Full development of turkeys is impossible without the availability of fresh drinking water. The poultry farmer will not only have to provide full drinkers in the access zone of his wards, but also choose the right vessels. Many people prefer homemade containers, but if this does not take into account the number and age of farmed birds, you can lose all the livestock. What drinkers are, from what and how to make them yourself at home, how much water should birds drink daily - we will tell about this later in the article.
Basic requirements for the installation of drinkers
The aesthetic qualities of poultry watering tanks should be considered as the last thing. In the first place - their practicality and convenience. Purchased and homemade designs in clarity should match the age category of turkeys.
According to experts, nipple systems are absolutely contraindicated for chicks, since they require additional efforts when extracting water. In addition, adult turkeys and chickens should have different drinking bowls, which is explained by their physiological characteristics, as well as the unequal sensitivity to typical diseases.
Check out the breeds and crosses of turkeys for home breeding.
Experienced breeders say that this kind of wards show their individualism in everything, therefore the ideal option is a separate watering place for each bird. Otherwise, do not avoid fights and injuries. 
Pick up the size of containers in such a way that the animals were limited in their ability to splash or spill water, as well as to overturn the container. If these nuances are not taken into account, the birds can get wet and get sick.
It is important to pay attention to this in the summer, when, in search of moisture and freshness, the wards deliberately turn over the reservoirs in the heat. You can prevent such embarrassment by installing an additional tank with bathing water.
Important! To prevent the water from freezing in the unheated houses in the drinking trough, dip a wooden circle with 3-4 holes in it. Through them will be drinking, and the tree will prevent the formation of a crust of ice on the surface.Properly chosen dimensions and shape of the drinkers do not guarantee high safety of the herd with their illiterate placement.
Experienced poultry farmers advise:- put tanks in places to which the wards have round-the-clock unhindered access;
- raise drinking constructions to the height of the back of turkeys, which will save the liquid from dirt.
Watering Types
In the range of manufactured products there are many varieties of bird drinkers. According to experts, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages that must be considered when choosing. Let's talk about this in more detail.
Ordinary
They are elementary containers for liquids of rectangular or rounded shape. In everyday life, the role of the simplest drinkers can be performed by kitchen trays, basins, buckets and other containers made of metal, plastic or glass. 
But this option is only suitable for mature birds, since it will be difficult for chicks to reach the water. In addition, the poultry farmers advise to install this watering place on an elevation, so that the drinking should not be contaminated by floor debris, litter particles and litter.
It is important to limit the access of young stock to this place, because in search of water, grown-up chickens will fly to the sides of the vessel, with which the risk of their death is associated.
Important! Poults need a mandatory two-hour uninterrupted rest 4 times a day, and then in 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep during the night. Thus, they rest 16 hours a day..
Among the advantages of ordinary drinkers can be identified:
- the opportunity to save on the acquisition of factory construction, replacing it with any capacitive object;
- availability;
- easy maintenance and disinfection.
Along with these positive qualities such constructions are unprofitable, because:- the owner must constantly monitor the water level in the vessel;
- turkeys can easily overturn the water bowl or splash its contents;
- tanks are very unstable;
- unsuitable for watering chickens.
We recommend reading about how to properly breed turkeys, how to treat their diseases, as well as how to improve the egg production of turkeys.
Cup
For turkeys, this is ideal because each bird is provided with a separate drinking container. Outwardly, this is a complex structure, which consists of a container with water and a plastic hose coming out of it, to which special drinking tanks are attached after a certain distance. 
When they are filled, they are lowered, due to which the water flow control valve closes. When the bird sips some of the contents, the cups become lighter and rise, opening up access for the arrival of a new portion of liquid. This will happen until a common vessel is released.
The positive aspects of this device are:
- no need for constant monitoring of the amount of drinking;
- automatic cup filling;
- the possibility of individual watering for each turkey.
Users say that the disadvantage of cup drinkers is:
- financial costs that are required when installing a similar design;
- insecurity, because the plumbing can break under the weight of an adult turkey;
- the need to build an additional protective barrier.
Gutter
Such drinkers are intended for simultaneous watering of several adult birds at once. They are exalted on the supports of the chute, in which water is poured. 
