How to teach chickens to use nipple waterer?

[BrandonVercnocke]

took my young pullets all of about 20 minutes to figure it out on there own.

 

[flyin-lowe]

Go to the gas station and get a $1.00 laser pointer. I shined mine in my horizontal feeder for about 2 seconds and they were chasing it like crazy, pecking and quickly realized there was water in there.

 

[aart]

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.

So many people use nipples for their chickens, so I'm sure this probably isn't a big deal. But it's a consistent observation on how my chickens consume water, and I just wonder if I would be disrupting an organic process for them.

I had the same concern, but after long term observations have confirmed they drink just as much water out of the nipples as an open waterer...not sure if the nipples may cause some kind of neurosis by being deprived of an open water source. They also like to drink out of puddles, sip the drips from rain or dew off the run mesh, and eat snow.

 

[eggup]

My 2 week old chicks took to it right away. At about a week old I introduced them to a nipple waterer by tapping on the little silver nib. For the first two days or so I kept seeing them taking turns drinking, clustered around the nipple like they were gossiping at a water cooler. They still have the choice of the regular waterer just in case but I never see them drink from it anymore.

 

[aart]

For the first two days or so I kept seeing them taking turns drinking, clustered around the nipple like they were gossiping at a water cooler.

Haha!! I've thought this same thing

 

[wamtazlady]

I keep my nipple waterer outside. Mine is made up of a 10 gallon tote, horizontal nipples, and a stock tank deicer that is rated for use in plastic. It has stayed thawed down to -22 F. I live in northern Montana.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Take away the other water source, tap the nipples to get their attention, then until water comes out. Better if it drops on them so they know what it is. They'll figure it out after that.

 

[Ljc01]

Good luck, mine would never use nipples. I am using cups, but then it never freezes here.

 

[NNYchick]

I can’t seem to get mine to use my horizontal nipples. They are interested when I push the water out and will drink the drops that collect but then they peck at red part but not the silver then walk away because water doesn’t come out. I even tried a red laser pointer thinking my finger was in the way but nope. Three weeks they just can’t figure it out.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I put in a 5 gallon bucket with nipples going around the bottom I would fill each little cup up with water and chickens would come and drink water out of the little cups but never bothered to peck. and If I waited for them to figure it out that all be dead of dehydration

Have you tried to show them how it works, "pecking" under or moving (side to side) the silver tab that fills the cup. Whenever I went in to check, would "peck" at the lever, they'd watch & drink out of the cups but eventually one got it and the rest followed. I mark the level of water so I could monitor. Now it's a "game" when I change out their water, they wait for me to return & tap the lever. The water level goes down but not as much cause there's no spilling, I've seen them throughout the day drinking. Chicks are easier/faster the older ones can be stubborn