How do I get my hens to drink water?

[ownerof7chicks]

My hens will not drink water at all. They will only drink the water that I water my plants with. They don't drink it from their waterer. They only drink it from the ground. Now that it's winter all of my crops are harvested so they don't drink water anymore. They don't drink water in the summer either. Please help me find a solution so they wont be dehydrated!!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What sort of waterer do you use? How often and how do you clean it? Are you putting any additives in the water? Is there anything in the area around the waterer that might be making them ucomfortable?

 

[ownerof7chicks]

I don't use a store bought waterer, but I just you a short round tin can. I clean it almost everyday. I don't put anything at all in the water. The waterer is right next to the food and they eat the food just fine.

 

[AnnieE]

My chickens drank rain water spring, summer, and fall. When i had to switch to minicipal city water in winter, it took them a day or two to decide they were thirsty enough, lol.

One thing you can do is soak their feed in water for a day or two. Then theyll "drink" it when they eat. You can also fill up their waterer with water thats been sitting out for 24hrs. Chlorine will have evaporated by then.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Your profile doesn't have your location but I think that your chickens are drinking water just fine, otherwise they would all be dead already.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

FWIW, my horses will go to great lengths to drink from any puddle they can find over their nice, clean trough full of fresh water - the muddier the puddle the better, lol.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

FWIW, my horses will go to great lengths to drink from any puddle they can find over their nice, clean trough full of fresh water - the muddier the puddle the better, lol.

In some zoos that raise endangered bird species the water is either died with food coloring or else "flavored" with dirt to give the water a natural earth tone. Is contaminated water good for your flock? No. Can chickens tell good water from bad water? No.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

FWIW, my horses will go to great lengths to drink from any puddle they can find over their nice, clean trough full of fresh water - the muddier the puddle the better, lol.

What muddy water that my horses fail to drink they will roll and wallow in.

 

[justplainbatty]

As the saying goes, your chickens' best water is only as good as your worst puddle!