At home, such a construction can be constructed from a piece of galvanized pipe, sealed its side edges. Thereafter, the container is fixed on wooden bars, which serve as a support.
The advantages of this drinker are:
- ease in an independent construction;
- easy maintenance;
- structural stability.
To disadvantages we will read:
- the need for continuous monitoring of water level.
Important! Turkeys grow most quickly and gain weight better if they are taught to eat in small portions several times a day. In the case when there are no such habits in the wards, they are heavily eaten at one time, as a result of which digestion is disturbed. The blessing to teach these animals to eat in small portions is quite simple, although it should be done with chicks. For starters, they put some food in the feeder, and after a while they carefully distill them off.
Bell
This kind of drinkers are a large bell-shaped reservoir located in a shallow sublime pallet. Under the weight of water, it is gradually filled, after which the valve of its supply closes. 
To the positive qualities of this facility, users credit:
- automatic fluid supply;
- no need for constant monitoring of the contents of the drinker.
And among the shortcomings called:
- complexity in an independent structure;
- the need for additional costs for the purchase of the structure or its components.
Did you know? Only males publish specific kuldykan, in order to warn other turkeys that this territory is occupied and to attract females. By the way, this loud sound is heard for a half kilometer.
Nipple
Outwardly, this type of bird drinkers is very close to the cup construction. It also provides for a water tank, a hose for its supply, and separate drinking containers. 
But the mechanism of action is fundamentally different: water does not fill the cups, but begins to flow when the bird touches its beak to the cone-shaped valve at the end of the nipple. In fact, the miniature tanks placed under the nipple are drip pans, which prevent splashing of water on the floor.
Important! Turkeys are highly susceptible to various respiratory infections. In addition, coccidiosis (bloody diarrhea) poses a serious threat to them.
Advantages of nipple drinkers include:
- constant cyclicality of water, which does not allow it to stagnate;
- no need for constant supervision and monitoring of the fluid level;
- possibility of individual watering for each bird;
- a clear dosage of drinking in accordance with the needs of each turkey.
Disadvantages are:
- the difficulty in self-production of such devices;
- the need for financial resources for the purchase of nipples and a protective barrier for the installation;
- unreliability, because heavy turkeys, soaring on the structure, can break it.
Find out how much a turkey and an adult turkey weigh, and also how to distinguish a turkey from a turkey.
Vacuum
These drinkers consist of a vacuum tank placed in a pan into which water is poured through the top. Below there is a hole for the flow of fluid. This eliminates the possibility of overflow. 
The positive sides of this variation are:
- no need for constant supervision of the amount of water remaining in the tank;
- accessibility in care;
- ease in an independent construction;
- safety and suitability for watering small chicks.
Among the shortcomings, users distinguish only one, with regard to the instability of the vacuum structure.
How to make drinkers for turkeys with their own hands
To organize a turkey watering place in accordance with veterinary requirements, it is not necessary to use factory drinkers. At home, you can build at least practical and convenient containers from scrap materials. Let's get to work.
Chamfer for turkeys from the sewer pipe
Construction of such a tank is not expensive and affordable. On the implementation of the venture will take about an hour. 
Necessary materials
Will have to work with:
- meter piece of plastic or metal pipe with a diameter of 110 mm;
- 2 side plugs of the appropriate size;
- brackets for fastening or screws;
- trapezoid wooden props.
Read more about such breeds of turkeys as Uzbek fawn, big 6, black Tikhoretskaya, white and bronze wide-breasted.
Tools for work
For the execution of the planned tasks we need:
- pipe cutter or grinder;
- electric drill.
Step-by-step instruction
Grooved drinkers can have a continuous longitudinal notch or otsekoobrazny. It depends on the number of birds. If the capacity is designed for a dozen birds, you will need to take a pipe longer.
Video: how to make a feeder and drinking water for poultry from a sanitary pipe The construction is done as follows:
- A solid piece of pipe using a grinder is carefully cut along, removing a third of the surface of the canvas. In this way, you will have a rather wide cutout, which will allow the turkeys to shove inside the head.
