How to Make a Gravity DIY Chicken Waterer with PVC

If you’ve ever had chickens, you probably understand the frustrations that can come with the different types of chicken waterers. They run out quickly. They get knocked over. The water gets gross. We wanted something for our chicken tractor that could last for days without being refilled, not make a mess, and move along with the tractor. This gravity waterer DIY chicken waterer system made with waterer cups and pvc pipe does it all!

We’ll warn you in advance: the supplies list looks scary. But there’s an easy way to get everything you need. Just take this list to Home Depot or another home improvement store and show it to someone in the plumbing department. They’ll have the parts you need collected in no time, and then you can just follow these detailed picture instructions to put it together. It’s not nearly as complicated as the supplies list makes it look! 

And it’s an intuitive project, so you can just follow the picture tutorial even if you’re not a written instructions person (but we wrote those down, too!).

This whole project came to about $80, and it will last for many years to come (and save us lots of work, too!). 

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Benefits of a Gravity DIY Chicken Waterer

1. The water lasts for days

We made this DIY waterer for our meat bird tractor, which usually has about 25 birds in it at a time. After filling the 5-gallon bucket, it’s usually enough water to last our flock for at least 3 days. This not only makes everyday chores easy, but it’s also super convenient if we want to go away on vacation for a few days and have a neighbor watch our animals. 

Paired with our DIY chicken feeder, we can usually go a couple of days without having to do any chores, other than a quick check on the birds to make sure they’re all okay.

2. Chicken water stays fresh

This automatic chicken waterer system means that new water replenishes the cups as the birds drink, so they always have fresh water in their cups. Once in awhile we’ll find chicken poop in the cups, but this literally happens like, a few times a month compared to the everyday messes of other chicken watering systems we’ve had in the past. I think it’s because the cups are small and they’re just not really convenient for pooping in?

3. It can move with your coop

If you have a movable coop or chicken tractor like we do, a huge benefit of this homemade chicken waterer is that is can actually move with your coop. We mounted our 5-gallon plastic bucket on the back wall of the coop and secured it with bungee cords. And the pvc and cups are mounted to 2x4s on the sides of the coop. 

We used to keep a regular chicken waterer inside the chicken coop and move it in and out every time we moved the tractor, which got to be a hassle after awhile. Having the water system move with the coop is a huge benefit of this design if you have a movable coop or tractor.

4. You can adjust it to fit your coop

A major benefit of putting this waterer together yourself is that you can totally adjust it to fit your coop. Choose the number of cups you want based on your flock size, direct the pvc whichever way you choose, and customize it in whatever position you like. You can also use a larger bucket or even a rain barrel if you’re watering a lot of chickens.

Supplies You’ll Need

Okay, this is where it gets a little intimidating, but don’t get overwhelmed! Copy and paste this list into a document, then take it to Home Depot, Menards, Lowe’s, or maybe even your local hardware store and ask someone in the plumbing section to help you gather your supplies. Those guys (and gals) are experts.

• 1/2” pvc pipe (desired length can vary)
• 1/2 Slip ” X 1/2 Slip ” X 1/8 ” FPT Reducing PVC Tee (as many as cup waterers needed)
• Chicken waterer cups (as many as desired) – sometimes referred to as chicken nipples or poultry nipples. Note: grab a couple of extras in case one breaks so the water doesn’t continue leaking. Update: We upgraded to these chicken waterer cups the next year as the original ones started to fade in the sun and seemed a little cheaper. The new ones are definitely more solid.
• (1) 5-gallon bucket and reusable lid
• PVC primer / pvc cement
• Thread seal PFTE tape or paste
• Drill bit (a 1-1/2” hole saw worked well for the bulkhead union we purchased, or you can use a jigsaw)
• 1/2” pipe straps
• 1/2” ID vinyl tube (desired length can vary)
• (1) 3/4” bulkhead union
• (1) 3/4” x close PVC riser
• (1) 3/4” PVC tee (S x S x FPT)
• (2) 3/4″ male S x 1/2″ FPT PVC reducer bushing
• (4) 1/2” barb x 1/2” MIP adapters
• (2) 1/2” pvc caps
• (2) 1/2” PVC Female S x FPT adapters
• (4) stainless steel hose clamps
• Exterior wood screws
• Drill

How to Make a DIY Chicken Waterer

Step 1: Gather your supplies

You’ll need a drill, a drill bit (we used a 1-1/2″ hole saw bit), a handful of exterior wood screws, a 5-gallon bucket with a lid, your chicken watering cups (you can use as many as you like – we used 8) and the rest of your plumbing supplies.

Step 2: Determine placement

You’ll want to determine the placement of your water holding tank (which is a 5-gallon bucket in our case) and where the cup waterers will be. 

Note: The important part is to not fight gravity. Place the bucket higher in elevation than where the cup waterers will be for optimal water flow. 

We decided to place our waterers on either side of the chicken tractor so that the chickens wouldn’t crowd all in the same place. This also helped to spread their manure out better.

When you’ve determined the locations for the bucket and waterers, prepare those areas to be able to mount your pvc pipe for the waterers and the bucket. 

For the bucket, we used some old Ikea brackets we had laying around and installed those on some vertical 2x2s screwed to the back frame of the chicken tractor.  It was important to make sure that it was spaced such that the bucket would be supported, but also leave enough room underneath for the plumbing to pass through easily. 

To hold the bucket in place, we simply used 2 bungee straps to be sure it wouldn’t fall off. We also made sure we had some nailer boards on the inside of the tractor that our pipe straps will be screwed to, holding the pvc pipe securely in place.

