Natural breeding thread

[boulter]

I think we all go through a learning curve. The first year I lost chicks bc they were probably sick before I got them. Lost one who went through a fence with 5 cm mazes . The second year I let my chickens brood and lost 2 to rats. And 2 years ago 2 chicks/young bantam pullets vanished after they were abandoned by their broodies, just a few weeks before point of lay.

Hopefully it all goes well for you, but it sure is wise to look for potential problems to avoid casualties.

Also, happy new year and thanks for helping me. Your first good deed for 2026 (it's already 1 Jan here)

 

[kattabelly]

There's a heat risk for us at the moment so keeping shallow water bowls full is going to be challenging.

Putting chicken wire or similar over the surface of a a deeper water container should work to let chickens drink from it but stop small chicks falling right in (make sure the holes are small enough that they definitely can't fall through or get stuck halfway)

 

[NatJ]

There's a heat risk for us at the moment so keeping shallow water bowls full is going to be challenging.

There is a style of chicken waterer that is common in the USA. I don't know if it's easy for you to get in Australia or not.

It has a big section full of water, and a shallow trough at the bottom. You fill the big section, and the water trickles into the shallow section as the chickens drink it. Some of them are big and made of metal, hold around 2-8 gallons (about 8-30 liters). Others are small and made of plastic. The smallest I've seen holds about a quart of water (about one liter).

The shallow trough means that chickens can drink but mostly cannot fall in. Young chicks occasionally manage in the very first few days, but are generally fine after that. The large upper part means there is lots of water to refill the little trough as the chickens drink it or as it evaporates.

Examples of the big metal kind. You lift off the top to fill it, then put the top back. That pushes a little lever to open a small hole, so water can trickle out into the trough as the chickens drink.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-5-gal-double-wall-drinker
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/large_galvanized_waterers.html
https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Farms-Galvanized-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B006ZJHBPM

Examples of the smaller plastic kind. You fill the white part, screw on the red part, then turn the whole thing over so it's ready to use. (Other colors exist, but white with a red base is very common.)
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-poultry-drinker-5-qt-2167654
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/quart_fruit_jar_base.html
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Family-Members-Drinker-Automatic/dp/B0CTD1QYF3?

I put in several links for each kind, in hopes that at least some of them will work for you to see what I'm talking about. (And if someone is reading this thread a few years in the future, hopefully some will still work.)

 

[BDutch]

There is a style of chicken waterer that is common in the USA. I don't know if it's easy for you to get in Australia or not.

It has a big section full of water, and a shallow trough at the bottom. You fill the big section, and the water trickles into the shallow section as the chickens drink it. Some of them are big and made of metal, hold around 2-8 gallons (about 8-30 liters). Others are small and made of plastic. The smallest I've seen holds about a quart of water (about one liter).

The shallow trough means that chickens can drink but mostly cannot fall in. Young chicks occasionally manage in the very first few days, but are generally fine after that. The large upper part means there is lots of water to refill the little trough as the chickens drink it or as it evaporates.

Examples of the big metal kind. You lift off the top to fill it, then put the top back. That pushes a little lever to open a small hole, so water can trickle out into the trough as the chickens drink.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-5-gal-double-wall-drinker
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/large_galvanized_waterers.html
https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Farms-Galvanized-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B006ZJHBPM

Examples of the smaller plastic kind. You fill the white part, screw on the red part, then turn the whole thing over so it's ready to use. (Other colors exist, but white with a red base is very common.)
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-poultry-drinker-5-qt-2167654
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/quart_fruit_jar_base.html
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Family-Members-Drinker-Automatic/dp/B0CTD1QYF3?

I put in several links for each kind, in hopes that at least some of them will work for you to see what I'm talking about. (And if someone is reading this thread a few years in the future, hopefully some will still work.)

If you don’t want to spend any money and you have marbles or 1/2 -1” size pebbles you can add these to a (flat) clay-stone bowl (vaporising) and fill it with water. In between the pebbles or marbles is water to drink from. The clay-stone keeps the water cooler than plastic or metal.

Or make your own water tower with a small tray with a raised edge a soup plate or something similar, a few chopsticks or a piece of thick hardware cloth, and a heavy pot to fill with water that fit inside the soup plate. Fill the pot/container with water put the tray on it and quickly turn in upside down. Slide the hwc or chopsticks in between.