Polish Waterer

[WoodwardRooster]

What kind of waterer do you use with Polish chickens? These are the first crested/ bearded chickens chickens I have ever raised, and everyday when I get home from work, one of my polish hens heads is soaked, as are the beards of about half of the faverolles. The waterer I have is the typical red & white, plastic 5 gallon vacuum type from TSC, that I have used for years and have never had a problem. I have it raised on bricks about 6 inches off the ground. Should I raise it or lower it? I thought about the nipple type but I am worried about it freezing. It's the same hens everyday, are they half duck?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Raise it at least as high as their backs

 

[Mahonri]

Yeah, i'm going to have to put some bricks under the waterer in my polish pen....

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

good luck cuz if you find something that works let me know. I have around 40 polish and the only thing that works is pony tail the top hat or cut the feathers. They always look like drowned rats!

 

[greenSearcher]

Have you tried "nipple" (on demand drip system) waterers? I finally got a 4 nipple waterer out in the babies run. I used a cat litter jug, cut a hole in the top under the handle so I could put my hand inside to attach the nipples and wash it on occasion. The 4 nipple waterer is for 27 4 wk olds, one nipple per 8 birds is the recommended max. The waterer should be hang high enough so the bird raises its' beak slightly to drink. Since the standing water is not accessible to the girls, only the drops dry feathers should become the norm. It took the babies about 3 minutes for one to explore and learn how to get water, and with in half an hour all were using it, including the silkies.