Question about nipple watering stations

[tvett62]

I am getting chicks on the 29th of April
My question is how difficult is it to teach chicks to use a nipple system? Should I start with a nipple system or a conventional water dish.? How hard would it be to convert over? I love the look of the nipple system.

 

[easterbun]

Not hard at all - they're naturally curious and figure it out pretty easily. I have never started chicks just on nipple waterers, but they easy transition completely in just a few days from hatching - at least my two most recent groups have. Transitioning them from vertical to horizontal nipples (they leak WAY less) was pretty seamless as well, but the chicks need to be big enough to use the horizontal ones.

 

[tvett62]

Not hard at all - they're naturally curious and figure it out pretty easily. I have never started chicks just on nipple waterers, but they easy transition completely in just a few days from hatching - at least my two most recent groups have. Transitioning them from vertical to horizontal nipples (they leak WAY less) was pretty seamless as well, but the chicks need to be big enough to use the horizontal ones.

How old would you say they need to be for the horizontal system??

 

[PeterNaomiGray]

For chicks and ducklings from one day old, we've used a little hanging nipple/dripper waterer for years. For compactness, I used a little round plastic apple juice bottle. I drilled a hole in the cap, about 10 mm or 3/8" diameter, screwed in the nipple, and poked a tiny pinhole in the bottom of the bottle - essential to let air in. You can get technical by tapping the hole properly, which I do for an adult bird waterer with nipples screwed into PVC pipe, but for the soft plastic of a bottle lid, the nipple threads itself and seals fine. The water pressure is only about 0.2 PSI, so if you're reasonably careful, it won't leak.
Then I made a support out of a mason jar screw-on ring and wire, and the assembly hangs from the wire mesh top of our brooder box. There are lots of ways to do it. We've had little or no problem with leakage, but nipples sometimes need to be replaced after a few years. There's no end of ways it can be done. The water is yellow because of the vitamin/electrolyte stuff. Refilling it takes about two minutes.
As easterbun said, you don't need to worry about training chicks or ducklings. You might speed up the process by showing them the water with your fingertip - or you can wait five minutes (at most) for the first bird to discover the nipple. The others pick up on it instantly. We used to start them with an open water dish, but now we skip that step. The nipple method is sooo much cleaner. Once you try it, you'll never go back to an open fount-type waterer. We use nipples from Amazon at well under $1 each, like these: https://www.amazon.com/OOOUSE-Nippl...prefix=poultry+water+n,lawngarden,269&sr=1-10

 

[BDutch]

I use 2 bottles with a nipple. One as described above and one bottle for rabbits, My chickens (bantams) prefer the rabbit bottles.

When they where peeps I gave them water in a small bowl with round marbles.

it helps if you tap your nail against the nipple.

 

[tvett62]

For chicks and ducklings from one day old, we've used a little hanging nipple/dripper waterer for years. For compactness, I used a little round plastic apple juice bottle. I drilled a hole in the cap, about 10 mm or 3/8" diameter, screwed in the nipple, and poked a tiny pinhole in the bottom of the bottle - essential to let air in. You can get technical by tapping the hole properly, which I do for an adult bird waterer with nipples screwed into PVC pipe, but for the soft plastic of a bottle lid, the nipple threads itself and seals fine. The water pressure is only about 0.2 PSI, so if you're reasonably careful, it won't leak.
Then I made a support out of a mason jar screw-on ring and wire, and the assembly hangs from the wire mesh top of our brooder box. There are lots of ways to do it. We've had little or no problem with leakage, but nipples sometimes need to be replaced after a few years. There's no end of ways it can be done. The water is yellow because of the vitamin/electrolyte stuff. Refilling it takes about two minutes.
As easterbun said, you don't need to worry about training chicks or ducklings. You might speed up the process by showing them the water with your fingertip - or you can wait five minutes (at most) for the first bird to discover the nipple. The others pick up on it instantly. We used to start them with an open water dish, but now we skip that step. The nipple method is sooo much cleaner. Once you try it, you'll never go back to an open fount-type waterer. We use nipples from Amazon at well under $1 each, like these: https://www.amazon.com/OOOUSE-Nipple-Drinker-Chicken-Poultry/dp/B00CIJENP4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1670L3BPJCLBJ&dchild=1&keywords=poultry+water+nipples&qid=1586973435&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=poultry+water+n,lawngarden,269&sr=1-10

Thank you so much for the help and the photo. Gives us good information to go on...

 

[ColoradoPip]

The two white buckets have vertical nipples. The chicks started using them day 1 when they arrived. It took no training. I did leave a small, quart sized, open waterer in with them for a few days but only because I was nervous. I have since removed the open waterer.

Horizontal nipples should not be used until the chicks are 3 weeks old.

 

[tvett62]

The two white buckets have vertical nipples. The chicks started using them day 1 when they arrived. It took no training. I did leave a small, quart sized, open waterer in with them for a few days but only because I was nervous. I have since removed the open waterer.

Horizontal nipples should not be used until the chicks are 3 weeks old.

Thank you... I was wondering the time frame.

 

[easterbun]

I introduced the horizontal ones at 2 weeks, but the chicks didn’t start really using them until closer to three. The nipples themselves said for chicks over 2 weeks old, but I have bantams so I wasn’t sure they would use them that early. I removed the bucket with the vertical ones when the water level hadn’t decreased at all in a few days, and I had been consistently seeing all of the chicks using the horizontal ones.

They will be using these (though perhaps in different configurations) for the foreseeable future... so far so good and seem to be consuming water at a good rate with less dripping and leaking compared to the others.

 

[tvett62]

I introduced the horizontal ones at 2 weeks, but the chicks didn’t start really using them until closer to three. The nipples themselves said for chicks over 2 weeks old, but I have bantams so I wasn’t sure they would use them that early. I removed the bucket with the vertical ones when the water level hadn’t decreased at all in a few days, and I had been consistently seeing all of the chicks using the horizontal ones.

They will be using these (though perhaps in different configurations) for the foreseeable future... so far so good and seem to be consuming water at a good rate with less dripping and leaking compared to the others.

Thank you so much this helps and I am hoping the girls will take to them easily.. thank you for the information.