Try a bobber, fishing line and any item as an indicator. Drill a small hole at the top. Tread the fishing line. Tie on bobber (inside of bucket). tie on indicator (outside). Fill bucket. the bobber will drop w the water and the indicator will...indicate. lol
Trust me, if you've got critters, they'll be handy later. I do use the water bottles for chickens in tractors, but I am planning on switching them over to automatic waterers, too.
Can you do a troubleshooting video on leaking buckets? We used the silicone stuff you recommended and then tried caulking for kitchen sinks... bucket still leaks where the red 3 way is inserted. We're at a loss.
I am so sorry about that. I did find a much better way to connect the hose to the bucket with a bulkhead. I did shoot video on that but you can get one at this link amzn.to/2YmIQ6R (they probably have one at your local Lowes/Home Depot as well).
Slightly Rednecked I am in the middle of purchasing what I need to make this. You stated your hoses (tubing) was 5/16, does the bulkhead you linked above fit that??
Watched your video thank you for posting. I ran into same problem with silicone. Especially in colder weather. Its shrinks and causes leaks at bucket. Just found this better option here you posted. Thanks but maybe preface original video with improved method and part???? Just a thought. Thanks again for your educational videos. Much appreciated.
I dont mean to be off topic but does someone know a method to get back into an instagram account?? I was dumb forgot my account password. I appreciate any tips you can offer me!
@Luciano Omar Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site on google and im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
One thing I’d like to add is you can save some frustration later by using the black hose because algae will form in the lines due to sunlight. Also it will form in the buckets a. You can take an adhesive aluminum foil and cover the outside of the bucket to block the sunlight or simply layer with duct tape.
We couldn't find "rabbit" nipples in our local Tractor Supply - only chicken ones...do you think we could use those instead? we are 350 miles north of both of our families and to go down and visit ends up being 3-4 day gone from homestead...getting warmer and our 3 rabbits (1buck/2doe) are already drinking a lot more water...would love your ideas and suggestions
I wouldn't use the chicken nipples. I am afraid the rabbits will chew on them and destroy them. The rabbit nipples are available on Amazon though. This watering system works well for me and easily holds 3 to 4 days of water for 3 rabbits. I hope that helps.
Great video. Thanks for not wasting anybody’s time. Straight to the point you save me a lot of time. I was kind of struggling with that spring business. Thanks again
Hi! I'm very interested in this as a solution to having to fill water bottles/bowls every day, but I'm curious if you've had any issues with leaks after the initial setup. I want to make sure there is not a high likelihood of there being leaks as we go away sometimes and have to get a housesitter to take care of the animals (I'd like to minimize how much she has to do each day.) Thank You!
I have not had any problems with it leaking. Every once in a while a valve goes bad and starts to leak but it is a very slow leak and an easy fix by replacing the valve (nipple).
Yet another very helpful lot of info! thanks for simplifying it for all of us dummies Chris, we wish you and yours everything that is good and thank you for your help.
I am also wondering about the winter and if you have solved the problem with Freezing. I was thinking about maybe using a Heat Tape on the lines and maybe a stock tank heater in the buckets.
instead of using silicone to seal the T at the bucket you could also use a bulkhead adapter that is commonly sold at a water filtration store, not sold so much at the hardware store. I've seen guys piecing together their micro brewery with that stuff when I worked at lowes.
I really like this idea for watering rabbits (still doing research before I get my feet wet). I live in a very hot, humid climate most of the year (Deep South), so keeping them cool is the main challenge. My current plan would keep them under shade all day, with potential for a few breezes, however I worry that their water will still wind up too warm for them to drink. I work long shifts so refilling through the day is not always an option. Will they still be inclined to drink the water even if it's up to ambient temperatures of 95 degrees F, or do I need to look at other options (i.e. place large ice pack in the bucket each day)?
Personally, I don't think it will be an issue. My hutch is in the shade but it gets just as hot here and the rabbits still drink water. I think an ice pack is a waste of time. It will cool the water off in the bucket for sure but it won't last long and the water in the tubes will still be warm when the rabbits drink it. I don't think it really bothers them.
Thank you for watching. I am glad you liked it. One note though, make sure to pick up a bulkhead to connect the hose to the bucket. It works much better.
I found the best deal by purchasing it locally at a big box store. I think I bought mine at Lowes. But you can get it on Amazon as well. Here is a link - amzn.to/2HjeyI2
Super simple and I wish I had seen this a month so before I used another guy's method that didn't work at all for me. Thank you. I have everything except the hose.
Thanks. I am glad that you found this video helpful. One thing I will say is that the hose connection to the bucket eventually failed. Make sure to pick up a bulkhead to connect to the bucket. I have a video on doing that as well ruclips.net/video/bqy0zuqpMWo/видео.html
I made this over the weekend. It’s going to work great! Thanks for the awesome video. I’m just curious how long it’s going to take bunnies to figure it out? So far I don’t think that they have.
I built this system and it works great. One thing I did differently, I had a water bucket that's made for horses in the barn that I wasn't using. It has an automatic float valve in it so I made it my bucket. Working very well. Thanks for the idea.
I have the same setup and they are nothing but trouble , some of them will constantly leak and others are too hard for the rabbits to squeeze. I ended up replacing some of the Springs inside them with a spring from an ink pen , I am in the process of getting something else and see how it goes .
