Surely you know that quail are considered quite unpretentious birds, all that is required from the owner is to provide the bird with comfortable conditions, a sufficient amount of feed and water. If you plan to breed the bird in cages, then you will need feeders and drinking bowls for quail, this will greatly simplify feeding and care.
Quail drinkers
If you have sufficient means, then you can purchase ready-made designs in stores, otherwise it’s quite realistic to do it yourself, following the simple and understandable video and photo manufacturing instructions. Obviously, the second option is more profitable, because there are a lot of finished products. Today we will learn how to make a quail drinker on our own and what we need for this.
Requirements for making drinkers
The first rule that you should adhere to is taking into account the amount of water that a quail drinks. If we take the average indicators as a basis, then 1 head will need about 70-80 ml per day, although in hot hot days the amount can increase to 100-120 ml. If the farm has more than a dozen birds, then it makes sense to build not one drinker, but several at once.
The dimensions of the house or cage must also be taken into account so that the automatic drinker does not take up too much space. It is recommended to save a little on its size, while adding more often water.
Generally accepted standards for the production of homemade quail drinkers:
- In no case should you use toxic materials, as they will adversely affect the health of poultry. It is recommended to give preference only to food and environmentally friendly materials. It is also worth abandoning wood and clay, because such materials quickly become unusable, and bacteria can multiply in their porous structure.
- The design should take into account free access from both the quail and the person himself, since they will have to be washed and disinfected periodically.
Another rule: the feeder and the drinker should be located at some distance from each other so that no particles of food remain in the water and the process of decay does not begin. It is advisable to attach the drinker at a small distance from the floor, for example, hang it on the iron bars of the cage, not forgetting, however, periodically remove it from the mounts, so it is important to think about this point in advance.
What types of drinkers exist
It is customary to divide all quail drinkers into 4 species, among them are:
- Open
It is considered the simplest construction, it looks like a hollow container that can be given any shape, depth and size, depending on personal preferences. However, the disadvantage of this design is that the water remains clean for a short time. It is also likely that a small chick or a daily chicken can drown in such a container.
- Drip
DIY drip drinkers for quails, or their second name - nipple drinkers for quails, are similar in design to washstands, which we used to use in cottages. A special tip helps hold water, which holds water until pressure is exerted on it. This helps save water while keeping it clean.
- Vacuum based
Such vacuum structures are ideal for farms with few birds. Their principle is based on the fact that water is supplied due to the interaction of different pressures supplied from the external and internal sides.
- quail drinking bowls
Cup or microcup drinking bowls use a structure consisting of a bowl and a tube that exits from it. In order for the water supply to be uninterrupted in cup drinking bowls, it is necessary to mount the stem and spring there. Water is supplied until the bowl is full, that is, under the influence of its weight. As soon as it is empty, you need to immediately fill it again, otherwise the quail will be left without water. Microcup drinkers are used quite often.
We learned which models of drinking bowls are the most popular in the content of quails. Now let's talk about how you can make this or that option yourself with your own hands.
We make a nipple drinker on our own
It is worth saying that at the moment it is this option that is the most popular. The root cause of this choice is the simplicity of design and absolute safety for poultry, but it must be accustomed to such a drink from birth. What materials will be needed:
- a pipe (for example, plumbing plastic);
- nipples
- Teflon tape
- droplet eliminator (optional).
First of all, it is necessary to seal one end of the pipe with a plug, then drill holes in which nipples will subsequently be inserted. It is important to keep a distance of about 20 cm between them. Before inserting the nipples, you need to wrap them with Teflon tape, this will protect against water leakage. If desired, a droplet eliminator can be assembled. We can say that the quail nipple drinker is ready for installation in cages.
Features of the production of drip drinkers
It is important to say that you need to carefully process all the edges of the drinker so that the bird does not get hurt. It is also advisable to take into account the fact that quails are not born with the ability to use nipple drinkers, so you will have to spend some time training.
