My waterer is flooding my coop

[cluckey]

I recently upgraded the chicks water to a big 3 gallon metal water (see the picture). I filled it in the morning and checked it at night when I got home it was bone dry and the coop shavings were all wet. The ground the coop sits on is not completely level, we live in a very hilly area and this was the flattest spot I could find. But I feel as if I had the waterer level enough it wouldn't constantly leak. Has anyone else had trouble with these waterers? I thought about trying to hang it but I believe with the way this is vacuumed it wouldnt work. Any suggestions on how i get water in my coop for my chicks without wetting their bed?

 

[Odelia]

put some shims under a cinder block until you get it level and put the waterer on top.

 

[cluckey]

I was going to mess around with that tonight. I just didnt think those things would be so sensitive and thought maybe mine was faulty. Just curious to what other people have set up in their coop. Thanks!

 

[LakeMomNY]

I use a 5 gallon bucket with horizontal poultry nipples. No spilling. No dripping. No poop in the water.

 

[cluckey]

Is that something if they are older they could figure out how to use or do you need to start them as chicks.

 

[LakeMomNY]

Mine started on nipples as chicks, but I know others have transitioned older birds.

The key seems to be to make sure a couple see water come out when you "peck" it with your finger and to remove ALL other sources of water so that they have no choice but to figure it out.

 

[pdirt]

Is that something if they are older they could figure out how to use or do you need to start them as chicks.

I've done watering nipples with both chicks and full grown chickens. The chicks learn in minutes, the adults in hours. Just remove all possible water sources and they will figure it out.

 

[cluckey]

I might have to try that. For now the water is not leaking anymore, stuffed some shims under the bricks and that solved it. Thanks everyone!

 

[Minflick]

I have cups. I bought started pullets and one of them saw the cup and dived right in. The rest of them followed suit pretty fast. As others have posted, if there's no other water source, they'll figure out where to get it. As best I can figure, my 6 pullets have drank down 2.5 gallons or so in the 2 weeks I've had them.



You can see the damp PDZ under the cups there, but what you see is about all I had. I Facebooked the vendor, who told me my bucket was up too high, and to lower it. I've had no leakage since adjusting that. I'm not sure why I put the cups so close together, if I'd been thinking, I'd have spread them out more, but I've also not heard any food or watering fights. Feeder is on the opposite side of the coop from the waterer.

 

[EagleEyes]

You have a bad waterer! I had the same problem but not in the coop. I took it back and got new ones, that operated smoothly. Test it out and it should fill the trough about half way, and if it fills to the top, it is no good. More than likely bent or deformed in some way.