Mud in water

How can I keep new chicks out of water? I use the ones with jars that sit on the ground the chicks keep scratching at the water and it makes it muddy. I tried sitting the jars on something but that's not helping. Every day I have the wash them throughout the day to keep mud out of them. (The pen is not muddy the mud comes from the dirt on their feet) any help would be great thanks

Try selling them in something taller, or get a new waterer. I use the poultry nipples for my chickens and the water stays clean.

You can put them on something taller. I keep waterers on a few 2x4 pieces, so about 4" high. the pieces are large enough they stick out from under the waterer and the chicks can jump up on them to drink.

There are two ways the mud could be getting in the water that I'm aware of.

1) Your coop is dusty. The dust floats into the air and deposits into the water all day long accumulating into mud.
2) Chickens scratch the mud in or poop in it.

For #1 I would recommend adding a nice thick layer of bedding which will keep the soil below too moist to produce dust.

For #2, you first need to raise the water as high as you can where they can still drink (as many have already said). I put mine on top of two bricks, or sometimes I use an upside down flower pot. You'll find something. If it's still a problem, you can reduce the soil that is near the water. I have some pieces of slate that I've placed under the water so that there is nothing to scratch. Every now and then I'll sweep the slate clean, but it's a lot easier than cleaning the mud all day. If this platform is slightly elevated, even 1'', it will help keep it clean. Again, be creative here: you can use old floor tiles, a few pieces of wood laid next to each other, etc.

Another idea I've seen is a perpetually flowing water system. It's a little more complicated and not everyone can do it. The idea is that you have a water inlet coming from an uphill source like a lake or a river. You then run an outlet tube that empties at a lower point downstream. The constant flow of water will remove all the debris. Pump the water with a siphoning action to keep costs down.

Hope that helps!

How old are these birds? To add to what's already been said: water and feed are best when placed at back or shoulder level. Prevents lots of dirt and waste issues. for chicks, I hang my waterer from a chain with an S hook so the chain can be continually shortened as the chicks grow. I've made macrame hangers for the 1 qt. waterers. Found some large metal rings at a local discount store that fit the bottles perfectly, then attached the macrame to the rings. Get creative, and I'm sure you'll come up with the "perfect" hanger.