Love the clear tube outside the bucket to see the water level. I just tried it and it works great, the only different I did was using soldering gun to melt the plastic pieces together and so far no leak.
very helpful video with details. the only one I can find so far. can you please tell me the diameter of the T, the drill and where you bought them ? Is the hose food grade ?
I am using 5/16 inch hose (food grade) i bought from Lowes. It is probably better to order your water valves first and then take them with you to the hardware store and match it up there. I hope that helps.
It really depends on what kind of rabbit you are raising. The rabbit needs enough room to stand up on their hind legs. Generally, 9 inches isn't going to be tall enough unless you are raising mini rabbits. I go for a minimum of 18 inches.
We have been so blessed by your video. Today my husband got 4 cages built. But now we needed to know how to supply water to them. So I just turned on my company and your video pop up. We are off to Lowe's. Thank you again for sharing with us.
Working on building my rabbit & chicken self waterer today. Been studying the set up, buying materials, digging an extension to my water line to have a dedicated line to my rabbits/chickens & to install a drip irrigation system for my raised bed & container gardening. I have GOT to free up time from all the watering involved with my animals & garden. I live in southern Alabama and the temps are BRUTAL this year as well as last summer. Can you believe I have had to move my peppers/tomato's to part shade as my plants were literally being FRIED by the sun? We had an unusually WET spring with rain for 2 months, almost daily. Now we are in a drought with no rain for 6 weeks BUT rain expected Thursday for about a week. (Looks like a TROPICAL SYSTEM coming in and THIS IS ANOTHER DREADED SEASON for those of us living in HURRICANE ALLEY!! Temps in mid 90's with feels like temps of 105+ every day and SUPER HIGH humidity so it makes for hard work and staying really hydrated. Anyway, always enjoy your vid's and learn a lot from them. Sure wish you were close enough by so you could come by and give me some advice on my setups and gardening. I'm a 62 yr old senior so getting back to the BASICS and trying hard to live off the land so I will KNOW what I am eating and what goes into my gardening & animals. I have close to 40 New Zealand & Californian meat rabbits. Just had 2 does give birth. One had 3 and the other had 5 with one to die 2 days after birth. My litters are always small but then again I haven't bred them as often as I should due to just not having the time nor space for any more til I do a slaughter. Got enough young new bucks & does to replace old stock so got to do a slaughter to free up hutches needed for babies. So much to do on a homestead and so much to try to remember from days gone by when I was homesteading, I am thinking that in order for folks to have FOOD (with all the flooding & devastation of crops, livestock, the only way to ensure you will have FOOD is to GROW YOUR OWN, which is more healthier, too. I am building a cattle panel hoop house greenhouse to be able to grow food/veggies year round when I complete my rabbit/chicken watering system. I am using a 55-gallon food grade plastic drum for my water tank. I will use PVC pipe plumbed into the top bung (they have fittings for these to adapt to either water hose or PVC pipe) to fill the water tank drum. The bottom bung will have a splitter for two lines of water tubing going to two sections of rabbits & chickens. Getting the fittings figured out has been a nightmare as my small local VERY RURAL area and even our larger city nearby does not have a good selection of PVC fittings. Having to order online and WAIT...Chickens will have water cups in PVC and rabbits will have nipples in the tubing. I will be able to put the 55 gallon plastic drum about 10-12 ft up under the rafters of the rabbit hutch area so HOPEFULLY I will have enough gravity fed water to supply rabbits/chickens without having to go pressurized. Now got to build a holding rack for the plastic drum that will hold the weight of all that water. Sure wished I had some strapping young guys to help me with some of this work. I dug my own 200 ft water line ditch to run water to my animals, installed the pipe, shut off valves by myself AND BY HAND so as long as I have LOTS OF TIME, since I am SO SLOW, I will eventually GITTER DONE! Been noticing slugs in some of my containers and in my flower garden so I'm putting out wood ash & diatomaceous earth around the plants and also setting out little bowls of beer that attract slugs. They will literally destroy your garden! I have tomato plants that are pushing 6.5 ft tall and they are just beginning to set flowers. No one believes my garden IN THE SHADE but hey, you have got to do what is best for the plants, not necessarily what is recommended by the seed company or what would be NORMAL for your area.
I hear ya. I often have to shade my plants in the summer. Full sun doesn't necessarily mean sun all the time. :) Sounds like you have a big operation going. Wish I was close by and could take a look at it too. Hang in there and keep pushing, you will get it all done eventually.
No problem. I have seen some set ups lately with a stock tank heater and pump to keep the water circulating. They claim that it is keeping everything thawed out but I am skeptical about the nipples not freezing up. I might build one and test it at some point though.
really? It is working fine for me. I am not sure how to fix that issue but let me know if it is still a problem and I will see what I can do. Sorry for the issues.
No reason not to. It isn't that much work for me to just fill the bucket up once a week or so though so I haven't gone to the extra effort of changing it. Good idea though.
Just been directed to your page from a friend. Only watched a few videos but finding them really interesting and useful. Can you tell me how you would stop the automatic waterers freezing in winter?
