Keeping the brooder dry

[Chickidee26]

I upgraded my chicks water to the bottles with nipples since it's cleaner for them....except the nipples drip and the chicks occasionally get crazy and bang up against them....so the pine shavings are getting very wet.

Anyone have any suggestions for what I can put underneath the bottles to keep the shavings from getting wet, but still allow the chicks to access the nipples? I'm almost thinking of going back to the bowl waterer until they are ready to move outside.

 

[ColoradoPip]

I used 2 gallon buckets, put the nipples on the bottom, then put bucket lids under the waterers. It helped a ton. The flakes still got wet but not nearly as bad. I usually just dumped the bucket lid and grabbed the flakes which were wet around it, then replaced what I removed, once per day, in the evening when I refreshed water and food.

You need to put something under them, lids, pans whatever. The taller the lip the better but of course it needs to be short enough for the chicks to get over. Also, I would push the bucket lid down into the bedding and shift it around so it would embed itself in the bedding a bit, then the girls couldn't move it easily.