Are chickens actually smart?

[TheBirdBabe]

I bought my flock one of those waterers that has the watering cups on them. You know, the ones that have the little trigger in the cup that they hit that releases water? They CANNOT figure it out for some reason! I can't seem to get them to hit it hard enough & I end up having to do it for them. should I get them a different waterer? Or should I give it more time?

They're about 6-8 weeks old.

 

[neo71665]

They can learn but IHMO I never liked the cups. At 6-8 weeks they should be big enough to hit the lever. I know mine wasn't having any issues with the nipples at that age.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

If you can be there to check constantly I would leave it and see if they figure it out. If not I’d look for a different kind of waterer.

 

[WhySayWhat]

I've always preferred the nipple waterers myself. I switched my flock to them when they went outside (10 years ago) and they loved them! This time around, I opted for horizontal nipples for a few reasons, but mostly so I could set the bucket down while it fills, with the vertical nipples hanging from the bottom, I had to stand there and hold it the whole time.

 

[Krugerrand]

I bought my flock one of those waterers that has the watering cups on them. You know, the ones that have the little trigger in the cup that they hit that releases water? They CANNOT figure it out for some reason! I can't seem to get them to hit it hard enough & I end up having to do it for them. should I get them a different waterer? Or should I give it more time?

They're about 6-8 weeks old.

I had seen a suggestion from a few years ago to use a laser pointer. That helped introduce horizontal nipples to my chicks. I would think it could work with the cups, too.