Thanks so much for stopping by. I am glad you like the videos. I don't keep the waterers from freezing. In the winter time they come out and i switch to water bowls until the temps get back above freezing. Even if you could keep the water lines from freezing the valves freeze almost instantly in anything below 20 degrees.
Howdy! First off, thanks for the video. I've learned a lot from watching you. I was wondering if there would be a way to use the same resource (bucket in your case), to supply the automatic watering for both the rabbits and quail. I keep both animals in the same kinds of stackable cages and it would be nice to be able to swap out a rabbit waterer for a quail waterer depending on what's in the cage.
sure you could. The water cups I use for my quail have an adapter (purchased separately) that allows them to be connected with hose. I also make my quail waters out of pvc and connect that to the bucket with the same diameter hose (with a nipple screwed onto the pvc) so it would work just fine as well.
Thanks, glad you liked it. I put the links to the products in the description. here they are if you still need them. Water valves - $12.99 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01... Food Grade Bucket - $4.48 - bit.ly/29O9iIV Lid for bucket - $2.18 - bit.ly/29UY2Nx Silicone Sealant - $3.98 - bit.ly/29O9XtS let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi. Awesome and extremely helpful video. Quick question, mind telling me were you bough the hose? I found some that were the right diameter, but they were to stiff.
well a buck is usually very easy to spot. If they are young rabbits it can be a little trickier. I did a video on that a while back. ruclips.net/video/dZbHU51q_40/видео.html
How are these nipples holding up. I installed mine about the same time you did and they started leaking about a month ago. Can't keep water in my bucket for 24h, only six rabbits. And it's the nipple, not the pipe.
I haven't had any problems with them. If they are leaking where they fit into the tube you might try just cutting off the very end of the tube and putting them back on.
It can be tricky to get them to start using the system at first. They need to learn how to get water from it. I actually addressed that issue in another video. ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=7g83gsqGZ1w I hope that helps.
I use a similar system but didn't know black tubing helps prevents slime buildup. So if you are having issues with slim inside your lines try switching to the black lines and covering or painting your buckets with dark paint. I am trying to find a system that I can hook directly to the pressurized water line/water hose. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Great video!
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't find that slime build up is a big issue for me. As for a pressurized system, you would probably need to glue the fittings to prevent them from blowing out and get a pressure reducer to hook it all up to. Unfortunately I don't have experience with that so I don't have any suggestions. You could also work it out with a toilet float valve in a bucket. That might be the easier way to go. Might try looking up aquaponics ebb and flow systems and see how they set them up. Would be pretty similar.
I've had this watering system installed since Thanksgiving and I'm loving it but having trouble keeping the tubing clean. Been adding ACV to the water but it's not working...I have some sort of algae growing inside the tubes. Any suggestions? Love your channel by the way, I'm new to meat rabbits and it's been super helpful!
Thank you so much for the kind words. As Kati M stated, the algae growth is from exposure to sunlight. If you can cover the tubing to keep it out of the sun it will dramatically reduce the amount of algae growth.
Some advice for a year round solution is the same principle with the bucket but use 1-2" PVC instead, wrap it with mobile home heat tape, and then finish it up with the 1/2" black foam that you can buy at Lowes for $3 per 10FT. No worries about freezing and zero worries about working hard in the winter. Honestly for the cost of that tubing it probably ends up being similar in price as well. If you have naughty rabbits though you will have to use a T on each cage to avoid them nibbling on the foam.
Chris, sorry if this question comes so late. Does the automatic watering system work for the developing kits as well? Meaning, will you still need to keep a bowl of water for the babies as they emerge out of the next box? Thanks for your valuable info!
The kits will learn to use the watering system just fine. You don't need to keep any water bowls or anything in there. They figure it out by watching the mother and get plenty of water when they are ready to start drinking on their own.
I was told to use black tubing to prevent growth of algae in the tubing. I am wondering how you keep the rabbits water cool in the summer. I am in Tennessee and know heat is bad for my rabbits. Did you put a valve on the backside of the bucket in case you need to drain and refill?
Algae can be a problem. The biggest thing you can do is keep it out of the sun. My system is never in direct sunlight. I think i already answered the rest of that in the facebook post but let me know if you have any more questions. There is no drain plug but just pull the tube off and it drains.
I'm exhausted doing water bottles, frozen water bottles. Then the wonderful not working water bottles. Someone told me that the rabbits backwash and a watering system causes infections in the entire colony? Have you heard of that?
If you are talking about the plastic thing on the cage floor, that is a resting mat. It gives the rabbit something to stand on to get a break from the wire if they want to.
Just got mine nipples and r3asy to hook up to my cages. Thinking I might use a float valve system to keep my water source full. Years ago started with 6 rabbits soon had over 300 😁 Some I sold others went into the freezer I really love your channel. Also planning on getting around 200 to 500 head of quail here in next month once I get those cafes built.
Finally! Thank you, almost all the videos I've found only talked about the watering system. You have the first video actually showing exactly HOW make it and where to get the parts from. Now I can finally stop filling up the those leaking water bottles lol! Liked!
I am sorry for the slow response. You should be able to buy most of the stuff at your local hardware store. you can also pick up a lot of it on my Amazon shop (www.amazon.com/shop/slightlyrednecked). I found that the glue to the bucket didn't work well and I switched over to a bulkhead to attach the hose to the bucket. Works much better. it is in my Amazon shop as well.
