dirt getting into the water???

[j-me]

We seems to always have dirt getting into the waterer. Anyone solve this problem? We have hung it a good 8 -10 inches off the ground and we still get dirt in it. Should we not worry about it..

Also, we have 4 op and 4 slw and we are getting 1 egg a day for the past 3 weeks. What's up? They are 26 wks old tomorrow and I am very frustrated with not getting eggs. My friend has 10 Isa's and they get 9 eggs a day.
Am I just impatient?

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I get dirt in our water too, but I don't think it's because they kick it in. Most likely from their beaks after they scratch at the ground. I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't getting a lot of eggs. With the shorter days and it also being the time of year for molting, you should expect egg production to drop. Your neighbor could be using supplemental light to compensate for the lost daylight hours.

 

[jwchicklady]

I have isa's and they are production birds bred to lay heavily for the first 2 years, even during the winter. they will not live as long as some other breeds, I have heard that some of them drop dead fairly early. yours are breeds that will lay more naturally, so not so often in the winter. you could give them more light to encourage them to lay or you can just be patient and let nature take its course.

 

[danab]

They kick water into my can as soon as I clean it out for them. I don't think a little dirt hurts them. Whenever I water the yard next to the coop, they always go around drinking from the little puddles formed in the mud. I don't think a little dirt hurts.

 

[trilyn]

You can always try a nipple waterer-definitely keeps the dirt out! My byc page has the deets and they're quite inexpensive to make.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Raise the waterer higher then give them a platform they can step up onto to reach it. I've got mine on top of two concrete blocks with a block on either side that they can step up onto to reach the water.

This won't eliminate all of the dirt getting into the water because some of it is coming off of their beaks, but it will largely stop them from scratching dirt into it.

.....Alan.