It is also important to provide the right number of nipples, it will depend on how many birds are on the farm. An ideal ratio is 1 nipple per 1 quail. You can also use nipples if the bird needs medical treatment when the drugs are diluted in drinking water.
Plastic Bottle Drinker
What could be easier than making a quail drinker from a plastic bottle? This method is often used by many poultry farmers.
What is needed:
- plastic bottles - 2 pieces;
- copper wire;
- scissors or knife
It is necessary to take 1 bottle and cut into 2 parts, then make 2 holes in the shape of a rectangle at the bottom. The holes should correspond to the volume of the head of the quail so that it can freely push it there. Between the holes made it is necessary to leave a small strip, its width should be equal to 5-6 cm. The lower part will serve as the basis and the bowl itself.
Now go to the second bottle. First you need to make small holes, it is best to choose a place just above the neck of the bottle. After that - pour the liquid into the second bottle, screw on the lid, install the frame made earlier on top, then you can turn over the completed structure and proceed to install the drinker. Water, following the laws of physics, will be below the level of the hole made in the second bottle.
The second option is a drinker with a bottle
The second option for making a drinker is also a plastic bottle, now only one thing is needed. In addition, you need a semblance of a bath made of metal, it is desirable to use galvanized sheets, while for the frame you can take a small beam of wood or plywood.
It is necessary to bend the galvanized sheet into the desired shape so that it does not change, it is necessary to secure it with special rivet hooks. Two circles of different diameters should be made of plywood, one of which should be equal to the diameter of the plastic bottle in the middle, and the second - the size of the bottle in the center. In order to connect both circles, you can take a beam of wood, and its height should be equal to half the height of the bottle.
It should also be noted that the distance between the throat and the bath should be approximately 2-4 cm. By turning the bottle down with the throat, you need to install the frame. After that - unscrew the lid, then it will become clear how the liquid will fill the bath so that the birds have access to drinking water, and its level will be constantly maintained at a certain level.
Making a bunker drinker
Often, poultry farmers resort to using another option for arranging a drinking bowl, called a bunker. To do this, you will need a bucket of plastic, a sharp knife and a plastic bowl. Not bad if you can buy bowls with several compartments. First you should make holes at the bottom of the bucket, and the number of holes should equal the number of compartments in the bowl. Now you need to connect the bucket and the bowl with the screws, sealing their outer edge with Teflon tape or any construction sealant.
The advantage of this design is that you do not have to get it every time to fill it.
How to care for drinkers
It is necessary to regularly maintain cleanliness in drinking bowls so that bacteria do not multiply there. At the same time, the frequency of the liquid change will change up or down, depending on what time of the year and what temperature is in the room with the birds. If it is hot outside, then the frequency of changing the water should be at least 2-3 times a day. However, if food residues become noticeable, you should immediately pour a new liquid.
Many poultry farmers believe that it is enough to simply rinse the drinkers under running water, this is wrong. But you can not use chemical agents. You can use soda or citric acid, and then boil the device in boiling water. Such cleaning is needed at least 2-3 times a month.
Which drinker to give preference
Now you know how to make a quail drinker with your own hands. It is quite possible to independently make both drinkers and feeders, while the options for quail drinkers, as it turned out, are diverse. Only the owner can decide which design is suitable for the poultry farm, although you can study a lot of videos and photos of examples of how to equip the cage with the help of drawings.
Based on the experience of poultry farmers, the nipple design is considered the most optimal, since it protects the water from accidental ingress of feed or flooring. You do not have to deal with it often. Many bird owners note that it is much easier to care for cages with such automatic drinkers, as they save time, because the possibility of water spilling on the litter is excluded. These car drinkers can truly be called the most successful option.
If the decision is made to use any other design of a drinking bowl or feeder, then it is worthwhile to strictly follow all the recommendations for the device to work correctly. In addition, the depth of the bowl should be chosen correctly, since its excessive dimensions often cause the chicks to die as a result of drowning.
