The maintenance of quail requires the competent organization of a watering place so that birds have unhindered access to clean water. Of course, drinkers play a leading role in this matter. They can be purchased at the pet store, but it is more advisable to make them yourself, based on the number of goals in the farm and personal needs.
Drinker Requirements
Before proceeding with the construction of the drinking bowl, it should be noted that such equipment must meet a number of requirements. So, attention should be paid to such parameters:
- Dimensions. It is necessary to calculate the number of birds in the farm. It should be borne in mind that, normally, one adult quail should consume 50-100 mm of water per day. However, in hot weather this indicator can reach 200 mm. So, given the number of heads, it is possible to calculate the optimal size of the water tanks, as well as their number, so that the birds do not crowd around, and the owner does not have to constantly add water.
- Material. Must be non-toxic and hygienic. These requirements are most met by plastic or stainless steel. You can also use porcelain, glass and wood. Structures made of such materials are easy to clean and disinfect.
- Bird access to water. The design of the water gutter should be such that the quail has constant and free access to water.
- Structural strength. It must be strong and stable so that it does not tip over when the birds drink water. In addition, birds should not fall into the drinking bowl during a watering hole.
- Ease of maintenance. The gutter for water needs to be constantly cleaned, so it should be easily pulled out of the cage. In addition, a removable drinker is best installed outside the cage, on the side. This will not only simplify its cleaning and filling with water, but will also save space inside the cell.
- Clogging protection. Pieces of bedding material, droppings, and other debris can get into the water, so you have to change it. To prevent this, you should make a drinker with a protective fence or grill.
Having provided all these points, everyone can make a quality drinker with his own hands, which will serve on the farm for a single year.
Types of drinkers
There are various types of drinking bowls that differ in type of construction, as well as in principle of action. Models that you can do with your own hands, consider below.
Open
It’s quite simple to make open-type inventory, since it’s enough to take any suitable container, fill it with water and put it in a cage. However, this approach has a number of significant and obvious disadvantages:
- food, particles of litter and other garbage often fall into the water;
- the capacity is often overturned, because the birds touch it with a foot or wings;
- it is difficult to maintain cleanliness in the cell, since contaminated water often spills onto the floor, which contributes to the active reproduction of microorganisms and bacteria;
- the bird may accidentally jump into the tank and drown in water.
The opening of the drinking bowl cannot be used for young animals to drink, as during active games the chicks can fall into the water, drown and die.
Cup
They are a small cup, inside of which there is a floating tongue and a small ball that blocks the flow of fluid. Water flows through a thin rubber hose. Mostly used for young animals, as they allow the chicks to have constant access to clean and fresh water.
This design works on the principle of weights, since the process of water intake is determined by the severity of the water tank itself:
- A cup filled with water drops down and blocks the pipe.
- An empty cup rises automatically.
- The ball rises and liquid enters the empty bowl.
There are linear designs. In this case, the vessels are filled with water from a common tank. When they are filled, the valve is activated and the flow of water stops. As the drinker is released, the valve opens the flow of fluid.
These drinkers are sold in specialized stores and on the Internet. The cost is about 30 rubles. a piece.
Nipple
They remind you of a hand wash, which can often be seen on personal plots near country houses and cottages. They work according to the principle of a washstand, since water enters the bird's beak or into a separate container in small droplets after pressing the nipple. Thus, during drinking, the birds are not soaked.
For this design to work, a prerequisite is the presence of pressure in the fluid supply pipe. To prevent water from leaking from the drinker, it is advisable to install a drip tray at the bottom of the device.
Nipple drinkers are very popular, due to their following advantages:
- allow you to save water, because it comes in droplets exactly in the amount that the bird needs;
- constantly provide quail with fresh and clean water;
- do not require the poultry farmer to constantly monitor the presence of liquid in the tank;
- make it easy to add vitamins or medicines for birds to the water.
If the drinker is made for young animals, then in the first 3 weeks of their life it is better to use a soft nipple, which can later be replaced with a solid one.
Vacuum
Their principle of operation is based on the difference between the atmospheric pressure of the air outside and inside the tank. This allows you to significantly save water, which also always remains clean.
As a rule, such a drinker consists of a plastic bottle and a vessel having a special mount for this bottle. This design is turned over, and water enters the tray due to the difference in atmospheric pressure in the bowl and in the tank. Water is added to the bottle after it is completely empty.
Vacuum drinkers come in different volumes, but for quails it is better to choose small ones. They are very popular on farmland, which contains a large number of goals.
Standalone
They work in automatic mode, so the poultry farmer will only need to regularly monitor the amount of water in a large plastic or metal tank, as well as check the structure for damage and contamination.
