Vertical (gravity) vs. horizontal (spring loaded) watering nipples

[Faraday40]

I acquired 4 teenage chicks and put the usual horizontal nipple waterer out for them. I 'demonstrated', but they didn't get it. A few days later I switched to vertical nipples, again demonstrated, and they didn't get it. I think that they got sick after they arrived, so am treating them. May have arrived with whatever they have --- doesn't matter. Just have to get them well.
Anyway, finally I just put the water (with medication) in a regular water fountain and they drink it right up. I'll have to use that until everyone is well. Either these chicks are really dumb, or more likely, they have been sick and just didn't 'get it' with the nipple waterers. I believe that they're on the mend, so will try again when everyone is well. They've had a harsh transition. Thanks for others' advice.

Yes, definitely get your chickens well & used to their new home before switching their water. I think the younger they start, the easier, but my orig chickens (at 3-4 month old) learned quickly. I had a drip pan under the vertical nipples. The dumbest ones tried drinking out of there for a day or so. Eventually they saw their smarter siblings drinking from the nipples & caught on. As soon as one "gets it" the others will follow.

 

[DaveOmak]

I acquired 4 teenage chicks and put the usual horizontal nipple waterer out for them. I 'demonstrated', but they didn't get it. A few days later I switched to vertical nipples, again demonstrated, and they didn't get it. I think that they got sick after they arrived, so am treating them. May have arrived with whatever they have --- doesn't matter. Just have to get them well.
Anyway, finally I just put the water (with medication) in a regular water fountain and they drink it right up. I'll have to use that until everyone is well. Either these chicks are really dumb, or more likely, they have been sick and just didn't 'get it' with the nipple waterers. I believe that they're on the mend, so will try again when everyone is well. They've had a harsh transition. Thanks for others' advice.

Demonstrate 15 times a day if necessary..... Hold a chick under the nipple and drip water into it's beak... over and over and over... then grab the nearest chick that has been watching and do it again.....
after the move they need electrolytes to reduce the stress...

 

[ralleia]

Last night the temperatures dropped to -8 °F, the first real test of our horizontal nipple system. I went out this morning when the temperatures had risen a few degrees. Three out of four of the chicken nipples had iced up. The one that didn't might not have could be un-iced for two reasons--one, it was nearest to where the submerged bird bath heater was, and it was also nearest a wall, so it would likely be less used by the chickens and therefore wouldn't have had a pool of water sitting in the cup to ice up.

I used a hair dryer to melt the ice on the three cups and get the metal inner piece moving again. Temperatures are supposed to get to 19 today, so once I get the chance I'll see if they are still flowing.

This is what our water bucket looked like a couple months back before we hung it in the chicken coop, just so people can see it is a pretty standard installation.

 

[rfreedlund]

Last night the temperatures dropped to -8 °F, the first real test of our horizontal nipple system. I went out this morning when the temperatures had risen a few degrees. Three out of four of the chicken nipples had iced up.

We have had temperatures reach as low as -15 F in the past month or so. I am using aquarium heaters I purchased on Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00061UQ6G/ ) in the two five gallon buckets I have set up and I have had no freezing problems. Maybe a warmer heater would help you. I have my buckets set up on bricks rather than hanging (less stress on the bucket) but I doubt that has any affect. I am glad that I made the change for the winter.

 

[MsRiderUp]

Demonstrate 15 times a day if necessary..... Hold a chick under the nipple and drip water into it's beak... over and over and over... then grab the nearest chick that has been watching and do it again.....
after the move they need electrolytes to reduce the stress...

Well, I didn't do this. I tried it, and the chicks got freaked out. Turns out the teenage chicks had coccidiosis, so treated them for that and they're fine. They are kept separate from the little ones. Am back to using a standard chicken fountain for all. They are all getting a bit older, so will try the vertical nipples for the waterers.

Last time I had the horizontal ones for use, I filled up the feeder and they all came running, but didn't eat much. Just standing around peeping. That was when I figured they were thirsty and switched back to the standard baby chick waterer. They must have drank out of that for 15 minutes straight. THEN they went to eat from the feeder. Will try again and let folks know the results. I am probably just a very bad chicken owner . . .

 

[ChickenCanoe]

These last posts were invaluable about temps, heaters and freezing.
I am building a circulated warm water system.

My question for all using horizontal nipples, have you found a sweet spot on height in relation to the head height of the bird?

When one has hens of all the same height it's not a problem but mix in roosters and chicks, then it matters - especially with vertical ones.

 

[aart]

These last posts were invaluable about temps, heaters and freezing.
I am building a circulated warm water system.

My question for all using horizontal nipples, have you found a sweet spot on height in relation to the head height of the bird?

When one has hens of all the same height it's not a problem but mix in roosters and chicks, then it matters - especially with vertical ones.

Mines about 19 inches right now, everyone seems to be able to reach it OK....
.....I put a brick on the floor if I have a shorty who's having trouble reaching it, especially when I had different aged chicks.

It's not that critical I don't think, but better to err at a little low rather than too high.

 

[Faraday40]

Mines about 19 inches right now, everyone seems to be able to reach it OK....
.....I put a brick on the floor if I have a shorty who's having trouble reaching it, especially when I had different aged chicks.

It's not that critical I don't think, but better to err at a little low rather than too high.

x2
I placed mine at their neck level. I have only one bantam. She stands on a ledge & always drinks from that side. The others drink however & whenever they please.
No problems with freezing this winter through the below zero temps. Sometimes the end may freeze, but a peck or 2 & the water flows again.

 

[aart]

I found this interesting and thought others might too.
Have a couple HN's in bottles for the broody and chicks, no power in the coop partition so am trotting out to swap thawed for frozen ones every couple hours.
This freeze pattern in this clear bottle shows how the metal pin conducts cold.
This is after about 4 hours in 10F air temps.....the nipples themselves freeze up in about an hour or so, especially if there's water left in the lip.
(No chicks were without water during this experiment...had given them another waterer.)



My main coop has a heated device with HN's that has held up fantastically down to -10F so far.........
........ then I decide to let broody set and am still schlepping liquid water multiple times a day. OyVey!

 

[The Force]

Does anyone know where to order these that ships to Canada? No luck with eBay or Amazon yet... Looking for 5 to 15 of the horizontal nipples. Located in Kamloops bc. Thanks!