Chicks filling waterer with shavings

[AllChookUp]

I'm guessing this has been discussed already, but I haven't found it on a search yet.

My BCM chicks are ~ 2 months old. I have a 1-gallon waterer in their area, with pine shavings on the floor of their area. They keep filling the water tray with pine shavings, making the water undrinkable. AND causing me to have to clean and refill the water daily.

I've tried raising the waterer off the floor with a block of wood, even with a wood border on a piece of wood suppporting the waterer above the block. I even have the waterer in a corner of their area. Still with the same results. I don't remember this when I had baby Wyandottes and Orpingtons...

What am I doing wrong? Raise it even higher?

 

[AllChookUp]

Should have mentioned they are in an area where they can see adult hens and their behaviors. Not sure that matters, though.

 

[Chemguy]

keep the waterer raised so that it as high up as their backs. They will still be able to drink from it.

To do this, place something underneath the waterer that does not poke out from under the waterer, or hang it. This did the trick for me. Good luck!

 

[AllChookUp]

I suspected going hiigher might do the trick. I'll try that - Thanks!

 

[Fred's Hens]

I put the waterer on a drinking platform, some 4" above the brooder floor. They hop right up there and drink. It keep the begging litter out of the waterer.

 

[tigerlilymomma]

My chicks would knock so many shavings into their water that it would completely plug up, so I started putting a piece of cardboard underneath. The piece of cardboard gets pretty nasty, so I change it out for a fresh piece once a week or so.

 

[kichohana]

I'm having the same problem right now. I elevated the water on a 2x4 "box" covered with 1/4" hardware cloth. I'm sure the chicks are doing their share in adding to the mess, but my main problem is mama! She's constantly scratching up the shavings on the bottom of the coop and pecking up food, letting the babies (6 days old) peck it off her beak. She's being a great mama - especially since these babies were grafted. She thinks they're her own.

I have a rabbit water bottle up higher just for mama so she doesn't have to bend down so low to get a drink. She doesn't seem to use it at all as the water level doesn't go down. I'm worried in this heat that she's not drinking enough. The chick's water keeps getting mucked up - mostly with shavings, and a little poo added in.

Of course with the heat here (95+ humidity) I'm looking for a solution so that both mama and babies can drink clean water from the same dispenser. I've ordered some nipples to make a small bucket waterer for them that i can hang, but anyone out there have other ideas?