For anyone in 2020 wondering, yes these systems work well for rats IF AND ONLY IF you keep all of the tubing attached to the metal nipple OUT OF REACH. Otherwise they bite the nipples off and drown in the resulting flood. Its nasty af so don't make this mistake ^_^
If it is leaking at the bucket you might try using a bulkhead fitting. I have one in my Amazon shop - www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Z7U1K?tag=onamzslight07-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=B0002Z7U1K&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.22NJMLUFUZO8D. I hope that helps.
I agree. I have these. One of the problems I had was a doe who would back up to the nipple and her back side would crack open the valve. I moved it higher and it helped. But it would still stick open almost daily. I have a slightly different style that I changed out and seems to work better. You get what you pay for
no, quail won't be able to bite hard enough to get water out. I use water cups for my quail. You can see what i use in this video. ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=-mPsfIdTLtQ&feature=vm
@@amandaleimbach2669 thanks! I've tried that but didn't work, instead I had thick floating things in the water which stop the lines. I have wrapped mine in the insulation pipe black foam and so far so good, keeps water cooler too.
@@Tru_LIBERTY I thought of black however when you have a line stopped up it's hard to tell were with black tubing. So I bought foam (used for pipes) in the winter to help not freeze. Now I keep algae out and the water stays cooler in summer and doesn't freeze in winter. In the end it wasn't that expensive.
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Try a bobber, fishing line and any item as an indicator. Drill a small hole at the top. Tread the fishing line. Tie on bobber (inside of bucket). tie on indicator (outside). Fill bucket. the bobber will drop w the water and the indicator will...indicate. lol
walmart sells their empty frosting buckets with lids for $1.00.
That's a great tip. Thanks for sharing it.
So what do you do with the other bottles? I just got some like them, are they useless now?
Trust me, if you've got critters, they'll be handy later. I do use the water bottles for chickens in tractors, but I am planning on switching them over to automatic waterers, too.
Can you do a troubleshooting video on leaking buckets? We used the silicone stuff you recommended and then tried caulking for kitchen sinks... bucket still leaks where the red 3 way is inserted. We're at a loss.
I am so sorry about that. I did find a much better way to connect the hose to the bucket with a bulkhead. I did shoot video on that but you can get one at this link amzn.to/2YmIQ6R (they probably have one at your local Lowes/Home Depot as well).
Thanks, sorry i just now saw you replied. My hubby ended up adding more silicone twice more and got it working :) will look up your link as well.
Slightly Rednecked I am in the middle of purchasing what I need to make this. You stated your hoses (tubing) was 5/16, does the bulkhead you linked above fit that??
Watched your video thank you for posting. I ran into same problem with silicone. Especially in colder weather. Its shrinks and causes leaks at bucket. Just found this better option here you posted. Thanks but maybe preface original video with improved method and part???? Just a thought. Thanks again for your educational videos. Much appreciated.
Only thing I'd suggest is to use black, instead of clear hose for the feeder tubes. It will prevent algae buildup.
I dont mean to be off topic but does someone know a method to get back into an instagram account??
I was dumb forgot my account password. I appreciate any tips you can offer me!
@Cristiano Nathanael Instablaster :)
@Luciano Omar Thanks so much for your reply. I found the site on google and im waiting for the hacking stuff now.
Seems to take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@Luciano Omar it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thank you so much you saved my ass!
@Cristiano Nathanael no problem :)
Do you recommend black hoes so that it doesn't cost algea
Just gave you your 500th vlog like ✅
Thank you so much.
One thing I’d like to add is you can save some frustration later by using the black hose because algae will form in the lines due to sunlight. Also it will form in the buckets a. You can take an adhesive aluminum foil and cover the outside of the bucket to block the sunlight or simply layer with duct tape.
We couldn't find "rabbit" nipples in our local Tractor Supply - only chicken ones...do you think we could use those instead? we are 350 miles north of both of our families and to go down and visit ends up being 3-4 day gone from homestead...getting warmer and our 3 rabbits (1buck/2doe) are already drinking a lot more water...would love your ideas and suggestions
I wouldn't use the chicken nipples. I am afraid the rabbits will chew on them and destroy them. The rabbit nipples are available on Amazon though. This watering system works well for me and easily holds 3 to 4 days of water for 3 rabbits. I hope that helps.
Great video. Thanks for not wasting anybody’s time. Straight to the point you save me a lot of time. I was kind of struggling with that spring business. Thanks again
Hi! I'm very interested in this as a solution to having to fill water bottles/bowls every day, but I'm curious if you've had any issues with leaks after the initial setup. I want to make sure there is not a high likelihood of there being leaks as we go away sometimes and have to get a housesitter to take care of the animals (I'd like to minimize how much she has to do each day.) Thank You!
I have not had any problems with it leaking. Every once in a while a valve goes bad and starts to leak but it is a very slow leak and an easy fix by replacing the valve (nipple).
My tubing is 3/8". Do you think the 3/8" nipples used for piglets would work for rabbits instead of the 5/16"?
Yet another very helpful lot of info! thanks for simplifying it for all of us dummies Chris, we wish you and yours everything that is good and thank you for your help.
