Piglet Drinkers: Clean Water From the First Day of Life

Piglet Drinkers: Water at Piglet Height

As soon as the first solid feed goes into the pen, suckling piglets need a water point of their own. Milk alone no longer covers the need at that stage, and without water intake creep feeding never gets going either. What decides it is the right height, a suitable water pressure and a design a young animal can operate. Here you will find nipples and bowls for the farrowing pen.

Nipple or bowl

The stainless steel bite nipple for piglets and sows has a half inch connection and releases water as soon as the animal moves the pressure cone. Stainless steel is standard here, because it neither rusts nor gives way when a whole group pulls at it. The AquaGlobe ball nipple with a brass thread works with a ball instead of a cone, which keeps water loss low and leaves the pen drier. If you want to let the animals drink freely, the stainless steel drinking bowl for pigs, piglets and sows is the one to pick. In a bowl there is always a little water visibly standing, which makes the start easier for the very youngest piglets.

Fitting and water pressure

Set the nipple for suckling piglets at roughly shoulder height, around 15 to 20 centimetres above the floor, and angle it slightly downwards. A nipple fitted too high simply does not get used. The pressure should sit at about 1 to 2 bar, so that enough water comes through without spraying into the piglet's face. Water supply for troughs and bowls is handled by the APEX XtraFlo float valve, which is fitted below the water line and therefore works quietly and stays protected from dirt. Check flow and tightness every time you clean the pen and flush the lines between batches.

Frequently asked questions

When do piglets need a drinker of their own?
In practice from the first day of life, and at the latest when creep feeding starts. The sow drinker is too high for a suckling piglet, so a water point of its own at piglet height belongs in every farrowing pen.

How high do I fit the nipple?
Roughly at shoulder height of the smallest animals, in practice around 15 to 20 centimetres above the floor. A slight downward angle helps, because the piglet then does not have to stretch its head up.

Why a ball nipple instead of a pressure cone?
The ball releases the water more precisely, there is less dripping afterwards and the pen stays drier. That pays off above all where spilt water would soak the bedding.