They are mainly used in large poultry farms or in home farms, which contain a large number of livestock. So, without the constant participation of humans, it is possible to provide birds with good drinking conditions.
1 - tank; 2 - filter; 3 - a hose; 4 - a float; 5 - a tank; 6 - the main pipe; 7 - cell; 8 - drinking bowl; 9 - a stub.
Various drinkers from a plastic bottle
These are drinkers of a vacuum type, which are suspended from a wall or a fence, therefore they save space and do not tip over. They can be made in various ways, with which we propose to read further.
Option number 1
To collect the drinker, you will need to prepare:
- 5 and 2 liter plastic bottles - 1 each;
- scissors;
- self-tapping screws;
- coils of wire.
The design is assembled in several stages:
- For a 5 liter bottle, cut off the neck at a distance of 10-12 cm from the neck.
- In a smaller bottle, make several holes at a height of 7-8 cm from the lid so that the quail can easily stick their head into them. In this case, the drinking holes do not need to be made too large so that during drinking the birds do not fill everything around with water.
- On the inside of the cork from a 5-liter bottle in the center, screw the cork from a 2-liter bottle using self-tapping screws.
- Pour water into a smaller bottle, twist, and turn the structure itself.
- Screw the wire to the drinker and hang it in a cage.
Option number 2
If the livestock is small, the drinker can be made from one bottle up to 2 l, following this instruction:
- Make some small holes in the plastic bottle cap.
- Make a wire holder and attach it to the bottle with electrical tape.
- Fill the bottle with water about 2/3, turn it over and hang it on the wall of the cage.
- Put down the pan.
Drops from the bottle will gradually drip into the pan, so the birds will have unhindered access to water. Pour water into such a drinker will need 2-3 times a day. Meanwhile, it has a significant minus - the water in the pan is quickly contaminated, because particles of feed, litter and other garbage get into it. Water will often have to be changed, and the structure should be washed regularly.
Option number 3
This drinker is similar to the previous one, but is more advanced. To make it, you need to prepare:
- 1.5 liter plastic bottle;
- pallet;
- scissors;
- self-tapping screws.
The drinker is going this way:
- Cut off the bottom of the bottle, and at its neck make a few small holes.
- Screw the lid from the vessel in the center of the pan.
- Turn the bottle over and screw it into the cap.
- Pour water, which through the holes will pour into the pan to the desired level.
Option number 4
To make the design stable, it can be made with a special stand. It is necessary to prepare:
- plastic bottle with a volume of 2-2.5 liters;
- a bath (a low tin can or any other shallow bowl);
- plywood sheet;
- whetstones.
To make the design, you need to adhere to the following sequence:
- Saw 2 rings from a plywood sheet. The bottom should have a diameter less than the bottle, and the top should be larger to freely pass the bottle fragment.
- Fasten both rings with bars at a distance of 9-10 cm.
- Attach the frame to the side wall of the house.
- Insert the bottle with its neck down and place a bath under it. The neck should practically rest against the bottom of the bath.
The principle of manufacture of such a drinking bowl is shown in the drawing:
When operating such a drinking bowl, it will be necessary to fill the bottle with water, insert it into the frame and unscrew the lid. The bath will be filled with water to the desired level.
Option number 5
You can make a drinker, which is described above, in a different way. This will require:
- plastic bottle;
- tin;
- thin wire;
- sharp knife;
- drill.
The design is assembled in this order:
- Cut off the lid from the tin can and strip the edges so that they are perfectly smooth.
- Make 2 holes in the can for mounting at a distance of 6 cm from the bottom.
- Fix the jar in the place of distribution of water, using screws.
- Drill some very small holes in a plastic bottle near the neck in a circle.
- Fill the bottle with water, screw on the lid and insert it down with the neck into a tin can.
- Secure the bottle with wire by wrapping it in 2 places and attaching it to the support.
The bottom will always have the same amount of water, since its consumption for drinking will be compensated by the flow of new liquid through small holes.
The principle of manufacturing such a design is shown in the video below:
Nipple drinkers
Such designs are popular with poultry farmers because they save water and maintain cleanliness in the cage. In addition, they work on the principle of car drinking. They can also be made according to various instructions.
Option number 1
Required:
- polypropylene pipe with a diameter of 25 mm;
- nipples
- droplet eliminators;
- plastic plug for the pipe;
- racks for drops;
- automobile sealant;
- metal angle;
- pencil;
- drill;
- screwdriver.