I am also wondering about the winter and if you have solved the problem with Freezing. I was thinking about maybe using a Heat Tape on the lines and maybe a stock tank heater in the buckets.
instead of using silicone to seal the T at the bucket you could also use a bulkhead adapter that is commonly sold at a water filtration store, not sold so much at the hardware store. I've seen guys piecing together their micro brewery with that stuff when I worked at lowes.
Yup. I have gone that way myself. I actually posted another video as a response to this one showing that off. Much better solution indeed.
@@Slightlyrednecked what's that video's title sir? I've had leaking issues. Thanks
How do you handle freezing temperatures in winter? (If that's an issue where you are at.)
It is an issue. I take it down on the winter and switch to water bowls.
where is your link?
I really like this idea for watering rabbits (still doing research before I get my feet wet). I live in a very hot, humid climate most of the year (Deep South), so keeping them cool is the main challenge. My current plan would keep them under shade all day, with potential for a few breezes, however I worry that their water will still wind up too warm for them to drink. I work long shifts so refilling through the day is not always an option. Will they still be inclined to drink the water even if it's up to ambient temperatures of 95 degrees F, or do I need to look at other options (i.e. place large ice pack in the bucket each day)?
Personally, I don't think it will be an issue. My hutch is in the shade but it gets just as hot here and the rabbits still drink water. I think an ice pack is a waste of time. It will cool the water off in the bucket for sure but it won't last long and the water in the tubes will still be warm when the rabbits drink it. I don't think it really bothers them.
Hey i cant seem to make my system work properly can i leave the top of the bucket off or it needs to stay on?
You do need to vent the lid. You can just leave the lid cracked so it gets air flow.
Thanks Chris simple!
Thank you for watching. I am glad you liked it. One note though, make sure to pick up a bulkhead to connect the hose to the bucket. It works much better.
Hi there, I was just wondering if you could show me where the 5/16th hose. Like, the link? Thanks!
I found the best deal by purchasing it locally at a big box store. I think I bought mine at Lowes. But you can get it on Amazon as well. Here is a link - amzn.to/2HjeyI2
I am learning a lot about rabbits and quail from you , Thanks for the videos. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for the kind comments. I am so glad you like the videos.
Could you drill a hole in the top of an existing plastic water bottle and connect with a T like you did for the 5 gallon bucket?
I am not sure. I haven't tried that. I would be concerned that the bottle would be too week to hold up and seal well. But it is worth a try
Super simple and I wish I had seen this a month so before I used another guy's method that didn't work at all for me. Thank you. I have everything except the hose.
Thanks. I am glad that you found this video helpful. One thing I will say is that the hose connection to the bucket eventually failed. Make sure to pick up a bulkhead to connect to the bucket. I have a video on doing that as well ruclips.net/video/bqy0zuqpMWo/видео.html
It was so helpful, I wish am home now.
Hello beautiful
does rabbitts carry there babes
no. They don't really have the ability to carry their babies around like dogs or cats do.
Good day sir, Is it true calofornian rabbit marking faded when its summer?
Automatic waterer I have is a toilet tank with a garden hose hookup for fill up and pvc to all the cages with watering nipples.
I just ordered me the kit after I watch this video this is going to make life a lot easier in the morning!
It works great for me. Just a piece of advice, get a bulkhead to attach the hose to the bucket. Works much better than how I initially did it.
Kit names plz
I made this over the weekend. It’s going to work great! Thanks for the awesome video. I’m just curious how long it’s going to take bunnies to figure it out? So far I don’t think that they have.
I'm not very me mechanically inclined so been wanting to see this. How does the bucket keep water, from rain or from a hose?
I built this system and it works great. One thing I did differently, I had a water bucket that's made for horses in the barn that I wasn't using. It has an automatic float valve in it so I made it my bucket. Working very well. Thanks for the idea.
Great idea thank you for sharing big hugs from Minnesota
This is exactly what I have been looking for ~ thank you soo much.
I have the same setup and they are nothing but trouble , some of them will constantly leak and others are too hard for the rabbits to squeeze.
I ended up replacing some of the Springs inside them with a spring from an ink pen ,
I am in the process of getting something else and see how it goes .
Love the clear tube outside the bucket to see the water level. I just tried it and it works great, the only different I did was using soldering gun to melt the plastic pieces together and so far no leak.
How long does it take for the rabbits to find the waters
Haw do you keep it from freezing
beautiful. thank you.
nice video , nice rabbit how to know where to buy?
I appreciate your videos.
very helpful video with details. the only one I can find so far.
can you please tell me the diameter of the T, the drill and where you bought them ? Is the hose food grade ?
I am using 5/16 inch hose (food grade) i bought from Lowes. It is probably better to order your water valves first and then take them with you to the hardware store and match it up there. I hope that helps.
Sweet! We are going to build this next week.
Hi! I'm building some cages to get into breeding rabbits for my family. Do you think 9 inches high is high enough for the cages? Thanks.
It really depends on what kind of rabbit you are raising. The rabbit needs enough room to stand up on their hind legs. Generally, 9 inches isn't going to be tall enough unless you are raising mini rabbits. I go for a minimum of 18 inches.
