if I had a dime for every time...

[urban hen momma]

I swear I have to change the chicks water every few hours becasue they always have it full of bedding. The water is even sitting on top of an overturned plate to keep it higher. I don't want to make it so high that the runty one can't reach. It's driving me nuts.... anything else I can do to keep the bedding out of the water?

 

[Nicole01]

I used wood blocks of different sizes. I made a makeshift stairway to the top, so my bantam could get at the water too. I put the waterer in the corner of the brooder. It seemed to help a little.

 

[trilyn]

Nipple waterers are fantastic! Your dilemma was the exact reason I switched...you can check out my byc page for deets...

 

[urban hen momma]

Thank you both for these ideas!!

 

[turbodog]

I have my feeder and waterer sitting on low sided plant pots turned upside down. The base is wide enough to hold the feeder and waterer and as they get older, I replace with a taller pot.
Course, that was my option since I have tons of clay plant pots here from the previous owner.

 

[KSCluckah]

I know what you mean!! I've got 32 that are ten weeks old now, and OHMYGOD is bedding & poop in
the water tedious! I've got em in their brooder/chick palace right now, with a large playground under a
maple tree. I have been a florist & an event planner most of my life; and we're known to be the mothers of
invention, so I started noodling on the problem and looking around for a solution...I ended up buying a couple
of those inexpensive plastic bowl shaped hanging planters, taking the hangers off and flipping them over and
putting our one gallon waterers on those...puts them at just the right height and for the most part they
don't tip them over. I also put one of those tin garage floor oil protector pans under the waterers when
they're in their palace for the night, just in case they tip it over the water doesn't completely flood the
bedding. When we move them into their permanent palace, I think we'll be using nipple waterers with cups.
If and when we do, I'll probably switch to a terracotta bulb pot for the base of waterers, as they are short, squat
and heavier. I'll drill a hole in the center of the bottom of the waterer, use rubber washers on the inside and outside
and maybe even silicone sealant to make sure theres no leakage around the bolt and nut I use to fasten the bottom
of the waterer to the terra cotta pot. I am anxious however to get the nipple system waterers going in the
new coop! Hope this helps!

Peace.
Mutha.

 

[cmom]

I have tried many ways to keep stuff out of the chicks water. Now I have a wire cage in my brooder coop. I leave the cage door open so they can go in and out of the brooder cage.I keep their water in the cage and that ways it stays pretty clean.

 

[Ariel301]

I use rabbit water bottles for my chicks. I show them how to work it by pushing their beaks against the ball in the end of the tube a couple of times, and they catch on quick. The water stays clean that way.

 

[HEChicken]

I stopped using "bedding" and switched to old towels. That solved the problem for me right away.

 

[OkChickens]

Quote:
I'm getting ready to set up nipple waterers! Anyone have good ideas for chicks? Thanks,

Nate