help please with hog waterer

[On Target Farmer]

Hi All,
This is my second year at raising pigs. To make things more efficient and cleaner I installed a hog watering system with hog nipples. My hogs have taken to them BUT they are making a mess. Some of the pigs drool the water and I have a puddle growing in the barn where they dribble thier water. I have adjusted the water pressure. And there are no leaks from the waterer. Any suggestions? At this point I am wondering what alternatives I have for a waterer to deliver fresh water other than me with a hose or bucket several times a day (they just tip over and walk through the water buckets I had originally)
Thank you in advance!
Shannon

 

[animalmom]

I'm not sure you can stop a pig from making a mess with any watering system. We had pigs for a few years and put in a nice system that they could push with their noses and the water would pool in a basin. Well my DH ended up installing the darn thing three time because the pigs would come up to the waterer and just hold their snouts to the push part and let the water run and then root around in the mud. He ended up using cement, rebar and a couple 4X4s. The only thing, in my opinion, that kept them from digging up the last attempt was the "swimming pool" I kept dug out in their pen. Had to run a hose to it every day in the hot weather, but they left off trying to dig up the waterer. Kept asking for a "Cabana Boy" but that requisition never seemed to get filled.

Our waterer wasn't in a barn; it was just inside their fence line. I don't know what you can do about them making a mess with the waterer inside your barn. That is a major bummer!

 

[On Target Farmer]

Thanks for your input! They have dribbled enough water that I think I'll move to plan B. Its a mess. I leep the water in the barn because of the cold winters here and ots easier for me to keep the water from freezing.