Thank you, thank you, I was looking all over for a connecter to the bucket. 10 out of 10, excellent video.
Thanks, Glad you liked this one too. :)
We have been so blessed by your video. Today my husband got 4 cages built. But now we needed to know how to supply water to them. So I just turned on my company and your video pop up. We are off to Lowe's. Thank you again for sharing with us.
Awesome. I am so glad I could help and thank you for watching.
Working on building my rabbit & chicken self waterer today. Been studying the set up, buying materials, digging an extension to my water line to have a dedicated line to my rabbits/chickens & to install a drip irrigation system for my raised bed & container gardening. I have GOT to free up time from all the watering involved with my animals & garden. I live in southern Alabama and the temps are BRUTAL this year as well as last summer. Can you believe I have had to move my peppers/tomato's to part shade as my plants were literally being FRIED by the sun? We had an unusually WET spring with rain for 2 months, almost daily. Now we are in a drought with no rain for 6 weeks BUT rain expected Thursday for about a week. (Looks like a TROPICAL SYSTEM coming in and THIS IS ANOTHER DREADED SEASON for those of us living in HURRICANE ALLEY!! Temps in mid 90's with feels like temps of 105+ every day and SUPER HIGH humidity so it makes for hard work and staying really hydrated. Anyway, always enjoy your vid's and learn a lot from them. Sure wish you were close enough by so you could come by and give me some advice on my setups and gardening. I'm a 62 yr old senior so getting back to the BASICS and trying hard to live off the land so I will KNOW what I am eating and what goes into my gardening & animals. I have close to 40 New Zealand & Californian meat rabbits. Just had 2 does give birth. One had 3 and the other had 5 with one to die 2 days after birth. My litters are always small but then again I haven't bred them as often as I should due to just not having the time nor space for any more til I do a slaughter. Got enough young new bucks & does to replace old stock so got to do a slaughter to free up hutches needed for babies. So much to do on a homestead and so much to try to remember from days gone by when I was homesteading, I am thinking that in order for folks to have FOOD (with all the flooding & devastation of crops, livestock, the only way to ensure you will have FOOD is to GROW YOUR OWN, which is more healthier, too. I am building a cattle panel hoop house greenhouse to be able to grow food/veggies year round when I complete my rabbit/chicken watering system. I am using a 55-gallon food grade plastic drum for my water tank. I will use PVC pipe plumbed into the top bung (they have fittings for these to adapt to either water hose or PVC pipe) to fill the water tank drum. The bottom bung will have a splitter for two lines of water tubing going to two sections of rabbits & chickens. Getting the fittings figured out has been a nightmare as my small local VERY RURAL area and even our larger city nearby does not have a good selection of PVC fittings. Having to order online and WAIT...Chickens will have water cups in PVC and rabbits will have nipples in the tubing. I will be able to put the 55 gallon plastic drum about 10-12 ft up under the rafters of the rabbit hutch area so HOPEFULLY I will have enough gravity fed water to supply rabbits/chickens without having to go pressurized. Now got to build a holding rack for the plastic drum that will hold the weight of all that water. Sure wished I had some strapping young guys to help me with some of this work. I dug my own 200 ft water line ditch to run water to my animals, installed the pipe, shut off valves by myself AND BY HAND so as long as I have LOTS OF TIME, since I am SO SLOW, I will eventually GITTER DONE! Been noticing slugs in some of my containers and in my flower garden so I'm putting out wood ash & diatomaceous earth around the plants and also setting out little bowls of beer that attract slugs. They will literally destroy your garden! I have tomato plants that are pushing 6.5 ft tall and they are just beginning to set flowers. No one believes my garden IN THE SHADE but hey, you have got to do what is best for the plants, not necessarily what is recommended by the seed company or what would be NORMAL for your area.
I hear ya. I often have to shade my plants in the summer. Full sun doesn't necessarily mean sun all the time. :) Sounds like you have a big operation going. Wish I was close by and could take a look at it too. Hang in there and keep pushing, you will get it all done eventually.
I like his shirt.
ok thanks thats what I thought just wanted confirmation
No problem. I have seen some set ups lately with a stock tank heater and pump to keep the water circulating. They claim that it is keeping everything thawed out but I am skeptical about the nipples not freezing up. I might build one and test it at some point though.
The drinking nipple is not available in my area but am interested to install it to my cage please advise thanksl
they are on Amazon www.amazon.com/dp/B08GKJFWWM?tag=onamztherabbi-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=B08GKJFWWM&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.1QZTPZ6PV71AS
How well does the self watering system work in the winter?
It depends on your winter. I take it down in the winter and go to watering in crocks. The nipples freeze very quickly when the temperature drops.
yes the amazon link don't show me anything
really? It is working fine for me. I am not sure how to fix that issue but let me know if it is still a problem and I will see what I can do. Sorry for the issues.
why don't you put also a no return valve on top of bucket to fill bucket automatically
No reason not to. It isn't that much work for me to just fill the bucket up once a week or so though so I haven't gone to the extra effort of changing it. Good idea though.
Just been directed to your page from a friend. Only watched a few videos but finding them really interesting and useful. Can you tell me how you would stop the automatic waterers freezing in winter?
