How do I know they're using the water bucket nipple?

[allig8r]

Okay... we have a henspa

(actually, I really love it--but it cost a very fortune).

Anyway... it comes with a heated water bucket attached to the outside installed with little nipples at the bottom that line up with a hole in the wall for the chickens to reach their head through and get water. Looks like this:

Up until now, I've kept a "normal" waterer in the coop--but it runs out SO FAST with 9 pullets aged 17 weeks on Monday. I noticed that when the girls free-ranged, a number of them would drink from the bucket. Since then, I have seen at least 4-5 of them drink from the bucket from inside of the coop. So I figured "Okay--they're drinking from the bucket" and I took the normal waterer away. I sat by the water bucket... watching to see which of my girls used them... trying to entice them to the openings with greenery.

I know that most of them use it. But my two RIR's I have yet to see take from the bucket. Coincidentally, these two are usually the only ones that can't find their way out of the coop when the girls free-range.

Should I worry about dehydration? How would I even know?? I'm a-skeeerd for my girls!

 

[devora]

I'm confused on how that contraption works. The birds have to stick their heads UP through that hole, then drink? Wow, wild.

I'm totally paranoid about our babies having enough water. We have a traditional galvanized waterer in the coop and a trough on the porch.

Have you seen them pop their heads thru? I guess I don't understand how a bird would know that's how to get water.

 

[Dawn419]

Personally, I'd put the other waterer back in with them until I was sure that they were all using the nipple waterer...but that's just me!

Dawn

 

[allig8r]

Yup... they pop their little heads through the hole and kind of peck (in a weird way--their mouths are open more) at the nipple and drink the water.

I have seen most of them do it, but not all. Maybe I should put the old waterer in there and let out the chicks that I KNOW are using it, then entice the others to the hole with some greenery/treats to make sure they know the water is there (or rather, that I know that they know)

 

[silkiechicken]

I bet the others are drinking when you aren't looking. I find my chickens prefer the dish type waterer's but will use bottles when that is their only choice. They'll learn if they get thirsty enough and see where the others are getting water from. I'd just leave them be and if you do bring out the other waterer, wait a whole day at least and you have two running and drinking like no tomorrow, you've found the ones that don't yet know how to find water.