Step 3: Put it all together

We’ve written out the instructions because they may be helpful for some readers. But, if the details and terms confuse you, just follow the pictures instead! We honestly didn’t know what most pieces were called when we made this chicken waterer. It was more of an intuitive project. But, we researched the terms afterward and wrote them down here for those who may find them helpful!

1. Let’s start at the bucket and work our way downward. First, use your saw (correct sized hole saw, jigsaw, or otherwise) to cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket for the bulkhead union to fit snugly into. (For the picture below, I used a jigsaw.) Install the bulkhead union.
   
   
2. From here we will go to our 3/4″ x close PVC riser. This is a good time to mention to be sure to use your pfte tape on threaded connections! Since I decided to split the waterers up into two directions, I now threaded in the  3/4″ PVC tee (S x S x FPT). You can skip this if your layout has only one line of waterers and not two.
   
   
3. From there, on either side, using your pvc purple primer and cement, install the 3/4″ x 1/2″ PVC bushings.
   
   
4. Thread in the 1/2″ barb x 1/2″ MIP adapters.
5. Cut to length your flexible 1/2″ ID vinyl tubing.
6. Next, route the tubing from where your PVC pipe with waterers will be placed up to the barb fittings.
7. Install the tubing onto the barb fittings with the stainless hose clamps.
8. Now, we’ll work from the end backwards. Lay out the 1/2″ PVC pipe with as many cup waterers as desired and space them out evenly.
   
9. After that, cut the PVC pipe into desired sections and install the 1/2″ S x 1/2″ S x 1/8″ FPT Reducing Tees at desired intervals. (Tip: make sure the tees are oriented at the same angle consistently down the length of the pipe. To achieve this, either sight down the pipe or lay the pipe flat on a workbench each time another tee is primed and cemented in place.)
   
10. After the tees are installed on the desired length of PVC, cap one end of the PVC run with your 1/2″ PVC cap.
11. On the opposite end, install the 1/2″ PVC female S x FPT adapters.
12. Thread in the other 1/2″ barb x 1/2″ MIP adapters.
    
13. Mount the PVC run to the desired spot using your pipe straps.
    
14. Fit the vinyl tubing over the 1/2″ barbs and secure with the remaining stainless hose clamps.
    
15. Screw the cup waterers into place, and you’re done! (Update: Optionally, add a *small amount* of some superglue to the last one or two threads as you’re screwing the cups into place. We learned our first year that the chickens will sometimes tip the cups over otherwise and cause the water to continue spilling out.)
    
16. Fill the bucket with water and test for leaks.

Step 4: Sit back and enjoy your flock!

No matter how much you love your backyard chickens, it’s nice when you don’t have to worry about getting them clean water every day! The water in the bucket lasts us for days. But when it’s empty, we just drag the hose over and open the top of the bucket to fill it. No lugging heavy buckets around or re-filling waterers every day! 

Tips and Tricks

Start with a standalone waterer for chicks

If you’re starting with chicks, you’ll probably need a regular, standalone chicken waterer for the first couple of weeks before you move to this automatic waterer system. This is because if you build your this DIY pvc chicken waterer at the right height for full-grown chickens, the cups will be too high for chicks to reach at the beginning. And you don’t want to have to re-build the whole design once your chicks are a few weeks old! 

A regular, inexpensive chick waterer from the feed store or Amazon will keep your chicks hydrated for the first few weeks until they’re tall enough to use the DIY waterer.

Choose automatic cups vs. triggered cups

We used these automatic waterer cups from Amazon, and they worked really well for our chickens. They stay full all the time, so it’s an easy way for the birds to be able to drink as they please. 

You can learn from our mistakes though, because before we bought these cups, we tried the triggered cups. These cups have a valve that the chickens have to pluck in order to get the water out. Although it sounds like a nice idea, our chickens just could not understand how to use them. We ended up having to keep giving them another waterer so they didn’t dehydrate. 

We found that the automatic cups were the best way to make sure they have the water they need, no matter how small their brains are!

Update: We upgraded to these automatic watering cups our second year and found that they’re a bit better quality.

Have extra cups on hand

It’s a good idea to buy a few more cups than you’ll need. If one breaks or cracks, the water will continue flowing through that hole in your PVC, and it will end up just draining all your water and flooding your coop. Check your water level and coop every once in awhile to make sure everything’s intact, and keep those extras handy just in case one fails. (We haven’t had any fail yet, but you never know.)

Adjust your system for your flock’s needs

Part of the benefit of this system is that it’s really adaptable to fit your specific coop and your flock. For example, if you have a non-movable coop, you might choose a larger holding tank. Or, you could even use a rain barrel that you can mount somewhere on your coop, barn, or chicken run. A large bin or tub can also be the best idea if you have a lot of chickens. Obviously a 5-gallon water supply won’t go nearly as far with a large number of chickens as it does with our 25!

You can also make this gravity system using cheap buckets you have lying around. Just make sure they’re sturdy and have no holes. (Having a lid is handy too for keeping the water clean.) You don’t have to buy a brand new 5-gallon bucket for your water source.

FAQs

How much does it cost to make a DIY chicken waterer?

This DIY waterer cost about us $80 to make. We wanted something that would move with our chicken tractor, fill automatically with gravity, and keep the water reasonably clean. This was a fairly easy solution that cuts down on chore time and will last for years.

How much water does it hold?

The amount of water your waterer will hold depends on what size bucket your choose. So choose the right size for your flock! We used a 5-gallon bucket, and it lasts for 3-4 days for our flock of 25 birds. 

How do you make a homemade chicken feeder?

Paired with our diy feeder, our flock can go a few days without us having to fill their food or water. Our diy automatic chicken feeder is actually a really simple design that you can make with just a bucket, a port kit, and a drill. And, it only costs about $25 to make!

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