Thanks so much for stopping by. I am glad you like the videos. I don't keep the waterers from freezing. In the winter time they come out and i switch to water bowls until the temps get back above freezing. Even if you could keep the water lines from freezing the valves freeze almost instantly in anything below 20 degrees.
Howdy! First off, thanks for the video. I've learned a lot from watching you. I was wondering if there would be a way to use the same resource (bucket in your case), to supply the automatic watering for both the rabbits and quail. I keep both animals in the same kinds of stackable cages and it would be nice to be able to swap out a rabbit waterer for a quail waterer depending on what's in the cage.
sure you could. The water cups I use for my quail have an adapter (purchased separately) that allows them to be connected with hose. I also make my quail waters out of pvc and connect that to the bucket with the same diameter hose (with a nipple screwed onto the pvc) so it would work just fine as well.
I love that set up where's the link for those products?
Thanks, glad you liked it. I put the links to the products in the description. here they are if you still need them.
Water valves - $12.99 www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Food Grade Bucket - $4.48 - bit.ly/29O9iIV
Lid for bucket - $2.18 - bit.ly/29UY2Nx
Silicone Sealant - $3.98 - bit.ly/29O9XtS
let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi. Awesome and extremely helpful video. Quick question, mind telling me were you bough the hose? I found some that were the right diameter, but they were to stiff.
I bought it at the local hardware store. Lowes, Home Depot, anything like that should have it.
Thanks for your videos.
please how do one identify doe or buck from weaners?
well a buck is usually very easy to spot. If they are young rabbits it can be a little trickier. I did a video on that a while back. ruclips.net/video/dZbHU51q_40/видео.html
How are these nipples holding up. I installed mine about the same time you did and they started leaking about a month ago. Can't keep water in my bucket for 24h, only six rabbits. And it's the nipple, not the pipe.
I haven't had any problems with them. If they are leaking where they fit into the tube you might try just cutting off the very end of the tube and putting them back on.
Hi. No it was coming from the inside of the nipple. Going to try it again with some new nipples since i completly redid my cage setup.
ur channel is the best 1 out there on rabbits i think
Thanks so much. I am glad you find it helpful.
I have hard tine with his setting. Rabbit can not bite the nipple. May be finding too hard to quizze the part. Any idea how make them using it
It can be tricky to get them to start using the system at first. They need to learn how to get water from it. I actually addressed that issue in another video. ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=7g83gsqGZ1w
I hope that helps.
Love the design - looks pretty cost effective for my 22 hole rabbitry...have you had any trouble with the rabbits chewing the tubing?
no. But the tubing is on the outside of the cage and they can't get to it. I am sure if it was inside the cage they would chew it up.
Okay, thanks!
How much and what type of tubing do you use?
It is 5/16 inch inside diameter hose. How much you use depends on your set up though. Hope that helps.
I use a similar system but didn't know black tubing helps prevents slime buildup. So if you are having issues with slim inside your lines try switching to the black lines and covering or painting your buckets with dark paint. I am trying to find a system that I can hook directly to the pressurized water line/water hose. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Great video!
Thanks for the suggestion. I don't find that slime build up is a big issue for me. As for a pressurized system, you would probably need to glue the fittings to prevent them from blowing out and get a pressure reducer to hook it all up to. Unfortunately I don't have experience with that so I don't have any suggestions. You could also work it out with a toilet float valve in a bucket. That might be the easier way to go. Might try looking up aquaponics ebb and flow systems and see how they set them up. Would be pretty similar.
@@Slightlyrednecked that's a good idea. Thanks
Really helpfull. 👌👌❤️👏
Thank you. I am glad you liked it.
I've had this watering system installed since Thanksgiving and I'm loving it but having trouble keeping the tubing clean. Been adding ACV to the water but it's not working...I have some sort of algae growing inside the tubes. Any suggestions? Love your channel by the way, I'm new to meat rabbits and it's been super helpful!
try painting the tubes so the sun can't get to the growing algae
Thank you so much for the kind words. As Kati M stated, the algae growth is from exposure to sunlight. If you can cover the tubing to keep it out of the sun it will dramatically reduce the amount of algae growth.
Great video! Yours feels like one of the best I've seen. Very good explanations. Thank you. How would you winterize this?
Thanks for the kind comments. I don't winterize it, it comes down when the temperature drops below freezing. I switch to bowls for the winter time.
Some advice for a year round solution is the same principle with the bucket but use 1-2" PVC instead, wrap it with mobile home heat tape, and then finish it up with the 1/2" black foam that you can buy at Lowes for $3 per 10FT.
No worries about freezing and zero worries about working hard in the winter. Honestly for the cost of that tubing it probably ends up being similar in price as well. If you have naughty rabbits though you will have to use a T on each cage to avoid them nibbling on the foam.
Chris, sorry if this question comes so late. Does the automatic watering system work for the developing kits as well? Meaning, will you still need to keep a bowl of water for the babies as they emerge out of the next box? Thanks for your valuable info!
The kits will learn to use the watering system just fine. You don't need to keep any water bowls or anything in there. They figure it out by watching the mother and get plenty of water when they are ready to start drinking on their own.
@@Slightlyrednecked Wonderful! Man, I truly appreciate all your feedback.
well that looks nice hope they work
Thanks for watching. They work very well.
