Problem: Chicks kicking wood shavings into waterer...

[debid]

This is why I went with watering nipples for my chicks. I hung a 1-gallon ice cream pail with two nipples in the brooder and never had any worries about them spilling or fouling their water. You probably don't have enough time left to get the nipples (I had to mail order mine) but the rabbit bottle would be my second choice. The only problem with those is that many of them drip a little and they are designed to clip to a cage so you'd have to figure out a mounting strategy if your brooder has solid walls. Still, better than a nasty waterer full of shavings and droppings or, worse, a tipped waterer because they decide they're big enough now to fly up and roost on it.

 

[Going Quackers]

The only problem with those is that many of them drip a little and they are designed to clip to a cage so you'd have to figure out a mounting strategy if your brooder has solid walls. Still, better than a nasty waterer full of shavings and droppings or, worse, a tipped waterer because they decide they're big enough now to fly up and roost on it.

I was going to say similar, i find they drip like crazy(we keep rabbits too) so i tend to avoid them.. and i can see the roosting being an issue.

 

[Big A Chickens]

I agree with debid. I use the water nipples also with a gallon container. But in the meantime just elevate your waterer some.

 

[debid]

I should mention that I used water bottles with my parrots and the ones designed for birds with the red ball at the tip dripped less than those designed for hamsters and rabbits. Not sure why.

 

[Scifisarah]

Is it difficult to get them to transition to using a regular hanging type waterer when they get older if I use nipples or one of these waterers, or do they catch on to that pretty easily? I had not thought of using a rabbit/parrot type waterer. It seems like the one with the red at the bottom would work especially well since they love anything red. Where online can I find one of those?