Chicken Nipples: Enough Water?

[Hotspurious]

I've nearly completed an automatically recharged, chicken nipple-based, water distribution
system for the girls. However, I've been observing some interesting behavior over the past
3 weeks that has me questioning the entire project.

My nearly 10 week old chicks have only had access to chicken nipple watering containers;
not once was a traditional watering container used.

About three weeks ago that changed. As I worked on my automated system - to bridge the
periods of work (the downtime as it were) - I set a gallon waterer in the run. Once found, the
girls run to it and guzzle/gulp water like a bunch of freshman college kids doing keg stands;
they'd literally go after the waterer.

Now, this hasn't happened only once - which one might discount as anomalous behavior - but
instead happens each time I set a freshly filled waterer in the run with them.

Question: Are the girls getting enough water through the nipple or are they just getting enough
and would prefer more but the nipple system doesn't allow for sufficient flow? (Or... Am I over-
thinking this altogether?)

Again, they've only used nipples to date and my chicks appear to be perfectly happy/healthy.

Inquiring minds,

Hotspurious
Walnut Creek, CA

 

[Keltara]

Huh! I am really curious to see the feedback you get here. My chickens have only every had the traditional chicken waterers, but this summer, I was wanting to buy a nipple waterer from The Chicken Fountain.

 

[wayne hulgan]

I do not have nipple watters yet, but working on them. The way your girls gulped down the water from the watterer reminds me of ours. Each time I change the water, they act like they are about to dry up. maybe this is what yours are doing.

 

[Hotspurious]

I guess its entirely possible that this is simply random behavior associated with - from the girls'
perspective - is a new fun way to get some water? In the end, I'm still moving forward with the
nipple distro system, but I'll likely back it up with a "new" standard waterer out in the run; perhaps
one in their backyard 'range' as well...

Has anyone else observed this behavior?

 

[sillycmoy]

I have two 5-6 week chicks that I'm trying to get them to use the nipples, and I can't I've tried everything. Any suggestions???

 

[Hotspurious]

I have two 5-6 week chicks that I'm trying to get them to use the nipples, and I can't I've tried everything. Any suggestions???

Sorry, but mine came 'nipple enhanced' from the F&G store, so I'm likely not much help here.

When I asked asked them how they got the chicks to adopt, they said that they'd take a couple
and have force them to peck the nipple. That after a few tries, the chick was hooked and will
continue to do so on their own. Then... the rest would simply follow suit.

Again, I can't speak to whether or not that actually works, but only that that's what I was told.

Hotspurious
Walnut Creek, CA

 

[sillycmoy]

I've tried that with both chicks at least 10 times, water goes down their becks, and once I let them go they run away from it, and they actually don't even go near it. So frustrating, because my Barred Rock loves to hit on top of the water, even if its hanging and poop in it. Driving me nuts.

 

[hungry]

My chicks figured out the nipples on their own within about 10 seconds. They were at 4 or 5 weeks and I was checking out how well the nipples seal and to lower the pipe into the brooder (where they already had a conventional inverted-jar water source) ... within 10 seconds a chick/fledgling came over and gave it a peck, and within a minute all six were clustered around taking turns pecking on the thing/drinking the water. I wound up zip-tying the pipe with a couple nipples into the brooder and taking out the jar. Not very helpful but I don't know why yours would be fearful. Did you paint the new watering system with images of hawks and owls?

As for the chickens mobbing water... I can reach into the top of my hanging feeder, grab a handful of exactly the feed they are eating, pour it on the ground, and the chickens will abandon the feeder en mass to get this new source of food. If they were kids they'd be prescribed Ritalin. "Oooh, shiny! Let's go look at that! Oooh, something else shiny! Quick! Go over there!" I'm not at all surprised they'd mob a new source of water, but I don't think it means they are short of water any more than mine are short of food when they abandon the feeder to eat the same food. A school full of Attention Deficit Disorder kids would have nothin' on a single chicken.

 

[sillycmoy]

No, its actually a solid white bucket with the 3 nipples on the bottom. I thought it might be the height, so I have adjusted it like 4-5 times to different levels, and I'm sure its the right height, they just stay far away from where ever I hang it, unless I'm there with them. I have moved to to 3 different spots in their run too, and every time they just go to the other side. So frustrating. The lady at the feed store told me to put strawberry jam on the bottom of it, didn't work, they did peck off the jam, which I did that 5 times in the same day, but they still won't go near it unless I'm there... But I have 9 other babies 2-3 weeks that I hope they will figure it out, and then they will just follow. But these 2 chicks have had a hard start, got them out of a trash can at about 2 weeks old, and they follow me around like a lost puppy dog, and they huddle in a corner outside when I'm not out in the yard, if they can't see me, they just huddle in a corner, but if they can see me, they will walk about. Poor things, I keep thinking with age and time they will feel safe.

 

[hungry]

Sounds like they are generally fearful birds. Sad.

I used a remote bucket so that's a difference. I also mounted mine "high" (for fledglings) and gave the chickens a block of wood as a booster. That way I won't have to mess with it as they grow. They seem to like climbing up on the block of wood anyway so maybe that's a factor...but it's probably just that yours had a rough beginning.