- Upgrade float already fitted — ready to install straight out of the bag, no swap needed
- Genuine German-made Lubing drinker cup with the pink Dine-A-Chook upgrade float in place
- Holds a higher, always-visible water level than a standard cup — the reason people fit the upgrade
- Original Lubing float still included, loose in the bag, if you ever want to change back
- Screws into any Dine-A-Chook drinker or outlet frame — standard 1/8” BSPF thread
- Building your own waterer? Low-pressure systems only — see our DIY policy below
- 12-month warranty on Lubing cups
- Pink upgrade float already fitted — no swap needed
- Higher, always-visible water level in the cup
- Fits all Dine-A-Chook drinkers — 12-month warranty
Fitted, tested and ready to screw in
This is the same genuine German-made Lubing drinker cup we have sold since 2009 — with one job already done for you. We fit the pink Dine-A-Chook upgrade float here in Townsville before your order is packed, so the cup arrives ready to install, holding the higher water level from the very first fill.
If you would rather do it yourself, the standard cup costs a dollar less and includes the same upgrade float loose in the bag. This listing simply saves you the job.
What the upgrade float actually does
Both floats refill the cup automatically — your birds never have to press or peck anything. The difference is the shut-off point: the original Lubing float closes the valve at a modest level, while the Dine-A-Chook upgrade float lets the cup fill a little higher before closing, so there is always more visible water. The only physical difference between them is a slightly thicker square pad where the float presses the valve.
The original Lubing float is still included, loose in the bag, so nothing is taken away — you can change back any time in about a minute with pliers.
How to tell this cup apart
The pink float is already sitting inside the cup when you unwrap it. The loose float in the bag is the original Lubing one, kept as your spare option.
Mount it at the bird’s eye height
The most common cause of dirty cups is mounting them too low, where they catch everything your chickens scratch up. Birds find water by smell rather than by looking down into it, so the cup can sit as high as the smallest bird’s eye line — mounted there it stays far cleaner between rinses.
What it fits
Standard 1/8” BSPF thread: every upright Dine-A-Chook drinker, drum drinker outlet and automatic drinker frame, plus the fittings in our DIY Chicken Waterer components range. Seat the O-ring on the thread before screwing it in, firmly but without forcing.
Making your own drinker? Read this first.
We love a clever DIY watering system, and after 17 years we’ve genuinely seen it all — IBC totes, rainwater tanks, runs of poly pipe, and a few setups so good we’ve pinched ideas from them. So here’s some straight talk, from experience.
Genuine German-made Lubing cups have been the standard in commercial poultry for decades, and across the tens of thousands we’ve supplied since 2009, true cup failures are rare. But no drinker cup is set-and-forget. A cup that leaks, overflows or drains your reservoir is almost always telling you one of four things:
- Head pressure is too high. Lubing cups are made for low-pressure systems. If the water surface sits more than 35 cm above the cup, it will leak — that’s not a fault, it’s physics. Measure it.
- Airlock. A sealed reservoir stops water flowing. Loosen the lid and listen for the hiss.
- Dirt in the valve. Rain and tank water carry sediment and debris. One speck on the valve seat and the cup drips until it’s cleaned.
- It’s due for a service. Like your car, your mower or anything else with moving parts, a cup needs a few minutes of maintenance. We strip and clean ours every fortnight — monthly at the very least.
A full strip-down takes about ten minutes: cup, float, pin and the two-part valve.
Building your own system?
Everything we know is yours, free: head pressure, header tanks, airlocks and the full cleaning routine are in our DIY Drinker Guide and Lubing Cup Guide, and our DIY Chicken Waterer components range is purpose-designed for reliable low-pressure systems. What we ask you to understand is that we can’t fault-find or troubleshoot a system we didn’t design or supply — in almost every case, the cup is the messenger, not the cause.
Bought a complete Dine-A-Chook system?
Then you have our full support — that’s part of what you paid for. All we ask is that you work through the quick checks in our troubleshooting guide first. Most problems resolve on the spot, and if yours doesn’t, tell us what you found and we’ll sort it out.
Cups, floats and spares
Every serviceable part of a Dine-A-Chook drinker is available on its own — you never need to replace the whole unit:
- Replacement floats — yellow Dine-A-Chook upgraded float
- Replacement O-rings, 10 pack — the seal where the cup screws in
- Lubing Drinker Cups – 5 Pack — for multi-cup drinkers and spares on hand
- Lubing Drinker Cup – yellow float
- Lubing Drinker Cup – blue float
- Installation kit — the correct 9mm drill bit and thread tap for DIY mounting
- Complete Dine-A-Chook drinkers — engineered for correct water height, fully supported
Product Specifications
- Compatibility:
- Fits genuine Dine-A-Chook chicken drinkers, drum outlets and automatic frames
- Thread Size:
- 1/8" BSPF
- Use Type:
- Low-pressure, gravity-fed systems only
- Included:
- 1 cup with the pink Dine-A-Chook upgrade float FITTED + original Lubing float loose
- Country of Origin:
- Germany (Lubing)
- Warranty:
- 12 months (Lubing component)
- Float Colour:
- Pink upgrade float, fitted before dispatch
Frequently Asked Questions
Fitted cups, floats, mounting and the questions we actually get asked.
What is different about this cup?
Nothing about the cup itself — it is the same genuine German-made Lubing cup. The difference is that we fit the pink Dine-A-Chook upgrade float before dispatch, so it arrives holding the higher water level with no assembly needed. The standard version is a dollar less and includes the same float loose in the bag for you to fit yourself.
Is it worth the extra dollar?
Only if you would rather not do it. Swapping a float takes about a minute per cup with a pair of pliers. If you are fitting one cup and you are handy, buy the standard one. If you are fitting several, or you would simply rather it arrived ready to go, this saves the job.
Does the upgrade float make the cup work better?
It makes the cup hold more visible water. Both floats refill automatically and both are reliable — the upgrade simply lets the cup fill a little higher before the valve closes. Most backyard keepers prefer the higher level because they can see at a glance that the cups are full.
Do the float colours perform differently?
No. Yellow, pink and pink Dine-A-Chook floats are the same design and perform identically — colour is preference only. Some keepers pick the most visible colour against the red cup so a water check is a glance from the coop door.
Is the original float still included?
Yes. It comes loose in the bag, so you keep both options and can change back whenever you like.
How many chickens can drink from one cup?
One cup comfortably serves 6–8 hens. Cups control how many birds can drink at once; the size of your reservoir controls how often you refill.
Can I connect it straight to mains water or a tank?
Not directly. Lubing cups are low-pressure by design: the water surface must sit no more than 35 cm above the cup, or the valve cannot hold it back and the cup will overflow. Mains or tank-fed systems need a header tank. This is the most common cause of a “leaking” cup, and it is a setup issue rather than a fault.
Why would a cup get dirty quickly?
Almost always because it is mounted too low and catches whatever the flock scratches up. Chickens find water by smell, so mount the cup as high as the smallest bird’s eye line and it stays clean far longer.
Which birds can use it?
Chickens, roosters, quail, turkeys, guinea fowl, pheasants, pigeons and most aviary birds. For ducks and geese we recommend Lubing nipples rather than cups.
What warranty applies?
Lubing cups and nipples carry a 12-month warranty. Exclusions include colour fading, rodent damage, and cups used outside a low-pressure system or not installed as directed. Dine-A-Chook-manufactured drinker bodies carry their own 3-year warranty.
Cup playing up? Work through our Lubing Cup Guide first — most problems resolve in minutes. Still stuck on a Dine-A-Chook system? Get in touch — we are a small Australian family business and we answer our own emails.