Teaching old hens new tricks

[tctwhite]

Hello everyone. First time poster here and newbie chicken owner. We have 6 baby chicks that will be 4 weeks old tomorrow. We also purchased 4 1 year old hens a week ago. The hens are already laying for us, which shocked us. They've been laying since day 1. We figured it would be awhile before we got eggs just from transplant shock. Anyway, we have a bucket waterer and apparently these ladies have never used one. How in the world can we get them to use it? Ive spent so much time out there with them this week trying all type of ways to get them to use it. Ive pecked at it with my finger, which incites interest, but they won't try it. Ive tried picking them up and putting their beaks to it. They drink when Im holding them there, but don't go back on their own. Ive even gotten the head hen up to it, but alas, we are still drinking from a tub. Oh yeah, Ive even taken one of our chicks out there to show them because the chicks have been drinking out of that since 1 week old. But they were too interested in the angry chick I was holding because I wouldn't let her down to play. Any suggestions?

 

[mpgo4th]

I would say that they will just pick it up over time. Try taking the tub of water out for a few hours and see if you see them drinking. Off topic, what is the chick in your avitar pic? I have six that look identical to that one.

 

[Egrant97]

Very very curious to find out how this goes. I currently have two hens that use a dog bowl. I bought everything but the nipples this weekend, (need to find a good place to order these). Once they come I will be trying to make the switch. I am really concerned that they will not figure it out...... I will be watching this post to see what everyone says, ane please update us with how it wo
rked.

 

[tctwhite]

They are Golden Buffs. Its a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Rhode Island White. They are sex link colored hen. The females are the golden color and the males come out solid white.

 

[tctwhite]

I ordered our nipples off ebay and they were cheap with free shipping. And they had the washers that go on the inside of the bucket to be sure they tighten tight enough to not leak and they work fabulous.

 

[mpgo4th]

They are Golden Buffs. Its a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Rhode Island White. They are sex link colored hen. The females are the golden color and the males come out solid white.

That's probably why they look the same. Mine are RIR-RIW too. The store I got them from just had them labeled as red sex links. I call them red stars.