Please help with trying to find different watering system for chicks

[earnhardtlvr]

Would everyone tell me what type of watering system they use for their chiks in the coop/run?

I'm asking for different water solutions for myself & friend on here. We have water at the coop, but my problem is the turn over waterers were all leaking and making a muddy mess in the run. Then we bought a suction/flow type waterer and due to the suction part of it I have a very hard time getting the top off to fill it. I think a bird bath/water fountain is a good idea and was wondering what people use as their waterers?? If u have pics of the waterer, that would b awesome! Thanks!

 

[Ariel301]

Do you mean for baby chicks? For my babies, I use rabbit water bottles, the kind with the spout at the end with the little ball valve. Show them how to use it and they catch on quick. It spills less, and they can't drown in it, or stand in it and get the water dirty.

 

[chicken_noob]

For now I use the regular ole 2 gal ones that you fill and it seeps out into the outter ring. I want to try a different setup as these are always getting full of pine chips and other stuff. Im gonna order some of the water cups here pretty soon. They look like a good easy setup. About the rabbit waterer.. that's a good idea. Im gonna try that with my next set of wee ones.

 

[so lucky]

How many chickens are you talking about? If it is just a few, the ball waterers are good, as Ariel301 suggested, or the nipple waterers. I had my chicks using the nipple waterer, till I put them in the run, then we got used to using a big blue dog bowl. Now they won't use the nipple waterer inside the coop anymore. At least I don't think they do. Check out "chicken waterers" on the net; you will get some ideas. Or use the "search" option on this forum. A lot of people have written about their great ideas already. I agree the turn over waterers are a pain.

 

[lovinlife]

I use the Little Giant poultry waterers. You have to know how to glue PVC together in order to set it up, but once you do it they work great.

 

[Squishypuff]

I love my chicken nipples in 5 gallon buckets. No dripping, no mess, and I only have to fill it once a week.

 

[briteday]

I start "chick-lets" on rabbit water bottles, hanging about 3 of them around the brooder cage. When they outgrow the small guinea pig cage brooder in the house and move to the larger brooder in the coop I have nipple waterers made from 1-gallon juice containers...2 nipples per container, hang as many as needed. When they are large enough to mingle with the hens they all have 5-gallon buckets with nipples to drink from. I can heat it in the winter with an aquarium heater and cool it in the summer by floating ice or frozen blue ice containers in the bucket. And the water is always clean. I also turn a little sprinkler on in their run during the hottest summer days. I'll admit they like to drink the water that puddles on the ground. But it is obvious that the main source of drinking water is the nipple buckets since they need to be refilled daily. Since there is a lid on the bucket it cannot be from evaporation. I know that many people have posted that their chickens are not using the nipple buckets once they are introduce. However, maybe it is because I start chicks out on rabbit bottles right from the start...and my hens have no alternative water sources to the nipple buckets...they use them.

 

[bustermommy]

Gallon milk jugs with nipples. Easy to freeze part full, then fill to keep water cool. No leakage, no mess. Cheap and easy to make another one at a moment's notice for a quarantined bird.

 

[andalusn]

I have the metal, plastic and nipple waters and if you had to ask one of my hens their favorite is the blue plastic dog water bowl that has the taller sloped sides. It is the kind you can plug in during cold temps and it does not freeze. That and a gallon sized livestock bucket that I keep topped off in the barn are the ones they seek out and use. Easy to fill and clean.

 

[cmom]

I have auto waterers for all of my birds but I like the nipple idea.