Chicken watering cups are small cups that chickens drink from, that are filled from a water container. There are three main types of cup waterers, where the main difference is the mechanism used for filling up the water cup from the container:
- Trigger filled watering cups
- Automatic watering cups with floats
- Automatic watering cups (no floats or triggers)
In this post I will review each type of cup waterers, including:
- Pros and Cons
- Cost
- Where to buy them
Note: Waterer Review Series
This is part of a series on Chicken Waterers. Here's a list of the other types of waterer I have reviewed:
After publishing these, I also created a roundup review, where I compare the three main types of waterer: Check it out here.
Before I get into the detail on each type of cup waterer, here are the general pros and cons of cup waterers, compared to other types of waterers.
Pros and Cons of Chicken Watering Cups
The main benefits of watering cups is they keep the water clean, eliminate spills and they are easier for chickens to drink from. The downsides are that they freeze up in cold weather, need regular cleaning to prevent jamming up and are less durable than other types of waterers.
Trigger filled watering cups
With trigger filled watering cups, water is released into the cup when chickens peck at a yellow trigger inside the cups. These are installed on the side of a water container.
Pros and Cons of Trigger filled cups
Overview
Trigger filled watering cups are cheap, but you get what you pay for. They are not easy for chickens to use, are unreliable and prone to leaks.
Pros
Cons
Cost
Where to buy them
Automatic watering cups with float system
These are watering cups that work a float valve. When the cup is empty, the float opens the valve to fill the cup. When the cup is full, the float shuts to avoid over flowing and spills. These cups must be installed underneath / at the bottom of a water container.
Source: dineachook.com.au
Pros and Cons of Watering Cups with Floats
Overview:
Good quality cups that are durable and easy for chickens to use. The main downside is that they are more difficult to setup, because they must be installed at the bottom of a container.
Pros
Cons
Cost
Where to buy them
Look for the European made brands rather than the knock-off Chinese brands, which are usually lower quality.
Australia
USA
Automatic watering cups (no floats or tabs)
These are truely automatic watering cups because they fill without any floats or triggers. These cups are automatically kept half full at all times. These cups are designed to be installed on the side of a water container.
Source: RentACoop
Pros and Cons of Watering Cups (no floats or triggers)
Overview:
The automatic watering cups without floats or triggers are easy to setup, work great and chickens love them. The downside is they aren't durable or reliable and break easily.
Pros
Cons
Cost
Where to buy them
USA
My Recommendation
Out of the 3 different types of cup waterer, my pick is the Watering Cups with Floats. The European made ones are the most durable and reliable of the cup waterers, which is important to ensure your chickens are not left dry without water. The easiest way to use these is to setup your water container so that it's raised on top of bricks or some other type of platform (just make sure it's sturdy).
I use the dineachook water cups with floats, they are great when they work, but the fail rate is that they can either overflow or run completely dry I cannot go away without another traditional watering system there as well they are not reliable it’s not worth the risk, I still use it but with other watering sources too!