FINCHforum

I am planning on building a big aviary outside for my finches ( gouldian finch, zebras, societies, parrot finch and owl finches). I currently have chickens as well and I give them water with a nipple system. The nipples are screwed into PVC which is fed by a large bucket of water. Has anyone used these sorts of nipples before. They drip a little which would be fine outside and they work great for chickens. Not sure if chicken size nipples would work or if there might be something smaller. It seems like it would be similar to the ball/tube set up that I have seen people recommend on this site so thought maybe it might work. I also plan to have a pond less waterfall in the aviary so they could get water from that.
Any comments very welcome!
Thanks
Lori

Hi Lori!
Nipple waterers are quite popular and they're great since they don't get contaminated in the same way an open water cup/container would.

The type I'm envisioning are the type where you press the little nipple in to get the water?
Like this:
http://www.avianaquamiser.com/nipples.jpg

I think they would do quite well with these, providing they're light and loose enough for the finches to use them. Something designed for chickens may be too large or heavy for the finches to operate.

The ball and tube variety can work nicely, but I encountered a problem where the ball would stick. It was a chronic problem so I ultimately pulled it. Had it been the only water source, that would have been a serious problem. So just beware.

You'll also need to show them how to use the water nipples.
They can learn from watching others, but in other cases, you need to take the bird and put him up to the nipple to show him it's a water source.

If you can get them to operate the nipples properly, I think you should be golden.
The waterfall would be a nice backup water source, providing it's easily accessible with a good landing spot and a gentle flow -- not like a raging rapids leading up to the waterfall! LOL
My neighbor recently installed a water fall and two ponds (one upper and one lower) in her outdoor aviary (actually, it's just her lanai). It was designed for the birds to use for drinking and bathing, but the flow was like a raging torrent. They'd land and tilt their head; some would even try to take a drink before backing off. The strength of the water flow was too much so she had to turn down the water pressure so it was more like a lazy river vs. a super fast raging rapids.

We use them for our chickens and turkeys. I have seen smaller ones home made for smaller birds but haven't used them myself. If you do I would have a back up in case they didn't work....got stuck, etc. These are great, the double ball waterers. http://www.thefinchconnections.com/cate ... -Drinkers/