipples low for young birds and raise them as the flock grows, or give ducklings a 2L nipple drinker at their height.
Can I add nipples to a drum I already own?
Yes. A cup and nipple installation kit drills and threads the hole for a watertight fit in any food-grade drum or bucket, and the drum fittings do the rest. Contact us for the installation kit and the nipples.
What is the warranty?
Three years on the components Dine-A-Chook manufactures, 12 months on the Lubing nipples and cups. Full terms on our warranty page.
Ducks love water, and it is a pleasure to watch them splash about. Just not in the drinker. A bowl in the duck house is a paddling pool within the hour: mud, feed and droppings in the water, and a wet, smelly floor under it. A Dine-A-Chook duck waterer gives the ducks water from a Lubing nipple instead. The duck pecks the nipple, a drop is released, and the rest of the supply stays sealed in the drum or tank where no bill can reach it. The house stays dry and the water stays clean. Australian made, and $22.95 flat delivery NZ-wide, any size order.
Which duck waterer do I need?
- 20L duck drum, three nipples: the duck waterer you fill once every few days. A sealed 20 litre drum with a level window, three nipples in the frame at the base, and no open water anywhere.
- Automatic duck drinker, three nipples: connect a garden hose and never fill it. A Lubing header tank tops itself up from mains, a tap or a rainwater tank. See the whole mains pressure range for one and five nipple units too.
- 20L drum, two cups and a nipple: for a mixed flock. The chickens drink from the cups, the ducks from the nipple, one drum to fill.
Why nipples for ducks
A chicken drinks by dipping; a duck drinks by scooping, and then rinses its bill and nostrils in whatever it just drank from. That is why a duck fouls an open cup within minutes. A Lubing nipple only releases water when it is pecked, so the duck gets a clean drink every time, and there is no standing water to be splashed, muddied or tipped over. Nipples suit geese and mixed flocks for the same reason. Chickens use them happily too, and many keepers fit nipples to the whole flock for the dry floor alone.
Setting it up
Mount the nipples so the birds reach up to them at about a 45 degree angle: high enough that they stretch, low enough that the smallest bird reaches. Ducks need water deep enough to dunk their heads to keep their eyes and nostrils clean, so give them a separate bathing tub outside the house, well away from the bedding, and let the drinker do the drinking. The drum and tank are UV-treated and opaque, so sunlight cannot grow algae in them, and everything the water touches is lead-free and BPA-free.
Feeding ducks
Ducks make as much mess of feed as they do of water. The Dine-A-Chook feeders suit ducks and geese as well as chickens: the hooded base keeps the feed dry and off the ground, and the rain hood keeps the weather out. Keep the feeder and the drinker a few steps apart so the ducks cannot carry feed straight into the water.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a 20L drum last for ducks?
Ducks drink more than hens and vary a lot with the weather, so use the level window rather than the calendar. Several days for a small flock is typical.
Will ducklings manage a nipple?
Ducklings learn nipples quickly once they see one drip. Set the nipples low for young birds and raise them as the flock grows, or give ducklings a 2L nipple drinker at their height.
Can I add nipples to a drum I already own?
Yes. A cup and nipple installation kit drills and threads the hole for a watertight fit in any food-grade drum or bucket, and the drum fittings do the rest. Contact us for the installation kit and the nipples.
What is the warranty?
Three years on the components Dine-A-Chook manufactures, 12 months on the Lubing nipples and cups. Full terms on our warranty page.
