Horizontal Nippleage .....

[svh]

I recently bought some horizontal nipples, installed them on a bucket, filled with water, and hung at the appropriate height, (chicken face level), right next to their standard waterer. It's been there for over a week, and I have never seen anybody even pokin at them.

There is the possibility they are experimenting with them when I'm not lookin, but the water level seems to be unchanged.

It would work out very well for me if they would use the new watering system, but I have no idea how to get them to drink from these strange lookin devices.

Any tips or tricks, to get them interested, would be very welcome.

Thanks

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Go in there and play with the nipples to get their attention. This is how I showed my chickens how to use them but I eventually switched to the gravity fill cups because it gets so hot where I live and I was starting to worry they weren't getting enough water. Overall the horizontal waterers were harder for me to get my chickens to use rather than the vertical ones.

 

[ColoradoPip]

SVH, I have read the chickens prefer the other waterers and if you do not remove it they will continue to use it and not the nipple.

 

[sealer39]

Get rid of the other water source. After it’s gone, tap on the nipples to get water to come out. They will learn to use it. Make sure you drill some tiny holes in the side of the bucket just under the lid so a suction lock does not occur as the water level drops.

 

[svh]

SVH, I have read the chickens prefer the other waterers and if you do not remove it they will continue to use it and not the nipple.

Get rid of the other water source. After it’s gone, tap on the nipples to get water to come out. They will learn to use it. Make sure you drill some tiny holes in the side of the bucket just under the lid so a suction lock does not occur as the water level drops.

Thank you for the replies ! I will pull the standard waterer out tomotrrow, and keep a close eye on them.

Also thanks for tip about the holes for airflow.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm more hands on, so after taking away all other sources of water I waited for the birds to show interest in the waterer, then poked at the toggles so water would come out and they could lick it. I also picked up a couple of the higher ranked birds and used their beaks to trigger the toggle for water, then let them lap it up. They mostly figured it out from there.

I did have one bird (with mild cross beak) that had real trouble figuring it out, took her weeks to learn how to hit the trigger and she was drinking by following the other birds in and lapping up whatever spillage there was. I was picking her up daily and using her beak to trigger water, but it probably took 2 or 3 weeks for her to actually figure it out.

 

[wamtazlady]

I have had several batches of chickens that needed to use horizontal nipples. I remove all other sources of water when putting the horizontal nipples in with the chickens. Have never had the chickens go more than a couple hours without figuring it out. They are curious. They are attracted to that shiny metal inside the red thing. They always want to check it out. They peck and run. Before you know it they have figured out that pecking gives them water.

Just made a horizontal nipple waterer for a neighbor a few months ago. She broke her ankle so could not check on the birds. The person feeding and watering did not worry. None of her chickens died so they must have figured it out.

Once I brought some pullets home at night. Previously they had only used a dog dish for water. When I checked them at 7 am they were already getting drinks from the nipples. I have never worried about the chickens using nipples and they have never disappointed me.

At one time both my neighbors on either side had free ranging chickens. Their chickens figured out how to use the horizontal nipples rather than go home to get a drink.

Now, maybe my chickens and my neighbors' chickens are smarter than the average chicken, but I do not believe so.

 

[jreardon1918]

When you remove the other water sources. Mark how much water is in the bucket. That way as they drink you will be comforted that they are hydrating. I top off my bucket every day or two. Fill out to the very top.

 

[Cazook]

they will use it if they have to... somehow they still prefer drinking out of muddy puddles or even pecking the droplets of water on the chicken wire in the rain though

 

[aart]

Mark how much water is in the bucket. That way as they drink you will be comforted that they are hydrating.

Yes, this^^^.

hung at the appropriate height

Not sure hanging it is best, better if it doesn't move when they peck/drink.


I've had all age birds either pick it right up within an hour...and others that take weeks to really figure it out.

Here's my thoughts on 'nipple training'.
First, it's good to know how much water your flock consumes 'normally', I top off water every morning and have marks on the waterers so I know about how much they drink.
-Show them how with your finger(tho that might just train them to wait for your finger),
and/or manually grab them and push their head/beak onto the trigger(easier with chicks than adults).
-No other water source, best to 'train' during mild weather when dehydration is less of an immediate health risk. I do provide an open waterer late in day to make sure they don't go to roost dehydrated, especially young chicks.
It can take days or weeks to get them fully switched over, just takes observation, consistency, and patience.