We're still trying to figure out which direction we're going to go with that. They're still going through the entire tote in a few days, so the water doesn't sit much. A very small amount of bleach seems to be the most consistent approach, but we'd prefer not to use it.
Lol, thank you Eric! It is getting a little easier, but I still have a hard time. And all I do is critic it when I watch the video... Duane is so much better at this lol.
We've been pleasantly surprised with how well this is holding up. This year we're finishing 20 pigs with this same setup and the original equipment is still intact. That's saying a lot considering these bruisers pretty much destroy almost everything else these days!
It took us some time to finally track down the parts we needed, but it's working flawlessly right now. We have another one that we have set aside for other livestock, but it would also work great for watering veggie beds!
Very nice tutorial. The only problem I find with that many pigs is that they are fighting to get a drink since there is only one nipple for the big tank of water.
Hmm, we haven't had that issue with the 21 pigs we are raising this year and 20 last year. The only exception is when we let the tote run dry and they're all trying to drink at the same time as it refills. You can definitely add multiple nipples in a line from the single tank. That may be your best bet.
I saw a vid from someone a few years back doing rainwater collection for human use who said a biofilm will form on the surface of the plastic and pretty much eliminate leaching opportunities. Don't know if that claim has ever been tested by a lab though.
That's a great question and for now we're not too concerned. We only keep these pigs during the Fall - Spring months when temps are more moderate, but eventually we'll have some pigs year round. For those we'll need to shade this a bit to keep the water from being too hot to handle, so fingers crossed there are not any issues.
Hey Cody. It's holding up just fine. I'll admit, I was little nervous with the plastic fittings and 300+ lb hogs being...well...hogs. It helps to keep the nipple just inside the fence, so they can't torque the pipe too hard. We also put some logs into the pit they started digging under the nipple, so they're not easily able to brush up against the nipple. It still happens, but it hasn't damaged any of the fittings. We had 13 full size pigs on it up until a few weeks back when we started running them to the processor. At the peak we were filling this every 3-4 days. That vs the barrel that we were filling twice a day when they were half that weight.
I like the concept. How has it been working since your vid? Have you made any mods? But one nipple for 13 pigs??? Here is an idea. Make a multiple nipple set up attached to a board that is mounted on a pallet. Then run a garden or air hose from the tote to the nipples.. I personally would make at least a 4 nipple set up with 13 pigs...
Believe it or not, this thing is still going strong with no modifications or repairs. Last year we finished 20 pigs with this same waterer and are finishing up 21 this year. The only issue has been some algae buildup in the tote, but covering it with one of those IBC tote covers does help. It wouldn't hurt to have more nipples, but we have not had any issues with pigs fighting over the nipple...at least not any more than they like to fight over everything from time to time. The dominant pigs drink first and everyone else follows after.
Hey Travis. We were concerned about that as well (and came down from a 12" pipe we originally bought), but this has survived 13 full grown pigs with no issues. I think the key is keeping the nipple right up against the fence so they can't wrench on it or bump it when they're moving around it. That's my theory at least!
You can definitely add more if you'd like. We have not had an issue with the single nipple and usually raise around 20 pigs a year. They're pretty rough on the equipment, especially when they're bigger and we figure a bit of extra pipe attached to the hardware is asking for trouble.
We thought the exact same thing and we have not had any issues with this. It's still holding up well with no issues. At our peak we had 13 full grown, 300+ lb pigs drinking from this one nipple!
This is seriously the best video I've seen on the IBC tote waterer.
I'm glad you enjoyed this one! We were trying to get the parts detail in there which seems to be the challenge with these things!
Thanks for the nitty-gritty of the plumbing setup!
Sure thing Dmitry. We're hoping this helps someone else looking for that parts detail.
Some ppl paint to prevent algae, I prefer to Shade because in summer it gets way to hot.
We're still trying to figure out which direction we're going to go with that. They're still going through the entire tote in a few days, so the water doesn't sit much. A very small amount of bleach seems to be the most consistent approach, but we'd prefer not to use it.
Well done video Lori! Youre a pro now at being in front of the camera. I still remember the old days when you never were on film lol!
