Chicks are 2 weeks old today..... getting concerned about coccidia

[DreamsInPink]

Did I spell that right? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of comments saying it's more of a threat around 3 weeks old. I'm just getting worried, cause, well, that's what I do. Worry.

All of them seem to be fine, other than the meat chickens who are pretty lazy, but that sounds pretty normal. They are on medicated crumbles. Is there anything else I can do?? Anything I need to watch out for particularly?? Early warning signs?

Am I being paranoid? (be gentle)

 

[JetCat]

if your brooder is kept clean/dry you can worry a lot less.

 

[DreamsInPink]

Well, I'm trying... but I keep spilling freaking water in there when I refill the waterer. I'm about over this watering system.
There has got to be a better way.....

 

[JetCat]

the screw on lid waterer are what i use in the brooder, put a mark on the bottom of them with a sharpie marking where the water hole is at, then always flip them over opposite of that and they'll never spill a drop.

 

[DreamsInPink]

Oh it's not when I flip it, though the first time I did that, it was quite hilarious. My 19 year old daughter said "just flip it really fast".... I did... and half the contents went everywhere, including all over her! hahaha! Thank goodness I wasn't filling it all the way up.

But anyway... yeah... it's when I'm trying to lower it down into the brooder. I must be tipping it to the side or something... and I'm cleaning/refilling it several, SEVERAL, times a day because they keep getting shavings in it.

I'm looking into the nipple waterer systems, but I know /nothing/ about these nipples. Apparently there are vertical and horizontal types? And some people who use them aren't happy with them, say they leak.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[JetCat]

sounds like you have one of those with the red base with tabs that lock in rather then a screw on, they are notoriously messy like that.

vertical nipples work better in my experience, you can get them at TSC (although not very cheap) and they'll thread into your plastic container with the appropriate size hole drilled in it. you can use a small 'gym water bottle' and a makeshift wire hanger or get the screw on base and elevate it on a board so it's above your shavings, cuts down on then scratching shavings into it.

 

[DreamsInPink]

Yes, that's exactly the one I have... and it's driving me up the wall. I am adding electrolytes to their water. So I mix up a gallon jug with the electrolytes in it and store it in the fridge. I only put about a quart of water in the waterer at a time due to the electrolytes... cause I change it out so often, I'd be wasting a lot of the mix.

What about the little cup waterers... I have just looked at a thread with pics of them and I like them. Seems less likely to leak all over.

BUT, can the baby chicks use the nipple and cup waterers? And can I still use the same ones when they grow up?

 

[JetCat]

Chicks can use nipples and gravity feed cups but they can't activate the cups with the trigger very good.

 

[DreamsInPink]

Yeah, that's what I was wondering after reading some more posts about the cups. Seems a lot of people have had trouble getting their grown chickens to figure out how to initiate the flow of water. Ugh.

So, you prefer the vertical nipples... Have you ever used the horizontal ones? Why do you prefer the vertical ones? Do they leak?

 

[JetCat]

Properly installed neither leak. Vertical for me at least most of the drips go in the chickens mouth as they activate them. Horizontals have more missed drips. I use the cups mostly both the trigger and gravity ones.