How can I get my chickens to drink out of a dog igloo water bowl?

[ThinkingChickens]

I purchased a dog igloo style water bowl so that the girls would have a large supply of water on hand. Well, it's been weeks, maybe even a couple months and they still won't go near it. I've splashed some water and tried to show it to them. What else can I do? I really want to transition from a regular bowl to this waterer as we go away occasionally. Please advise!

 

[galanie]

This may sound harsh, but if it's the only water they can get, they'll drink from it.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Quote:
Really? I guess it's safer to try this now that it's cold. This summer the regular bowl went dry and one of my girls got heat stroke. I blamed myself upside and down that it was because they wouldn't drink from the other feeder. Maybe I'll just have to go for it.

 

[jenkassai]

What about doing like when they were chicks? Pick one up and dip her beak in the water? If she starts drinking from it the others probably will too. I sometimes use a regular dog bowl when my girls are roaming the yard and never had a problem with them not drinking from it, but maybe that is because it is a shiny metal bowl, so they were more apt to peck at it anyways.

 

[LiLRedCV]

I use them all the time. My girls have never had an issue with it. But then different strokes for different flocks.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Isn't it funny how particular chickens are? Anyone who thinks they are stupid just hasn't spent enough time with them. Ours prefer drinking out of this cut off five gallon bucket to the chicken waterers we bought. I think they just decide what they like and don't like and that's it. We tried earlier this year to switch them from crumbles to pellets and forced them to eat it. They did and pretty much wasted half the bag. The only way to force them to eat those pellets off the ground was to take the food away until they cleaned some up. At the end of the week I decided crumbles were great LOL

 

[clairabean]

Put some pebbles in it. Too big for them to eat- maybe egg sized. They will try to peck it and go OMG, WATER!!

I find that some of my animals refuse to drink from a white water dish- my dogs, my chickens... I think it is hard for them to see it?

 

[sabianshepherds]

My chickens will eat and drink from anywhere, anything, anytime even sipping water from my hand. That is such a good idea. I bought a gallon waterer, I just could not fathom how big BR are and how much they drink. I fill it several times a day. I have a dog waterer, but the dogs all have horse buckets! I'll have to put it in the coop instead.

 

[SteveBaz]

This may sound harsh, but if it's the only water they can get, they'll drink from it.

A bowl that size is unsafe for the chicks bc of drowning. If you do this put a couple of bricks in it or some rocks so they can stand up in the event they fall into the bowl if you decide to continue to try it. The kids are not drinking bc they do not feel safe. If you go away for extended times you need something that is safe for them and has enough volume to not run out. If that's the case do it the right way and get proper feeder and water for the kids. Before going make sure it functions properly and fill the feeder to the top.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I agree...and I don't find it harsh. The OP calls these chicken "girls"(I'm assuming HENS) and has had the waterer for "months" so I fail to see where "chicks" and their potential for drowning would even be an issue. Chicks are usually kept to an area that has their own chick proof waterer until they are big enough to partake of a flock waterer...at which time there should be no issues of drowning unless the bird is extremely dense~and I call that natural selection.

Remove all other watering sources and they will partake.