Sick of chick waterers full of shavings, AAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[cmom]

Here is my brooder. It's a wire brooder I do have a tray with some pine shavings in the brooder. They like to lay in the tray, but the water and their feed stays clean. I have raised several batches of chicks in this brooder and have never had any problems.

 

[Andora]

Quote:
I'm not sure how you would heat them--maybe put a heat lamp above them or near them? Though you would have to be careful not to melt the plastic water bottles. My chicks are outside in my garage, and it got down to 6 degrees the other night. Their heat lamps are about a foot away from the water bottle, and it didn't freeze at all.

I tried to put my chicks on wire once, but one very young chick got a foot stuck and died over night. Then later another got bumble foot. I think maybe my wire wasn't close enough together or smooth enough maybe. I've been scared to try it again. But, it is nice for easy clean up to have their poop fall straight through to a tray below! It was sooo easy and clean for the week I tried it.

 

[glowworm]

I put paper towels over the shavings in the eating/drinking area and change them out every couple days. That way I only end up changing the water once a day (which it needs to be anyways). The papertowls seem to really cut back on the amount of shavings they get in the water. Same idea as using a piece of plywood but papertowel is easier to clean/throw away. I still have the water elevated, the height depending on their age.

 

[americana-chick]

try putting a some what bigger piece of cardboard under the waterer thats what i did, it worked pretty well to. if that doesnt work use a piece of wood to level the waterer somewhat above the shavings.
hope this helped!
~Bri

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I use puppy pads under the feeders and waterers, that helps keep the shavings out.

 

[patandchickens]

I used a 14" square of plywood under the waterer (on top of the bedding) - still had enough mess in the water that I would swish it out in the morning and dump/clean/refill in the evening, but it was way better than without the plywood.

Part of it depends on how much space there is in the brooder. The more they are richocheting around right by the waterer, the more mess.

Pat

 

[Akane]

I haven't had much problem with shavings and young chicks or button quail if I put the waterers on bricks. After a couple weeks old it was starting to drive me nuts and since I hatched some late in the year I had the last batch inside for a long time. It was the 5th day in a row that I found my chicks without water within hours of filling it that I grabbed the bottle in the nearby guinea pig cage and stuck it on the chicken pen. I let it drip and hung it over their usual waterer. By the time I got the camera they had it figured out.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v244/aqh88/chickens/pen1/?action=view&current=SANY1227.flv

Chickens are good at drinking out of water bottles and no mess. I got them their own water bottle and just have to glance at it daily to see if it's empty. No more cleaning out shavings or chick poo. Now I also have 3 japanese bantams as house chickens also using a water bottle.

 

[red star11]

try to put marbles in the bottom