I was told to use black tubing to prevent growth of algae in the tubing.
I am wondering how you keep the rabbits water cool in the summer. I am in Tennessee and know heat is bad for my rabbits. Did you put a valve on the backside of the bucket in case you need to drain and refill?
Algae can be a problem. The biggest thing you can do is keep it out of the sun. My system is never in direct sunlight. I think i already answered the rest of that in the facebook post but let me know if you have any more questions.
There is no drain plug but just pull the tube off and it drains.
clhlegal pex & pexlock..
I'm exhausted doing water bottles, frozen water bottles. Then the wonderful not working water bottles.
Someone told me that the rabbits backwash and a watering system causes infections in the entire colony? Have you heard of that?
I have never had any problems like that myself.
The way a gravity fed system works wouldn't allow that :)
What s that withe plastic thing from the floor? What is it for?
If you are talking about the plastic thing on the cage floor, that is a resting mat. It gives the rabbit something to stand on to get a break from the wire if they want to.
@@Slightlyrednecked thank you
Just got mine nipples and r3asy to hook up to my cages.
Thinking I might use a float valve system to keep my water source full.
Years ago started with 6 rabbits soon had over 300 😁
Some I sold others went into the freezer
I really love your channel.
Also planning on getting around 200 to 500 head of quail here in next month once I get those cafes built.
Go big or go home right? :)
I am so glad to hear that you enjoy my videos. Good luck with your cage building and new birds.
for years ive used a black bucket with black tubing with either a swamp cooler float towards the top or a toilet tank float from the bottom
can this be used for dogs too??
I have never tried but i don't think it would work well for dogs.
Did you build your own cages? If so, what wire did you use?
I use 16 gauge on mine
Rabbit net is now available the material is made of stainless wire
КРУТОЙ ЗАМОК НА КЛЕТКЕ,ПОИЛКИ СУПЕР!
I am sorry, I don't speak Russian and I don't know what that says. I hope you liked the video though.
its more work making the aromatic watering tube then just filling the bottel xD
perhaps. but it is only a one time job. Saves lots of work in the long run.
true
you bum
Finally! Thank you, almost all the videos I've found only talked about the watering system. You have the first video actually showing exactly HOW make it and where to get the parts from. Now I can finally stop filling up the those leaking water bottles lol! Liked!
thank you for the kind comments. I am glad you liked the video.
Let me know how the build goes.
Just ordered the last water valves from amazon should be here this week. Can't wait to try it filling up 20 water bottles every other day gets old.
Made 2 this system is great and the rabbits took to it as soon as I installed it. Thank you again! ;-)
awesome. Glad to hear it is working out well.
where can i buy that silicone? and what is the exact name of that glue?
I am sorry for the slow response. You should be able to buy most of the stuff at your local hardware store. you can also pick up a lot of it on my Amazon shop (www.amazon.com/shop/slightlyrednecked). I found that the glue to the bucket didn't work well and I switched over to a bulkhead to attach the hose to the bucket. Works much better. it is in my Amazon shop as well.
Name of things used plz
this works with rats too? thanks
I don't see why it wouldn't. :) Thanks for watching and glad you liked it.
For anyone in 2020 wondering, yes these systems work well for rats IF AND ONLY IF you keep all of the tubing attached to the metal nipple OUT OF REACH. Otherwise they bite the nipples off and drown in the resulting flood. Its nasty af so don't make this mistake ^_^
leaks constantly!
If it is leaking at the bucket you might try using a bulkhead fitting. I have one in my Amazon shop - www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Z7U1K?tag=onamzslight07-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=B0002Z7U1K&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.22NJMLUFUZO8D.
I hope that helps.
I agree. I have these. One of the problems I had was a doe who would back up to the nipple and her back side would crack open the valve. I moved it higher and it helped. But it would still stick open almost daily. I have a slightly different style that I changed out and seems to work better. You get what you pay for
How do you prevent algae in water bucket
keep it in the shade. It doesn't prevent it but it does minimize it. A little algae won't hurt the rabbit so I don't worry about it too much.
James Musante 1 cap of bleach will not harm your rabbits and effectively keep algae down
Pump air into the water. Use air stone with aquarium pump.
Add a little apple cider vinegar. Not harmful at all.
Can quails use this?
no, quail won't be able to bite hard enough to get water out. I use water cups for my quail. You can see what i use in this video. ruclips.net/user/edit?o=U&video_id=-mPsfIdTLtQ&feature=vm
The link above appears to be broken Chris
Thanks. How do you keep algae out of your lines and water level tube?
Apple cider vinegar in your water source helps
@@amandaleimbach2669 thanks! I've tried that but didn't work, instead I had thick floating things in the water which stop the lines. I have wrapped mine in the insulation pipe black foam and so far so good, keeps water cooler too.
I read that using black tubing will prevent algae. Any comments?
@@Tru_LIBERTY I thought of black however when you have a line stopped up it's hard to tell were with black tubing. So I bought foam (used for pipes) in the winter to help not freeze. Now I keep algae out and the water stays cooler in summer and doesn't freeze in winter. In the end it wasn't that expensive.
Can you do this with five different rabbits with five different tee things
sure. I feed four cages with this currently.
Thank you