Tuff Stuff Red Mini Nipples for drinker

Details

A nipple drinker fails one valve at a time, and it fails quietly. Either it weeps and you get a wet patch in the litter directly underneath that nobody connects to the cause, or it stops delivering and the birds simply move to a different one. Neither shows up until you go looking. These are the small red nipple valves used on Tuff Stuff drinkers, sold as replacements. The sensible thing is to buy them before you need them. A packet on the shelf turns a broken drinker into a five minute job; without one you are taking the whole unit out of service until a parts order arrives. Grit is the usual culprit. Anything that settles out of the water works into the seat and holds the pin off, which is why the failures cluster after a tank has been refilled or a line disturbed. Running the line through before you reconnect a drinker saves a surprising amount of trouble. Get into the habit of pressing every nipple when you clean, and watching what happens. A valve that hesitates, drips after you release it or gives nothing at all is telling you it is due, and it is easier to change one on a dry morning than to chase a soaked patch of bedding later.