ok. So my flock has been raised on nipple waterers. It is the first thing I use when I get them or hatch them. So they ALL know how to use them. I do use cups as well as the nipples in the summer so they will drink more when it is hot out.
This winter I changed to a 30 gallon barrel (think it is 30 gal) with a stock tank heater in it. I had a 5 gal bucket but with 21 chickens I figured they would be going through it pretty fast. They weren't using the new 5 gal much so figured where it was a different brand of nipples maybe they didn't work well so when I made the 30 gal one I bought rentacoop ones since that is what they use in their 2 gal bucket, and what I had on their old 5 gal one (that one needed to be replaced in the summer). Well they aren't really drinking out of the 30 gal one either and when I am in there and tap the metal piece they all drink from under it like they are dying of thirst. I fill up the 2 gal one and they go NUTS drinking out of that one (has the EXACT same nipples on it as the 30 gal)......... But with 21 they can go through the 2 gal in 1-1.5 days so I don't want to have to always be filling it and worrying about the stock tank heater being out of it since it is so little. and we normally are dealing with freezing water at this time of year (thankfully haven't really had to besides a week here and there) so I have to think of that.
Any ideas WHY they seem like they can't figure out the bigger barrel with the nipples but drink with zero issues out of the 2 gal rentacoop water bucket??? It makes NO sense to me. I have tried letting the other one dry up to force them to use the bigger one but then they all seem so thirsty so I fill the small one and as I said they all go NUTS and drink like crazy from it so thinking they aren't really using the other one. I have I think 10 nipples and spaced further apart on the big one than on the little one so not like too close together or not enough nipples or anything like that...... I just don't get it.
This winter I changed to a 30 gallon barrel (think it is 30 gal) with a stock tank heater in it. I had a 5 gal bucket but with 21 chickens I figured they would be going through it pretty fast. They weren't using the new 5 gal much so figured where it was a different brand of nipples maybe they didn't work well so when I made the 30 gal one I bought rentacoop ones since that is what they use in their 2 gal bucket, and what I had on their old 5 gal one (that one needed to be replaced in the summer). Well they aren't really drinking out of the 30 gal one either and when I am in there and tap the metal piece they all drink from under it like they are dying of thirst. I fill up the 2 gal one and they go NUTS drinking out of that one (has the EXACT same nipples on it as the 30 gal)......... But with 21 they can go through the 2 gal in 1-1.5 days so I don't want to have to always be filling it and worrying about the stock tank heater being out of it since it is so little. and we normally are dealing with freezing water at this time of year (thankfully haven't really had to besides a week here and there) so I have to think of that.
Any ideas WHY they seem like they can't figure out the bigger barrel with the nipples but drink with zero issues out of the 2 gal rentacoop water bucket??? It makes NO sense to me. I have tried letting the other one dry up to force them to use the bigger one but then they all seem so thirsty so I fill the small one and as I said they all go NUTS and drink like crazy from it so thinking they aren't really using the other one. I have I think 10 nipples and spaced further apart on the big one than on the little one so not like too close together or not enough nipples or anything like that...... I just don't get it.
