Water for pigs

[BarnOwl]

We're getting 3 guinea hog gilts on June 16th---the big day is close! We are getting excited! One will be about a year-old, the other two were born this April.

I was just wondering what other people use for watering smaller pig breeds.

I have been trying to find a food grade 55 gallon barrel that we can add a nipple waterer to, but the closest barrels we can find (so far) are several hours away. They are sold online but the shipping costs are prohibitive. Home Depot has them as well. The price is not out of the question, but it's a bit more than I want to pay considering I'd still have to buy the nipple (and the drill bit) and worry about ruining the drum when I drilled the hole (which is very possible, I'm not particularly handy). Thinking about just getting a trough from the feed store instead, but I'm not sure what size I should get. Worried I will get one that is too tall for the younger pigs. Anyway, I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thanks for reading!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

If your hogs will be housed within reach of a water line (or water hose) you can just run a nipple through the fence and not have to worry about a barrel or trough of any kind. When the kids had 4-H hogs we ran the hose near their fence and then ran PVC pipe outside of the fence up to a comfortable height for the hogs and had the nipple running through where they could reach it. But, know that they will learn to mouth the nipple enough that they can make a wallow under the nipple . You can wire a bucket under the nipple and let the excess water run into it. Just one idea - there's a ton of ways as I'm sure you've already seen! Enjoy your AGH's - they're pretty cool critters

 

[Baymule]

I have the blue barrel and hog nipple set up. I took the hog nipple to Lowes and explained what I was doing. They matched threads with a pipe nipple and a bushing to fit inside and outside the barrel wall. Some liquid nails on both sides and no leaks. I love it.

 

[Simpleterrier]

Normal hog nipples are 1/2" npi thread get the right drill bit and then just thread the nipple into the barrel with a wrench. If u have any dairy farms by u u might be able to get a 15 gallon barrel for free from them they use them for teat wash and line cleaner

 

[Coolbreeze89]

I did the blue barrel route, but without @Baymule’s wise guidance above. One nipple installed perfectly, but one has a small leak that has defied all of my sealing attempts. My issue, however, is my pigs just won’t use the nipples. I’ve slathered on peanut butter, marshmallows, jelly, etc: they lick the treat off and refuse to drink. Sigh. I have a gray “busser’s tub” like you see in restaurants for clearing tables: pigs haven’t destroyed it, and it’s too small for them to get into. My spoiled pigs are only penned up at night, so this works well for me. During the day, they have access to multiple low troughs along with my goats/sheep/dogs (and a beautiful mud hole that gets refreshed when I refill said troughs!).

i also tries the black cement mixing trays from Home Depot: doubled up they last a bit monger, but they still will crack after enough “pig flops” into the water. They work in a pinch if you’re moving the pigs around, though, and are cheap.

 

[BarnOwl]

If your hogs will be housed within reach of a water line (or water hose) you can just run a nipple through the fence and not have to worry about a barrel or trough of any kind. When the kids had 4-H hogs we ran the hose near their fence and then ran PVC pipe outside of the fence up to a comfortable height for the hogs and had the nipple running through where they could reach it. But, know that they will learn to mouth the nipple enough that they can make a wallow under the nipple . You can wire a bucket under the nipple and let the excess water run into it. Just one idea - there's a ton of ways as I'm sure you've already seen! Enjoy your AGH's - they're pretty cool critters

Wow that sounds like the ideal set-up! What a great idea. I do have a hose that I plan to drag to the field from the backyard to fill up the water trough (or barrel) and to create a wallow. Unfortunately I only have that one hose back there that I also have to use for other things. It would be so convenient though...much to think about.

 

[BarnOwl]

I did the blue barrel route, but without @Baymule’s wise guidance above. One nipple installed perfectly, but one has a small leak that has defied all of my sealing attempts. My issue, however, is my pigs just won’t use the nipples. I’ve slathered on peanut butter, marshmallows, jelly, etc: they lick the treat off and refuse to drink. Sigh. I have a gray “busser’s tub” like you see in restaurants for clearing tables: pigs haven’t destroyed it, and it’s too small for them to get into. My spoiled pigs are only penned up at night, so this works well for me. During the day, they have access to multiple low troughs along with my goats/sheep/dogs (and a beautiful mud hole that gets refreshed when I refill said troughs!).

i also tries the black cement mixing trays from Home Depot: doubled up they last a bit monger, but they still will crack after enough “pig flops” into the water. They work in a pinch if you’re moving the pigs around, though, and are cheap.

Oh that would be frustrating if they refused to use the nipples after you went to all the work of making them a waterer! That is one of my worries. That, and the leaking if I don't drill the hole perfectly. I was hoping to find barrels cheap enough that I could get several, so I could practice on one. The busser's tub sounds like a good idea. I will have to see if I can find some. Thanks for the help! It sounds like you have lots of great animals on your farm. I think we are going to get goats next year if all goes well.

 

[BarnOwl]

I have the blue barrel and hog nipple set up. I took the hog nipple to Lowes and explained what I was doing. They matched threads with a pipe nipple and a bushing to fit inside and outside the barrel wall. Some liquid nails on both sides and no leaks. I love it.

Thank you! That is great tip! I was hoping to find barrels that were cheap enough that I could buy several and practice on one, but doesn't look like that's going to work out. I bit the bullet and bought the barrel from Home Depot. It's being shipped to the store for pickup so I likely still have a few days to cancel if I find one cheaper elsewhere.

 

[WildersMilkMaid]

We have the barrels but it sits outside the fence so the pigs can’t rub up against it. We ran a short hose and attached the nipple to some metal piping and then with heavy duty wire to the fence. They learn it pretty quickly, especially if you don’t offer them another water source. Just sit there and poke it so they see the water flow. Sometimes I make sucking sounds too

 

[WildersMilkMaid]

We have the barrels but it sits outside the fence so the pigs can’t rub up against it. We ran a short hose and attached the nipple to some metal piping and then with heavy duty wire to the fence. They learn it pretty quickly, especially if you don’t offer them another water source. Just sit there and poke it so they see the water flow. Sometimes I make sucking sounds too

Also I should add that as the pigs grow, we move the metal piping up on the fence to be at the ideal height. We have 2 nipples on one pipe to accommodate our pigs, and we have had 5 at a time with no issue.