My smart chicks - horizontal nipple masters!

[PolergirlOH]

My little flock is 4.5 weeks old. I put a waterer with horizontal nipples in at around 2 weeks and wondered how they’d do with it. I knew they were getting water but had no idea how they’d *mastered* this thing...until a few days ago.

My smarty smart smart ladies (hopefully ladies haha) have figured out that if they tuck their beak points into the casing right next to the nipple they can actually get a very light flow of water. It’s so fun to watch. I guess it beats getting water a drop or two at a time!

I’ve now seen several of them doing it this way, so I’m not sure who my innovator is

 

[Houdini56]

I was interested to hear about this, thanks for posting. I also put in a horizontal nipple waterer at age 2 weeks along with the regular one. About 10 days later only the largest chick seems to understand to poke it with her beak. When I tap the valve with my finger to show them, they drink right away, but then they just try to bite the valve. I figured maybe they were a bit young yet.

I'm curious, did you remove other waterers when you introduced the nipples? I've heard opinions both ways. I've left mine with just the nipples for a couple hours but never saw them successfully using it so then put the other waterer back in. They really don't seem interested in the nipples.

Maybe I need to try to do some "training"... hmmm.

You have uber smart chicks - yay!

 

[PolergirlOH]

@Houdini56 I left their vertical nipple waterer in for a day until I saw that at least two were using the horizontal nipples. I knew at that point the others would get it.

 

[Houdini56]

So yours mastered a vertical nipple first. Mine have been using the jar/trough type from the beginning...so probably a different learning curve, going from trough to nipple, I suppose. I'll continue to leave the nipples available and keep an eye out. I expect before long more than one will catch on.

 

[RoosterML]

I knew that day old chicks wouldn't use HN so I made this setup for them to at least get use to seeing it and playing with it. They do use the VN no problems. When I go by the Brooder I tap the HN so that a drop rest on the end. Soon enough that take the drop but that's it. Again it's just to show them that they can water from it while still using the VN. At 3 weeks old I completely removed this jug and installed a 2 gallon white bucket with only HN and installed in same exact spot so that they knew where to go for water. Within 30 minutes they figured it out and that's how it stayed.
Here is a picture of the training jug with both HN and VN:

I don't have a picture of the 2 gallon white pail with HN but that is all the chicks have had since 3 weeks old. Once you remove the VN do not put it back in. I think another important thing is to keep the waterer in the same spot. It's bad enough your changing things on them so at least keep it in the same spot. Just the way I did it and has worked really well. Chickens have been around longer than humans in one form or another and they are not as dumb as some think they are.

 

[blackdog043]

I put a horizontal nipple waterer in my brooder at 2 weeks, along with the regular chick waterer. I have a few that have been using the nipples. I leave both waterers in til about 4 weeks, then take the chick waterer out. By then most of them are using both waterers.

 

[aart]

I put a horizontal nipple waterer in my brooder at 2 weeks, along with the regular chick waterer. I have a few that have been using the nipples. I leave both waterers in til about 4 weeks, then take the chick waterer out. By then most of them are using both waterers.

Same here...I monitor the HN water level and sometimes stick the open chick waterer in at the beginning and end of the day.