2 week chicks messing with water and bedding

rnnichole

Hatching
May 6, 2016
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0
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I have 6 2 week old chicks (4 Easter eggers and 2 buff orpingtons). The chicks are constantly digging in the bedding and it's getting all into their water which then makes everything wet. Any suggestions? Different bedding (currently using wood shavings)? Raising the water somehow? I'll take any recommendations please!
 
I have 6 2 week old chicks (4 Easter eggers and 2 buff orpingtons). The chicks are constantly digging in the bedding and it's getting all into their water which then makes everything wet. Any suggestions? Different bedding (currently using wood shavings)? Raising the water somehow? I'll take any recommendations please!
Put your water up on bricks! Change the bedding to sand?
Only water outside?
Common sense prevails!
 
I turned a little 1 quart "bucket" from a paint store that came with a lid into a chicken nipple watered in our homemade brooder box. Like others mention, I put it over a couple pavers I had laying around and it really knocked this problem out.

Now if only I could get them to stop pooping in their food.
 
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Scratching is a natural behavior for birds. It does make things a pain, though
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. My easiest fix is to elevate the waterer off the ground some. I use bricks or pieces of 2x4, large enough to make a little platform for the chicks to jump on and drink.

And a few shavings in the water doesn't hurt the chicks. I clean out the waterer once a day, other than that a little shavings are alright.
 
Chicks really like to scratch. They'll kick up anything and everything into their food and water! Once they're large enough, they'll even start pooping in it and knocking their food and water over. This problem will not go away! The best thing when they're young is to put the water up on bricks. When they're older it helps to have food and water containers that hang.
 
I hang all my waterers and feeders, even in the brooder. cuts way down on stuff getting in them as I keep raising them as they grow.

I also use nipple waterers both for the adults and in the brooder. Even day old chicks from the hatchery are quick to pickup on using the nipples
 
I use a feed trough and still had more shavings than food in it after a few hours. I switched to sand and no more trouble! The girls can easily see and access the food, no matter how much digging and scratching they do!

Also, I have a reused Smart Water bottle with a poultry nipple installed tied to the side of the brooder. Only took them a day to figure it out and I left the water bowl in the brooder until I'd seen all 4 girls use the nipple waterer.
 

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