Nipple drinker for poultry waterer with variable flowrate

A nipple drinker 102 for use in a watering system 104 of an animal house having at least one watering pipe 110, wherein the watering pipe carries pressurized water to the nipple drinker, the nipple drinker having a sealing mechanism 214, 216 forming a watertight seal to prevent leakage of water from the flow channel out through the nipple drinker 102 and a bottom pin 218 configured to displace the sealing mechanism to release drinking water through the nipple drinker, wherein the nipple drinker comprises:

• a nipple body 206 that receives the sealing mechanism and the bottom pin and forms an internal flow channel from a nipple inlet 208 and past the sealing ball when the sealing ball is displaced from the sealing bushing, wherein the nipple body forms a flow determining shelf 502 in the internal flow channel;
• a top pin 212, 402, 412, 416 received by the nipple body and movable in a vertical direction with respect to the nipple body, the top pin having a flow control section 302, 404, 414, 418 with differing diameter dimensions, that interfaces with the flow determining shelf to control the flowrate of water that flows through the nipple drinker 102 based on the vertical position of the top pin such that when the top pin is in a first vertical position there is a first flowrate of water and when the top pin is in a second vertical position, there is a second flowrate of water greater than the first flow rate.