Lol, thank you Eric! It is getting a little easier, but I still have a hard time. And all I do is critic it when I watch the video... Duane is so much better at this lol.
Great job, Lori and thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Daniel!!
Pretty cool I have the 55 gallons now hopefully soon I can upgrade to the big one thanks for the video
We've been pleasantly surprised with how well this is holding up. This year we're finishing 20 pigs with this same setup and the original equipment is still intact. That's saying a lot considering these bruisers pretty much destroy almost everything else these days!
I’m planning on using large totes to set up irrigation on my land to try and start growing.
It took us some time to finally track down the parts we needed, but it's working flawlessly right now. We have another one that we have set aside for other livestock, but it would also work great for watering veggie beds!
Great video Lori!! Very informative and well done!
Thanks Kylan! We're hoping this will help someone else looking for a parts detail on this build.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm It helped me! Ive seen those used before but i have no idea of what was needed.
@@kylanve glad to hear it!
#GreatIdea #ILovethis #Keepupthegreatwork
Thank you!!
Good Job!!
Thank you so much Richard!
Very nice tutorial. The only problem I find with that many pigs is that they are fighting to get a drink since there is only one nipple for the big tank of water.
Hmm, we haven't had that issue with the 21 pigs we are raising this year and 20 last year. The only exception is when we let the tote run dry and they're all trying to drink at the same time as it refills. You can definitely add multiple nipples in a line from the single tank. That may be your best bet.
great job thank you
Thank you David!
Excellent video. Are you concerned at all that in summer temps chemicals might leach out of the plastic and into their water supply?
I saw a vid from someone a few years back doing rainwater collection for human use who said a biofilm will form on the surface of the plastic and pretty much eliminate leaching opportunities.
Don't know if that claim has ever been tested by a lab though.
That's a great question and for now we're not too concerned. We only keep these pigs during the Fall - Spring months when temps are more moderate, but eventually we'll have some pigs year round. For those we'll need to shade this a bit to keep the water from being too hot to handle, so fingers crossed there are not any issues.
How’s it holding up? Looks like a relatively easy set up. How many days do you usually get out of the tank when full?
Hey Cody. It's holding up just fine. I'll admit, I was little nervous with the plastic fittings and 300+ lb hogs being...well...hogs. It helps to keep the nipple just inside the fence, so they can't torque the pipe too hard. We also put some logs into the pit they started digging under the nipple, so they're not easily able to brush up against the nipple. It still happens, but it hasn't damaged any of the fittings. We had 13 full size pigs on it up until a few weeks back when we started running them to the processor. At the peak we were filling this every 3-4 days. That vs the barrel that we were filling twice a day when they were half that weight.
Was one nipple enough for all of them?
I like the concept. How has it been working since your vid? Have you made any mods? But one nipple for 13 pigs??? Here is an idea. Make a multiple nipple set up attached to a board that is mounted on a pallet. Then run a garden or air hose from the tote to the nipples.. I personally would make at least a 4 nipple set up with 13 pigs...
Believe it or not, this thing is still going strong with no modifications or repairs. Last year we finished 20 pigs with this same waterer and are finishing up 21 this year. The only issue has been some algae buildup in the tote, but covering it with one of those IBC tote covers does help. It wouldn't hurt to have more nipples, but we have not had any issues with pigs fighting over the nipple...at least not any more than they like to fight over everything from time to time. The dominant pigs drink first and everyone else follows after.
With the extra length, have you found that the pigs break/bend it?
Hey Travis. We were concerned about that as well (and came down from a 12" pipe we originally bought), but this has survived 13 full grown pigs with no issues. I think the key is keeping the nipple right up against the fence so they can't wrench on it or bump it when they're moving around it. That's my theory at least!
Great video but question as to why you wouldn't put more than one nipple on it so that more than one pig could drink at a time?
You can definitely add more if you'd like. We have not had an issue with the single nipple and usually raise around 20 pigs a year. They're pretty rough on the equipment, especially when they're bigger and we figure a bit of extra pipe attached to the hardware is asking for trouble.
Curious how this held up.... I would think the pigs would break it.
We thought the exact same thing and we have not had any issues with this. It's still holding up well with no issues. At our peak we had 13 full grown, 300+ lb pigs drinking from this one nipple!