Chicks Pooping in the water

[HoundClegane]

Hi all!

I'm a new chicken mommy, and had no idea how enjoyable this would be when I first started! I'm loving it! With that being said, I have 13 chicks. For the time being they are separated into two brooders. One brooder has the store bought chick feeder and waterer, and my older chicks (bought from TSC March 27). The other brooder has a bowl with a cup in the middle with water around it, and a plate with a similar set up for food. All seem pretty healthy. I have had a few with pasty butt the first few days, but haven't had much issues since. Anyway, I'm rambling about my chicks again.

The keep pooping in the water! And the containers get full of the bedding as well! I placed both the water containers on top of upside down bowls to see if that would eliminate the trash problem. It has helped some, but they still keep pooping in it non stop.

Is there a way to prevent this? Will it make them ill? It defeats the purpose of the fancy waterer because I find myself dumping the whole thing and refilling it several times a day!

What am I

doing wrong?

Thanks all!


Chick Tax
(I don't know what he/she is, but batman in my smallest, even in comparison to my silkie chick and I think he/she is adorable!)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You need to elevate them. You can use bricks or some other suitable thing to get the rim about back high. You'll need to keep elevating as they grow.
Another option is nipple waterers. There are 2 types - vertical and horizontal. They solve the poop in water issue quite well. Chicks take to them pretty quickly.
You can use PVC or a bucket.
The horizontal ones have the advantage of being able to sit the bucket on the ground if need be and they also aren't as critical as to the elevation.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...=0&langId=-1&storeId=10151&sType=SimpleSearch

http://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products®-Poultry-chickens-hatching/dp/B004NEIS1M

http://www.amazon.com/Horizontal-Side-Mount-Poultry-Nipples/dp/B00JXUAD0K

For chicks you only need a 2 or 3 quart paint bucket which is about $2 at Lowes.

 

[newmarch2014]

I start for the first week or 2 on a single layer of cut pieces of 2x4 then a 2nd layer as they get taller and more energetic about scratching the bedding around. I just keep stacking it up a bit to keep it tall enough to stay as clean as possible but still within beak reach.

 

[pmcont3]

We raised the water and feeder to chest height at day 11. This helped keeping poop and shavings out. We also put a sloped roof over the feed station, keeps them off of the feeder.