PLEASE HELP I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO

[black_cat]

After another day of chickens making a mess of their waterer, I'm looking at other options. I think that one like this would work:

The pvc with the poultry nipples could be mounted to the inside of the hardware cloth, with tubing going through the hardware cloth to a 5 gallon bucket. This would hold much more water, and prevent them from pooping in and on the waterer. I'm going away for a few weeks soon, but my family will still be here. I will be giving them lessons on how to take care of the chickens starting this weekend. I'm pretty sure that they don't want to clean poop out of the waterer every day, and this seems like a cheap, easy fix that will make everything much easier. Thoughts? I'd be paying for, making, and setting this up.

 

[black_cat]

The run extension is coming today!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

After another day of chickens making a mess of their waterer, I'm looking at other options. I think that one like this would work:
View attachment 2234976
The pvc with the poultry nipples could be mounted to the inside of the hardware cloth, with tubing going through the hardware cloth to a 5 gallon bucket. This would hold much more water, and prevent them from pooping in and on the waterer. I'm going away for a few weeks soon, but my family will still be here. I will be giving them lessons on how to take care of the chickens starting this weekend. I'm pretty sure that they don't want to clean poop out of the waterer every day, and this seems like a cheap, easy fix that will make everything much easier. Thoughts? I'd be paying for, making, and setting this up.

Hmm. Have you thought about setting them up with nipple waterers? There would be no way they could dirty up their water and you wouldn't have to fill it up every day either.

 

[black_cat]

Hmm. Have you thought about setting them up with nipple waterers? There would be no way they could dirty up their water and you wouldn't have to fill it up every day either.

Yep, that's what I was talking about in the first part of the above post.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yep, that's what I was talking about in the first part of the above post.

Oh I see now. Cool!

 

[FuzzyCritters]

After another day of chickens making a mess of their waterer, I'm looking at other options. I think that one like this would work:
View attachment 2234976
The pvc with the poultry nipples could be mounted to the inside of the hardware cloth, with tubing going through the hardware cloth to a 5 gallon bucket. This would hold much more water, and prevent them from pooping in and on the waterer. I'm going away for a few weeks soon, but my family will still be here. I will be giving them lessons on how to take care of the chickens starting this weekend. I'm pretty sure that they don't want to clean poop out of the waterer every day, and this seems like a cheap, easy fix that will make everything much easier. Thoughts? I'd be paying for, making, and setting this up.

It's very difficult to teach adult hens how to use a chicken nipple. I normally teach chicks how to use them and it is much easier to teach them when they are young. I have tried to teach adults how to use them, but they do not like getting their head handled to bump their beak against the nipple. Your hens also have been using a normal waterer for their whole life, and will not transition easily to a chicken nipple. If you do manage to teach them how to use it, it will be worth it for the reasons you mentioned.

 

[black_cat]

It's very difficult to teach adult hens how to use a chicken nipple. I normally teach chicks how to use them and it is much easier to teach them when they are young. I have tried to teach adults how to use them, but they do not like getting their head handled to bump their beak against the nipple. Your hens also have been using a normal waterer for their whole life, and will not transition easily to a chicken nipple. If you do manage to teach them how to use it, it will be worth it for the reasons you mentioned.

*sighs* I was under the understanding that they would naturally be interested and peck at them because they are shiny and red....dammit. If I can't even handle mine normally, I don't know how I'll be able to get them to use it. Anyone have any other ideas? I've just been so frustrated, not that I have to care for the chickens, but that the care that I have to do for them could be made so much easier and I can't do anything about it. I don't mind doing it, (anything for the chickens) but damn, it's annoying.

 

[black_cat]

Is there even a chance that they'll start laying before next spring? We have them until the end of September...it's super hot and they aren't getting used to the coop. If the heat continues, I'm worried that when it cools down they'll start to molt, and they'd be moved into a new coop if we were to keep them, then the winter stops their laying....dammit.

 

[aart]

Show us the waterer you're using and where you have it in the coop/run?

 

[black_cat]

Show us the waterer you're using and where you have it in the coop/run?

I'm using this waterer, because it came with the rental:

It is in one corner of the coop, raised up on bricks. It is somewhat under the roosting area, but the whole coop is somewhat under the roosting area. The reason that I haven't moved it into the run is because there's no easy access for me to get to it every day.