Nipple watering chicks- how do I know they're getting enough?

[nightbird1103]

Hello. I'm new to chickens and I made a nipple waterer for the brooder. My chicks are about 1 week apart in age. The older ones seem confident in pecking at the nipples, . I've seen the others briefly peck at them, but I also catch them trying to drink whatever drops down to the blocks of wood I have under there as a "booster" for the short ones, which makes me uneasy. I'm totally paranoid that they're not going to get enough to drink.

They're acting okay, scratching and eating, and they're not too loud, except for one naked neck that dh brought home last Friday that's super loud all the time.

The other thing that surprised me about the nipples is that although they don't drip when left alone, when the chickens peck at them, quite a lot of water ends up on the floor. Did I do something wrong here?

I'm not sure what to do. I had one of those mason jars that was upside down in a bowl, but I felt like I was cleaning shavings out of it all day long. And I didn't want the chicks drinking dirty water.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[chfite]

Nipples in a coop can be messy, because the chickens don't always get the whole drop of water. I keep my water outside.

While yours are little, your choices are limited. The mess won't last forever.

If they can easily drink from the nipples, they surely must be getting enough water. If they don't have enough water, they won't eat either.

Chickens naturally drink from pools and such. I have a nipple waterer in my run. When I let the chickens out for the day, they run to the dog's water bowl and drink as if they were dying of thirst. They also drink from any mud puddles and the one faucet in the yard that drips all the time, just the same as if it were a nipple waterer. They catch the drips from the leaking hose bib.

Make sure your waterer has a plentiful supply and your chickens should be fine.

Chris