Concerned chickens aren't getting enough water due to new waterer

[pfields]

My 23, 13 week old chickens would drink about two gallon of water a day with the red bottom white top fill waterer. Since I've read about the new nipple ones I bought a vertical nipple and then the horizontal nipple waterer. First about the vertical waterer, I noticed that my chickens get about one drop of water for every four that fall to the coop floor, not good for the coop or for them. I was hoping that the Igloo cooler would keep the water cooler inside their coop, not so, but it doesn't get hot. The water level barely went down enough to tell that they had a drink. So, I ordered the horizontal nipple drinker and put it outside on top of a cinder block under the shade tree. Also put a frozen bottle of water inside to cool the water. After two days it has the same amount of water that I filled it with. I'm worried in this south Texas heat they will die or not thrive.
Yes I had to clean the top fill fountain and I don't miss that but their getting enough water is far more important for them and my peace of mind. Has anyone given up on the nipples and went back to the top fill fountain? I've spent so much money on waterers, feeders, organic feed and that's not counting the coop, PDZ, and wood stuff for the coop floor and today I order the Ador1. I can't seem to win for losing on this water situation.

Edited to not discredit any brand of nipple waterer.

 

[Michael OShay]

I know many flock owners swear by the nipple waterers, but I tried them some years ago and had the same problems with them that you are having, so I switched back to the 5 gallon galvanized waterers. Maybe someone can give you some kind of advice that will correct your problems, but I never could get the nipple waterers to work well.

 

[pfields]

Oh, thank goodness, so it's not me or my chickens. You worry constantly when you see they aren't drinking and it's hot outside hour after hour all day long. I just hate to spend money for nothing.

 

[pfields]

Update-Filled my little one gallon top fill waterer and I wish I had my phone on me. They ran to the waterer and they drank about half of it in minutes. I've noticed more can drink successfully from the horizontal nipples than the vertical nipples. I guess some are slow learners and maybe you need to start them off as chicks from day one on the nipples.

 

[aart]

I use the horizontal nipples, it took the older chicks (6-8 weeks old) a couple days to really get the hang of it but the 2 day olds got it right away. I marked the bottle the nipples were in to monitor how much they drank to ensure myself that they were getting water. The key is no other waterers until they figure it out. Tho I might hesitate to do this if it's very hot out, mine were inside during winter when I trained them but have since gone thru several day in the 90's since then.

Lots of folks use these with apparently no deaths. I do give mine shallow pans of ice water when it's really hot out and they drink and wade in it. Just because they drink greedily out of a dish doesn't mean they're not getting enough out of the nipples.

 

[pfields]

I decided today to let them have all three. I have the 2 vertical nipple waterer in their coop. Outside (they have 1/2 acre to free range during the day) I have under a shade tree (in the middle of the backyard) the 7 gallon top fill waterer and out by the back fence (the farthest away from the coop) under a shade tree I have the 6 nipple horizontal waterer. So, they have three options. No more worrying that they aren't getting enough water.