Have you used chicken nipples?

[Rich386]

Okay, I must have dumb chickens. They simply cannot seem to figure out the whole chicken nipple thing. I tap the nipple and they come running and then just try and drink water off the dirt floor of the coop, never seem to think about looking up to see where the water is coming from. I'm thinking of super-gluing some ribbon to hang down to get their attention.

Not dumb my guess is they are used to some sort of dish type waterier. You need nipples that don't leak so they don't have that puddle.

 

[ChiksNCharge]

So far mine haven't leaked - I was holding the nipple to try and show the chickens what to do. I had taken their dish type waterer out of the coup and replaced it with a bucket with nipples on the bottom. They did not seem to even notice the bucket or attempt to peck the nipples. Water level did not go down in the bucket. After almost 2 days, I panicked and put the dish back in the coop.

 

[NoobChick858]

Do you guys poke a hole at the top so that air gets in as they drink? Water doesn't always come out when I tap the nipple, and I was wondering if its because I don't have an extra hole.

 

[kapie9969]

I put a very small hole with a nail, pushed just enough to puncture the container. My chicks took like five minutes to learn, I just kept tapping the nipple. Once one gets the idea, the rest follow along.

 

[austinclarksf]

My hens don't know what the hell it is.

I installed three nipples on the bottom of an orange 5-gallon bucket. When I hung it, they were all very interested, so I tapped a bit on the emitters, making them drip. Instead of catching on, all they do is try to find the water droplets that fall on the ground. Then, they look at me and ask me to do it again. They don't even seem to notice that the water is dripping from above, they just huddle around below the bucket nipping at the water droplets on the ground when I tap the emitters.

I have tried a few times per week over the past few weeks, and none of them have caught on. Any ideas???

I might try a clear container. The pic in the original posting is a good idea, I'll find an oversize plastic water bottle and see if they get it...

 

[NoobChick858]

Thanks kapie!

 

[Island Roo]

My nipples don't leak but there is always a few drops that get on the ground from sloppy drinkers, tough guys that peck at the shiny thing or a particle of dirt in the nipple. Chickens are messy.

This is what I do in the brooder. The chicks hop up onto the stand to take a drink. The stand has has hardware wire covering so any drips end up in the pie plate underneath. About once a week I'll empty the pie plate. I made sure there is not enough room for a chick to get into the drip catcher.

 

[Island Roo]

After 30 years of raising chickens I finally set up one waterer with nipples. I like the fact that it keeps the water clean but I am not to happy about the mud that comes from the drips...I have checked everything out and watched it being used. Always has that little drop the drops down and becomes a wet mess. Suggestions for correcting that problem or is that just a common problem of using nipple waterers.

I have kept both kinds of water containers out for them to use their usual 5 gallon is gone and the nipple container usually has 3/4 of the water. Guess I am afraid to force them to the new kind because it is my large layer pen that I started with and would hate to see egg production go down due to a lack of water.

My girls have a font outside in the summer in addition to the nipples. In winter, they only have nipples and I did notice a drop in egg production when I made the switch last year. Of course that was going into winter so there are too many variables to be sure what caused it. I'll be keeping an eye on that.

I think as the pullets grow up they will do better on nipples-only as that is what they were raised on. The older girls are more picky about their drinking.

 

[leanderbyc]

I used a medium sized Gatorade bottle( 32 oz maybe). I held it out and when they came to investigate it I just moved it slowly across their beak and that would cause the water to come out and they took to it after that. I have noticed if there is any pooled water available the will always go to that over the nipple.

 

[Rich386]

Quote: Next time try these as a test just get a few and you will be sold.