nipple waterer qustion

[mamato3]

My qustion is can i use the nipples i had left over from my rabbits water system. here are the ones i got http://www.bassequipment.com/Waterers/PVC+Ts%2c+Valves/default.aspx
i did not know if there is a differance in there set up or size

 

[HEChicken]

I *think* you would be able to. I taught my first batch of chicks to drink from rabbit water bottles (the kind with the little ball rather than a nipple) and they took to it right away.

 

[possumqueen]

Quote:
Hey, HEChicken!! How did you do that? I want MY chickens to drink from those.

Seems to me there would be a LOT less dirt and poop in the water! And they always put their heads up to let the water run down the throat, so it seems like a natural position to drink from. No?

 

[BankerJohn]

I use plastic ones similar that are from FarmTek Supply (google it) and their product is the 360 flow nipple. It works AWESOME. My birds were 3 weeks old when I introduced the nipples to them. It took one about 5 minutes to get comfortable with something new then pecked it. When it realized there was a clean & fresh water source, all of the birds followed the leader and within 10 minutes total, the whole flock was drinking from them.

 

[Dogfish]

Those nipples are pretty much the same as mine and the other folks here, just brass instead of plastic. I don't see why they wouldn't work. That is the first time I've seen the threaded couplers for 3/4 and 1/2 pipe. I like those.

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

Quote:
Remember that rabbit nipples are made for animals that knaw and lick. Two activities I have never seen a chicken do.
Rabbit nipples probably do work with varying degress of sucess but if you are going to buy something for chickens- get a poultry nipple.
I just can not see how one of those ball in end of tube rabbit drinkers would work well for chickens beyond a few days old.

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
Hey, HEChicken!! How did you do that? I want MY chickens to drink from those.

When they were chicks, we held the water bottle in one hand and the chick in the other. We would take the chick to the bottle and make sure the beak pushed against the ball. When they felt a drop of water, we'd watch them working their beak. Usually 3-5 swallows was all they needed to "learn" that this thing provides water. After teaching each chick individually, we hung the water bottle and they helped themselves. Here is a pic of some of my 3-4 weekers drinking from it:

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Quote:
Remember that rabbit nipples are made for animals that knaw and lick. Two activities I have never seen a chicken do.
Rabbit nipples probably do work with varying degress of sucess but if you are going to buy something for chickens- get a poultry nipple.
I just can not see how one of those ball in end of tube rabbit drinkers would work well for chickens beyond a few days old.

My Seramas use rabbit water bottles very nicely. One bottle lasts a trio about 3 days. The water is always clean & fresh (I use Oxine in all of my waterers) and they seem to like them. It's so much easier and cleaner than anything else we've tried.

Most of my brooders for chicks 1 week and older use them too. I do not use them with baby Seramas though. I think they need a smaller water bottle, but that's not practical for larger groups of chicks.

 

[mamato3]

Ok great i will be trying to rearrange the brooder area for my chicks so they will have the nipple system in place. Never though about trying the chicks on a water bottle .

 

[bel]

on a whim I gave my month olds the bottle my mice used because I like their expressions when they see something new. They figured it out immediately and love it the best so I added a second one. Rodents lick and knaw but the chickens stick ther beak in the hole and push the ball up.

BankerJohn, I love your coop, very nice looking.