I'm not sure how it will stress them. I've never seen my chickens stressed using them.Here are her reservations:
Would stress them?
Yes, they're used to dipping their beak into something, but once they catch on, it's not a problem. I even had a rabbit using the chickens HN's.Unnatural?
Take their other waterer away and put the nipple waterer in the same location. Tap the metal rod so they see water coming out. Once one gets to pecking at it, the others will start to follow, some slower than others. I've only retrained older birds a couple times, but it didn't take very long to get them to use the nipples. Maybe a couple hours.How would you retrain them?
I'm not sure why they would need to dip their comb in water. That's a new one on me.Chickens should be able to dip their combs in water. (I’m not sure about this one, but that’s what she says)
Amazon is the only place I know, to get them.A few of my questions:
Where is the best place to purchase them?
You could space them about every 4 - 5 inches on a small bucket. I space mine 8 inches apart, on a 14 gallon drum. You can use a 5 gallon bucket and refill the water using gallon containers. I rinse my waterers out 2 - 3 times a year, they don't get dirty inside.How many can fit on a 2-3 gallon bucket (I don’t want to lift anything heavier than that)
1 nipple for every 3 - 4 chickens is good. They don't stand around and drink from them all day, they get plenty of water from them. Some people think chickens don't get enough water from them. I've never lost a chicken to dehydration, even when I lived in NC. I've used HN's exclusively, for the last 4 years.How many for 16 chickens?
I start my chicks on HN's at 2 - 3 weeks. When I start chicks, I leave the chick water in the brooder for a week, with the nipple waterer. After a week most of them are using both waterers. I take the chick waterer out and check on them through the day, to make sure I see all of them using the nipples.At what age can they start using them? (I have 3, 5 week olds, 7, 15 week olds, and the other 6 are full grown hens)
Below is my article, on making a heated Horizontal nipple waterer and some of the waterers I've made. If you make one, use an 11/32 drill bit to make the hole, for the nipple to screw into.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ock-tank-deicer-and-horizontal-nipples.74609/
Brooder waterer
The tray is to catch drips, as they use the nipples.
The nipples don't drip on their own. I did this so the bedding stayed dry.
14 Gallon