Chickens not using nipples yet

[WildflowerJLH]

I have had my new chicken nipple waterer out for 4 days. No one is using it! How can I get them interested?

 

[nurturingnaturally]

If you also have your old waterer out, they may not want to switch over. For my chicks, when i switched, I "dipped" each of their beaks to the nipple, so I knew they all knew where it was, then removed the old one. No problems.

 

[fancyflea]

Where do you get this type of waterer?

 

[qajaqkelly]

You can order the nipples from www.farmtec.com

I put my nipple waterer in my tractor but had too much pressure to operate. It took a week or so to get my gravity water set up and I was concerned that the chooks would have exhausted the curiosity of the nipple without discovering their usefulness. When I got my new system hooked up, I simply tapped the nipples several times while they watched with curiosity. I stepped back a few feet and within minutes the whole flock was fighting for a turn at the newest fad. Never looked back.

My setup is from a rain collection system, and I am now working through ideas to deal with freezing temps. Currently the water just flows from cistern to pvc pipe header with nipples by way of a garden hose. Don't imagine this will work on cold (not that cold in central NC) winter nights. It can get down to upper teens on occasion though, so a freeze-proof plan must be devised soon.

 

[LVVCHAP]

Try Neil Grassbaugh on this site. Good prices and reasonable shipping. I just ordered six more from Neil.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I also had a problem with my birds using their nipple waters. I installed a nice nipple system in the coop and they didn't look twice at it.

After a few days I tapped at the metal part of the nipple with a stick and that got them go up and try it. It took a couple of sessions over two days, but they did learn how to use it. The problem was, they wouldn't use it. I had regular vacuum waterers distributed around the yard and they'd wait until they were free-ranged to drink. When I let them out, they acted like they'd been terribly deprived of water. I did this as our serious summer heat was coming on and I didn't want to risk loss from dehydration. So, I ended up putting regular waterers back into their run. At the beginning of this month, after the heat of the summer passed, my chickens went cold turkey on vacuum waterers. I made new nipple waterers to distribute around the yard and removed the other waterers. This time they went right to using the nipples as if they had been all along. I sometimes wonder if they are drinking enough, but they seem to be doing fine. So, if you have any other water sources, I'd remove them as I trained them on the nipple waterers. Any future birds I get will be raised from the start on nipple waterers. Good luck!

 

[pride&joy]

Quote:
That sounds like what I need, any chance you could post a pic?

 

[briteday]

Quote:
If your holding tank is large I would go with a stock tank heater like those used in livestock water tanks (I'm thinking if you have a 55 gallon drum). If your reservoir is smaller then I would go with a submersible bird bath heater. I've used an aquarium heater in a 5-gallon bucket but you have to be really careful. If the water does not cover them or they fail the aquarium heater can cause an electrical shock. I've bought the cheapest ones that Walmart carries ($13), touch them every morning when filling the bucket, and never had a problem. Also, if your nipples are on a pipe connected to the reservoir you may need to put some heat tape around that pipe.

 

[krazeepolack]

NO SWEAT!! I installed 10 water "drippers" www.farmtec.com to a gravity water tank on the roof. Spaced about one foot apart in 1 1/2 inch pvc. After about the third day, I removed thier regular water bowls-not a problem since. They act like it's the only water source they ever had. They will go to the drippers on thier own. Showing them the drippers @ first only helped slightly.

 

[krazeepolack]

NO SWEAT!! I installed 10 water "drippers" www.farmtec.com to a gravity water tank going into my coop & the runfrom the roof. Five each place! Spaced about one foot apart in 1 1/2 inch pvc. After about the third day, I removed thier regular water bowls-not a problem since. They act like it's the only water source they ever had. They will go to the drippers on thier own. Showing them the drippers @ first only helped slightly. ONE CAVEAT HERE!!!! When you order the drippers, SPECIFY you do NOT want anything else!!! They will ship a thick catalog & a few other goodies, increasing S&H. Just pay for the drippers you want. Much cheaper!!