How the heck do you keep the shavings out of the water?!

[JenLiz]

Aye aye aye. It’s like they are scratching the pine shavings into the water dish on purpose! I have the round waterer and feeder (the basic ones where the jar screws on top) and I even have them raised on bricks and the water dish especially still ends up just FULL of shavings! I know when they go in the coop I will be getting the hanging ones, but how do I keep the water dish clean in the brooder?! Ideas?

 

[Cryss]

Not sure but I think I might have lined it with paper towel. Can you put a brick or 2 underneath?

 

[Rachealx4]

I'm having the same issue

 

[ashlandco]

Mount it a little so they can still drink it but can’t get lots of shavings in to it.

 

[LuvBantums]

Aye aye aye. It’s like they are scratching the pine shavings into the water dish on purpose! I have the round waterer and feeder (the basic ones where the jar screws on top) and I even have them raised on bricks and the water dish especially still ends up just FULL of shavings! I know when they go in the coop I will be getting the hanging ones, but how do I keep the water dish clean in the brooder?! Ideas?

I use the big commercial brooders but I know how that was back in the day when we had to use shavings. We would put the water up on something, but it still will get some in it just not all

 

[ashlandco]

Not sure but I think I might have lined it with paper towel. Can you put a brick or 2 underneath?

I think you can put a small brick under it but I’m not positive

 

[ChickenMath101]

I just bought a Premier chick nipple waterer. It. Is. Magical. Fresh water every time. No poop. No shavings. Just clean water. The chicks love it! We also use their brooder plate and the waterer just sits on the top. It’s magic. Buy it.
(I have used all the tricks other people mention and while raising the waterer reduces the shavings build up, i still had to change water 2-3 times a day. No more!)

 

[Ridgerunner]

Try putting a piece of plywood or something on top of the shavings then set the waterer on top of that. I've used the black plastic liner of a wire dog crate, depends on the size of the brooder. They will still scratch shavings up on the plywood or whatever but dump them off before it gets too bad.

That type of waterer has to be very level or it will leak so be careful about that.

The chicks should be able to jump up really well. You can try raising that "platform" a couple of inched above the shavings and set the waterer on that. The idea is to get the waterer above the shavings and try to keep an area near the waterer clear of shavings.

The chicks will till poop in it so you need to change the water regularly, but this can make that interval quite a bit longer.

 

[Keeperoflock]

I just have to clean it out SEVERAL times a day and night (night owl here). I have mine up on something as well and it does help "some" but it ALWAYS gets shavings in there. Unless you hang it 3 foot in the air LOL, you'll have to just change it out.

 

[JenLiz]

They are both raised up on granite bricks but are still getting full of shavings. Maybe I need to raise them higher . . .