Nipple Waterers

[rochesjourney]

I've got 2 incubators full of eggs. I'm setting up my brooder and want to make a nipple waterer. My question is how do you train the chicks to drink from them? I talked to someone who uses hamster waterers. I'm just not comprehending how they know the water is there, lol.

 

[zephyricle]

Well I'll start by saying they are a bit difficult to use.
Training chicKS to use nipple Watters is the same as training them to use feeder waterers. You push their beaKS up into it until the water goes onto their face or in their beaks. Do it over and over every couple hours each day until they learn it.

 

[peopleRanimals2]

They have the instinct to peck at red things, so if you at first place a small dish of water on the ground (They need to learn how to drink from a normal waterer, too) and also have the nipple waterer set up, they will eventually get curious and learn how it works. You can also set them down under it and show them that if they wiggle it, water comes out. Then, they will probably try it on their own. Good luck!

 

[barred2rock]

I just made sure there was a bead of water on the nipples and the chicks took right to it. You can also "peck" at the nipples with your finger and they'll catch on.

 

[OC Chick]

Ditto to all of the above. I made the nipple waterer here for my brooder http://www.thegardencoop.com/blog/2013/03/30/nipple-waterer-for-chicks/ (took less than 10 minutes to make) and mounted it low for newborn chicken height (I raised it as the chicks grew). I dipped their beaks against the nipple waterer and also kept a back up bowl of water in there for one of my chicks who "didn't get it" until day 3. The nipple waterer is the way to go to avoid spills in the brooder, drowned chicks & cocci from chick poop in the water.

 

[debid]

Maybe my chicks are all just brilliant but it didn't take more than pressing beaks to it and setting them in the brooder. You aren't actually teaching them *how* to drink when you dip beaks the day they arrive, you're just showing them where the water is. Same with the nipple. They'd instinctively drink drops off of leaves and whatever else after a rain in the wild. There's nothing odd to them about that concept.

I put in a backup source with my first batch of chicks because it was so cold and windy that day that I couldn't keep the door open to sit and watch and it was new to me. But those that have come after went nipple only. It hasn't been an issue.