Nipple waterers, again... Not drinking enough!

[Whippee]

Yep, VN's are easier for them to use, but they also tend to leak more than HN's.
Can make a real mess in a brooder or inside a coop.

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View attachment 1620792

All sorted, Thanks for that

 

[Stephine]

Thanks all! It seems that I am at least not the only one who observed this problem... I know evaporation is not an issue here - it is winter and the water is in a large insulated cooler with little self filling cups. Also, if anything, loss from splashing is a lot lower when they use the cups, because they just dip their beaks and drink. I can put a cup waterer inside the coop and have no issues with spilled water. The nipples don’t leak, but splash all over the place, the area is always soaked even in warm weather (80s). So the difference is real.
A lot of people answered who haven’t really done a direct comparison, just saying they’re on nipples and they’re fine. Mine were too. I just have the suspicion that the chickens don’t really drink their fill, they just drink what they must and make do. Then when conditions got more challenging (2 weeks of unhealthy smoky air and molt) it became a problem.
Here, since switching to cups a few weeks ago, feed consumption increased, egg laying is resuming and no observed diarrhea.
I am interested how many of those flocks that do fine year after year free range and get some water elsewhere. Mine have been locked up since our home burned down because there is no one there to have an eye on them all day. So a rainy day does not give them more water by consuming wet greens or drinking from puddles here...

 

[RWBP]

I trained my ladies to drink from a bucket nipple system when we first got them. Even though we fermented food, they still never seemed to drink enough. Would hardly ever hear or see them getting water. We let them free range for a few hours everyday and have a dish outside their coop for water. As soon as we open the gate, they Sprint for the water dish to gulp down water. I know they can survive on the nipples, since they did last summer, but I've switched back to a dish at all times. They just drink more.

And they really don't get it that dirty. I mean a little dust or the odd bit of food, but they eat dirt and worms are like candy bars, so I think it's clean enough.