Hurray!

[3KillerBs]

I didn't get a picture because I had accidentally left my phone on my desk, but I saw something great today.

I've been taking the open waterer out of the pen where the Splits (9 weeks), are kept with the Ladies (adult hens), and putting it back later and later in hope that the Ladies would teach the Splits how to use the horizontal nipples. Today I waited all the way until after lunch and when I put the open waterer back the Ladies charged it and hogged it.

But the Splits gathered around one of the nipple waterers and drank from it.

So, in a couple days when the open waterer is empty again I'm not putting it back.

No more slime, no more mess, no more bedding in the water -- at least not for this group. The Ideal Dozen have a nipple waterer in their brooder, but probably aren't strong enough to trigger it yet.

 

[Ldolan]

yay! So happy for you!

 

[33ChickenLovers]

I didn't get a picture because I had accidentally left my phone on my desk, but I saw something great today.

I've been taking the open waterer out of the pen where the Splits (9 weeks), are kept with the Ladies (adult hens), and putting it back later and later in hope that the Ladies would teach the Splits how to use the horizontal nipples. Today I waited all the way until after lunch and when I put the open waterer back the Ladies charged it and hogged it.

But the Splits gathered around one of the nipple waterers and drank from it.

So, in a couple days when the open waterer is empty again I'm not putting it back.

No more slime, no more mess, no more bedding in the water -- at least not for this group. The Ideal Dozen have a nipple waterer in their brooder, but probably aren't strong enough to trigger it yet.

That’s great to hear! An open waterer does make a huge mess!

 

[Sally PB]

Hurray! Good news.

I'm going to try the horizontal nipple waterer again. I took it out because my rooster is kind of a dumb cluck and couldn't figure it out.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hurray! Good news.

I'm going to try the horizontal nipple waterer again. I took it out because my rooster is kind of a dumb cluck and couldn't figure it out.

When I trained the Ladies to use them I would wedge a mealworm into the nipples. When they took the mealworm the discovered that it was wet there.

Once the mealworms were consistently vanishing from the nipples I would take the open water out at night and not put it in for an hour or two in the morning -- extending the time until I was sure that at least some of the chickens had figured it out.

Once a couple know how the rest of the flock should imitate them. Chicken see, chicken do.

 

[Sally PB]

Once a couple know how the rest of the flock should imitate them. Chicken see, chicken do.

I think the girls all figured it out right away. I saw the rooster biting and pecking the red part of the nipple. I thought he had it figured out, so I took out the open waterer.

The next day, I thought he looked skinnier. And then he went and laid down in a dirt bath. This was not like him. It dawned on me he was dehydrated, so I put the open waterer back in. He went right over and tanked up.

Someone suggested taking out the open waterer for most of the day, and putting it back a couple hours before they'd roost. Then he can drink and not go to bed thirsty. I'll have to try that this time.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Ooh! Yay! I'm so glad!

I am debating with myself whether I should start them on the nipple waterer style... I currently use the classic fountain waterer style, but I've seen rats drinking from it (I am trying to get rid of those rascals) and they dirty it very quickly...

 

[3KillerBs]

Ooh! Yay! I'm so glad!

I am debating with myself whether I should start them on the nipple waterer style... I currently use the classic fountain waterer style, but I've seen rats drinking from it (I am trying to get rid of those rascals) and they dirty it very quickly...

I love the horizontal nipples. They're so clean.

I made my own waterers from the Rent-A-Coop nipples and food-grade plastic containers that I get from work (a grocery store deli).

That's the little one for in the brooder on top of a 3-gallon frosting bucket from the bakery -- because I can't lift 5-gallons of water.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yup, adult hens are handy for teaching littles all sorts of things. I did pick up my chicks and do the beak-bump-to-the-nipple trick, but they were already watching the hens drink and curious about the waterer so it was simply a matter of giving them access to it.

Some of my adults liked the concrete steps so much that I ended up leaving some of the blocks in place even after the littles grew.