Nipple watering

[aatx]

Mine have taken really well to the horizontal nipples. When I first introduced the bucket to them, they were terrified of the bucket (it had some bold lettering on it.) So, I left one of their current waterers in with them, next to to the new bucket. After about 24 hours when I was sure they were no longer scared of the bucket, I removed the other waterer. This was when they were about a month old. A silkie figured it out first and the others caught on by watching. No problems or leaks since then and when I moved them out to the coop this weekend, I made up a new bucket (solid white this time) and they knew exactly what it was. I'll be using a large one in the run (5 gallon) and keeping my current one inside the coop (2 gallon) - this way I'll have a backup and won't have to move stuff around if I want to keep them in the coop all day due to bad weather, etc.

(I have 3 nipples on the 2 gallon that is inside the coop and will put 4 on the 5 gallon one outside. I have the 2 gallon one next to a wall, so no reason to add a 4th nipple to it.)

 

[Rescuedogmom]

I just ordered screw in nipples from Amazon...I thought they were all basically the same...I was going to install them horizontally on a five gallon bucket. Did I get the wrong thing?? They don't have any plastic "cup" around them.

 

[WVDoug]

Vertical nipples are straight and red with a metal pin in each end.
Horizontal have cups under them to catch the the water that comes out so the chickens can drink it.

 

[Chicnextdoor84]

Please don't use the ones intended for hamsters and rabbits, my rooster broke his beak off when he caught it
In the hole and yanked his head! It was terrible and bloody. He ate softened food for a month ;( I love the nipple idea but i will only use the ones intended for fowl.

 

[Rescuedogmom]

Well shoot :-( I think I ordered the wrong ones then. At least they were cheap!

 

[subhanalah]

Please don't use the ones intended for hamsters and rabbits, my rooster broke his beak off when he caught it
In the hole and yanked his head! It was terrible and bloody. He ate softened food for a month ;( I love the nipple idea but i will only use the ones intended for fowl.

Well shoot :-( I think I ordered the wrong ones then. At least they were cheap!

there is a new type of guinea pig/rabbit waterers that have a valve on the end, it doesn't have the same "lip" on the tube as the ball/gravity waterers do.

 

[WVDoug]

Yeah, I might switch to the horizontal nipples.
The ground is always wet under the vertical ones and it's not from leaks, just sloppy drinkers. It wouldn't be too bad, but the waterer is under a raised coop inside the barn. Wet and dark is a good combination for mold growth.

 

[Rescuedogmom]

Thank you. The order hadn't shipped yet so I managed to cancel it and ordered the right ones. Whew!

 

[Chicnextdoor84]

I'm glad they have changed them, I never thought about the way it worked ( pushing the ball IN to get the water) which allowed his beak enough room to become stuck. It broke my heart to think about how scary that was for him already in solitary and then that happening. His beak grew back and just needed a little shaping good luck with the nipple waterers, I am seriously wanting to upgrade my regular waterer for a better cleaner version with either the nipples or the cups. I really like the tap version that you snap into the spigot of a water cooler! That is awesome!

 

[Robinkay1]

I just put my nipple waterer in brooder with my 5-week-old chicks, switched out the original chick waterer I had in there. The wary chicks ignored the bucket-style waterer for about 15 minutes, then one brave frizzle approached and pecked at the red plastic. Within 5 minutes, all chicks are now pecking away at the nipples and having a grand ole' time. Smart chickens!!!!