- Side holes enclose special plugs and attach them with screws or brackets.
- The corresponding props are cut out of the tree and the billet obtained from the pipe is attached to them.
Important! It is undesirable to install fluted drinkers on metal supports - the roar issued from the construction will scare the bird.
Nipple bucket
At home, the nipple drinker can be simplified by retaining only the principle of its operation. 
Necessary materials
For further work we will need:
- ordinary plastic bucket or tank with a volume of 10 liters;
- 6 nipples.
Tools for work
We will implement our venture with:
- electric drills.
Step-by-step instruction
To get a homemade nipple drinker you need:
- Drill 6 holes with a diameter of 9 mm around the bottom of the bucket.
- Twist the nipples in them (for better sealing, they can be wrapped with tape).
- Hang the bucket by the handle in the room where the poultry lives, at a level accessible to it (the nipples should not be higher than the turkey heads);
- Pour fresh water inside the container.
Vacuum from plastic bottle
This is the simplest design that does not require much effort.
Necessary materials
To make the vacuum drinker yourself, you will need:
- plastic bottle with a capacity of 5 liters;
- metal shallow bowl or plastic tray.
Did you know? The largest baked turkey weighed 39.09 kg. She cooked December 12, 1989 in America.
Tools for work
The construction will be carried out with the participation of:
- drill diameter of 9 mm.
Step-by-step instruction
In the role of a vacuum tank, we will have a bottle, and a plate will serve as a sump.
So, we proceed:
- Just below the height of the side of the pallet, drill a few holes in the bottle, leaving a distance of at least 10 cm between them.
- Place the bottle in the center of the bowl and fill it with water.
Automatic drinking bowl for turkeys
This handy device does not require supervision and can independently monitor the water level.
We advise you to read about how to raise turkeys in an incubator, what should be the temperature regime for turkeys, as well as how to treat diarrhea in poults.
Necessary materials
For the construction will need:
- plastic tray, the size of which can vary depending on the number of turkeys;
- 5 liter plastic bottle.
Tools for work
For the implementation of the idea we need:
- clamps.
Step-by-step instruction
Automatic construction is as follows:
- Attach to the walls of the pallet clips, with the intention that they held the bottle.
- Fill the bottle with water and insert into the clips, turning the neck upside down. As long as the lower container is full, no liquid will flow into it. The volume will be replenished only as the water decreases.
Important! When designing an automatic drinker, choose narrow trays with sides of medium height. Otherwise, the birds will roam inside the trough, which is fraught with all sorts of diseases.
How much water do turkeys need per day?
Turkeys are the largest representatives of poultry. Under the conditions of proper diet and watering, for a year from a tiny chick can grow a 20-pound feathered. 
But for this, one should take into account the seasonality of food and the daily water rate, which depends on the age of the ward. According to veterinarians, an adult bird should drink at least 100 milliliters of water per day.
For males, it is considered the norm of 90 ml, and for females it is 60 cm. Many modern factory drinkers have a ruler that allows you to control the watering front.
Did you know? Benjamin Franklin was unwittingly responsible for the popularity of turkey in the United States of America. In fact, in 1776, he proposed to include in the symbolism of the American state the images of Moses and the Egyptian pharaoh. And about the turkey rashly mentioned in a letter to his daughter only after the bald eagle became the official symbol of America. Franklin did not like this bird because of its predilection for carrion.
Experienced poultry farmers say that after drinking one mature turkey, the contents in the drinking bowl should decrease by 4 cm and, accordingly, by 2 cm after drinking the chicken. 
With the maintenance of large livestock do not stand with a ruler near the trough. To ensure the feathery water just watch the water level in the water bowl, and do not forget about its freshness.
Did you know? According to information provided by American experts at the University of Pennsylvania, the first turkey was domesticated by Indians on the territory of modern Mexico even long before Columbus discovered America. For the first time birds were brought to Spain around 1519. Already then they spread throughout Europe, reaching by the year 1541 of England. Then Europeans valued turkey plumage more than meat.
Expensive drinking installations do not justify themselves when breeding a dozen birds. It is possible to save on their purchase, having independently made convenient and practical tanks. We hope our article will help you with this.