Having prepared everything you need, you can start assembling the drinking structure:
- Place the nipples in the pipe strictly in one line. 10 cm should be kept from the edge of the pipe, and 30 cm between the nipples.
- Drill holes according to the finished marking. Initially, take a drill with a small diameter, and then drill holes 0.5 mm smaller than the diameter of the thread on the nipple.
- Take one nipple and install into the screwdriver with the thread outward. Lightly thread the sealant and screw the nipple into the pipe. Screw the rest in the same way to get an even row.
Sealant is used to prevent water leakage. Instead, you can use tape or teflon tape, simply wrapping the nipples.
- Muffle one end of the pipe tightly by soldering the plug. At the other end of the pipe, put on a hose that is connected to the water tank.
- For convenience, install a drip catcher (for example, bend a large tablespoon with the letter "C") under each of the nipples.
- Fix the drinker in the cage, install a tank of water and you can start watering the birds.
Option number 2
It is simpler, but the output also allows you to get an excellent drinker that will last a long time.
It will be required:
- 5 liter plastic bottle;
- nipple;
- drop catchers
- racks for drops;
- brackets;
- screwdriver.
A drinker is made from a 5-liter bottle in this way:
- Drill a few holes in the lid with a screwdriver and mount the nipples, and then return the lid to the bottle filled with water.
- Secure the drop catchers at a level convenient for quail.
- Set the drinker upside down using the brackets.
- Place tanks under the nipples to collect water droplets.
If the farm contains more than 15 individuals, you need to put several such drinkers. It must be remembered that in them the water level should always be higher than the existing edges of the nipple.
Automatic drinker with dispenser
To minimize the participation of the poultry breeder in the quail watering, it is best to assemble an automatic drinking bowl. This is especially true in the case of large stocks.
First of all, it is necessary to prepare such materials and tools:
- plastic pipe;
- wine bottle cork;
- dense foam sheet;
- aluminum or copper wire;
- piece of rubber (you can use a school eraser);
- window seal (gum must be soft);
- a ballpoint pen case with a sharp nose;
- nail;
- sharp knife;
- rubber glue.
Next, you can begin to manufacture a drinking bowl with a float system:
- Fold a piece of aluminum in half and wind on a nail on both sides. You need to get a kind of "swing" that rotates freely on a nail.
- Take out the nail, insert a piece of hard rubber into the bent part of the “swing” and squeeze it tightly so that it does not fall out. Cut off excess rubber with a knife to increase the area of the bent part.
- In a wine cork, make 2 holes of small diameter with an awl. Insert the wire legs into them.
- Cut a piece of plastic pipe in half to get a gutter. Glue a piece of foam with rubber glue to one of the ends of the pipe. Solder its second end with a small piece of plastic.
- In the pipe, make a through hole at a distance of 3-4 cm from the foam.
- Cut the ballpoint pen into 3 parts: 2 small ones of the same size and 1 large with a sharp nose.
- Insert a nail into the through hole and put on one of the small parts of the handle. Put a “swing” on the remaining part of the nail, and then insert the second part of the handle and take out the tip of the nail through the opposite through hole.
- In the foam at the construction level, make a through hole and insert the long part of the handle with a sharp tip into the gutter. Attach a tube to the other end of the handle, through which water will flow from a common tank. As soon as the amount of water in the drinker reaches the desired level, the wine cork will rise and close the hole, so the water supply will stop.
- Make through holes in 2 places through which to insert a copper wire with a bent end. Suspend the structure with such a “hook” in the cage.
The length of the plastic pipe is determined taking into account the length of the cage, but it must be at least 10-15 cm, so that the bird could not reach the mechanism and cause harm to it.
Where to place?
Having made a drinking bowl, you need to choose the right place for its installation. To do this, consider a number of rules:
- Do not install together with feeders, otherwise the feed will fall into the water and contaminate it. In addition, drops can fall on the feed, so it will swell and deteriorate.
- You should not put the house in the center, because in this place the quail are actively moving and playing. So, they can accidentally turn the drinker over.
- It is better to distribute in the corners, so that everyone has access to water. If this is not enough due to the large stock, it is worth installing additional gutters. It should be borne in mind that one drinker from a bottle of a small volume serves well up to 5 birds, and a nipple drinker of a large volume - up to 10 birds.
- If possible, drinkers should be installed behind the cage so that the chicks can not fall into the water, drown or drown. In addition, in this case, the risk of structural damage is minimized.
So, if there are quails in the household, you can make drinkers for them yourself, using improvised materials and ready-made instructions. Experienced craftsmen can experiment and collect unique designs. In any case, one should take into account the requirements that both a home-made and a purchased drinker must meet.