Hens quit using waterer

[jjulian812]

We have a 5 gal. bucket with horizontal nipples that the hens used all summer and fall.
As our Utah cold weather came in I dropped a trough heater into the bucket to keep the water from freezing but doesn’t “heat” the water.
I realized the water wasn’t going down, even though I checked the nipples regularly to make sure they weren’t frozen.
After a couple of weeks I decided to try the other waterer and they gathered around and drank for such a long time.
So they were thirsty, but refused to use the bucket with the heater in it except when absolutely necessary.

Any ideas?

 

[rosemarythyme]

After a couple of weeks I decided to try the other waterer and they gathered around and drank for such a long time.
So they were thirsty, but refused to use the bucket with the heater in it except when absolutely necessary.

They obviously were getting water somehow because they wouldn't have lasted weeks without water. If there's snow or rain I find that mine will ignore the waterer and drink droplets off the fence, from puddles, from every nook and cranny possible - they just seem to prefer the filthiest source of water available. I don't consider them taking a long drink as evidence that they were dying of thirst - like one of my dogs drinks like he just crawled from the desert when I pour water into the bowl, just because he likes lapping at moving water.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Chickens much prefer to drink when they can dip their beaks in the water and take a good sip. Even though water nipples may be easier and stay cleaner longer, the chickens obviously prefer to get water the natural way they were meant to.

 

[aart]

We have a 5 gal. bucket with horizontal nipples that the hens used all summer and fall.

Mine drink much less out of the heated nipple waterer if there is snow on the ground or it's been raining. I monitor their consumption daily.

I don't consider them taking a long drink as evidence that they were dying of thirst

Ditto Dat!

I also think that overall they're less thirsty when it's cool/cold than when it's hotter, when they need the extra hydration to deal with the heat.

Exactly!

rather than the latest 'fad', nipple waterers.

HN's aren't new, or a fad, many use them very successfully. Worked fine here for 5 years now.

I too was concerned they wouldn't get enough, so I measured their consumption for a week or two before switching to nipples. It went down at bit at first, some didn't 'get it' at first, but a couple weeks in it was the same as with an open waterer.

 

[gtaus]

We have a 5 gal. bucket with horizontal nipples that the hens used all summer and fall.
As our Utah cold weather came in I dropped a trough heater into the bucket to keep the water from freezing but doesn’t “heat” the water.
I realized the water wasn’t going down, even though I checked the nipples regularly to make sure they weren’t frozen.
After a couple of weeks I decided to try the other waterer and they gathered around and drank for such a long time.
So they were thirsty, but refused to use the bucket with the heater in it except when absolutely necessary.

Any ideas?

I know I'm a little late to this thread, but it reminds me of another thread where someone else was using a water heater in the bucket. In that other thread, the OP was wondering why his water heater element instruction said he needed to drive a grounding rod into the ground for proper use of the submersible heating element. Many people suggested that if he just used a GFCI outlet, he would not need a grounding rod. Sounded reasonable to me.

However, as I looked further into that issue, I read that these submersible heating elements can build up a difference in voltage in the water and the ground the chickens are standing on. Although it might not be enough to physically shock the chicken and kill it, the difference in the voltage affects "the taste" of the water because that voltage difference does bother the animals. That was confirmed by a horse rancher who reported that he did not have his heating element properly grounded and he noticed his horses would no longer drink from the water tank. Although they were not getting shocked by drinking the water, he was able to measure a difference in the voltage which turned his horses off from drinking that water. After he drove a rod down into the ground (as advised on the package), that corrected the problem. I won't pretend to understand the details of how all that works, but my take away from that discussion is that a small voltage difference that we cannot feel with a shock, can indeed be present and affect the "taste" of the water and turn the animals off from drinking from that tank.

If your chickens are not drinking from your bucket with nipples, whatever the cause, that would be a concern to me. I am also in the old school camp and use a 3 gallon metal water fount with a metal heated base to keep the water from freezing. So far, it has kept the water from freezing down to -22F at night. I really like the old metal water founts because I can simply look down on the waterer to see if the water is frozen and every morning I lift the tank up to feel how much water is left. I have a patio block under my metal heater base, and the water fount on top of that. So the water is about 5 inches off the ground. The water stays pretty clean that way, but if it does get dirty, I simply swish around the water in the fount and dump that small bit out. My 3 gallon metal water fount lasts me about 10 days for my 10 chickens. I'm very happy with that old school method as others have also mentioned.

 

[Folly's place]

x2! I think that waterers that allow for normal drinking behaviors make more sense, rather than the latest 'fad', nipple waterers.
Yes, the water will get a bit grungy in there, but what chicken wouldn't rather drink out of puddles at the barn instead anyway? Pristine water is not a priority for them.
Mary

 

[chickens really]

All I use is a livestock rubber bowl up on bricks. It works fantastic.

 

[NatJ]

The other waterer is only 2 1/2 gal. and the water in the trough freezes. Also, they continually foul the water in the trough.
That’s why I’m so keen on getting them back to the bucket.

How many chickens do you have?

As long as they don't drink it all up before it freezes, there's no reason for big water containers in freezing weather--a dog dish may be quite big enough, or a chick waterer that holds a quart, or a rubber bowl you can easily break the ice out of.

Having two waterers helps, because you can bring one out full of water, and take the frozen one in to thaw.

Or else have one that you can easily get the ice out of, so it's a fast job to refill it.

About the filthy water--can you put it up on something? (Milk crate, storage bin, concrete block, etc.) That usually helps keep stuff from getting scratched in.

I can certainly understand why you want the chickens to go back to the drinking from the nipple waterer, so I'm just making other suggestions in case they help in the meantime.

 

[Folly's place]

I like the galvanized metal waterers, on metal heat plates, in my coop. There's no way I'm out there three times daily to change out rubber water dishes in freezing weather!
Mary

 

[Building Bridges]

We have a 5 gal. bucket with horizontal nipples that the hens used all summer and fall.
As our Utah cold weather came in I dropped a trough heater into the bucket to keep the water from freezing but doesn’t “heat” the water.
I realized the water wasn’t going down, even though I checked the nipples regularly to make sure they weren’t frozen.
After a couple of weeks I decided to try the other waterer and they gathered around and drank for such a long time.
So they were thirsty, but refused to use the bucket with the heater in it except when absolutely necessary.

Any ideas?

Very interesting....anxious to see the answers that come!