Utah!

[sillycmoy]

Okay, so has anyone bought the Baby Chick Bottle? It a container that has like a nipple watering system but on the side. I bought one before these chicks were born in hope of not having to change out water every 2 hours. I know it says not to give it to the chicks till 8 days old, but I've had it in there for over a week. If I go poke at it, they will all flock to it and drink off it, but none will make the water come out on their own. They all sit there and look at me like Come on Mom, push the button. They don't even have to move it that much to get the water to come out in the tiny tray thing. I really want them to be using it by the time I go to Vegas. I'm changing water out every 2-3 hours now, and I know my husband might look at them once a day. So I want them using this so they have clean fresh water. Any thoughts on how to get them to use it? I've been trying to train them for almost a full week now.

 

[pawtraitart]

Okay, so has anyone bought the Baby Chick Bottle? It a container that has like a nipple watering system but on the side. I bought one before these chicks were born in hope of not having to change out water every 2 hours. I know it says not to give it to the chicks till 8 days old, but I've had it in there for over a week. If I go poke at it, they will all flock to it and drink off it, but none will make the water come out on their own. They all sit there and look at me like Come on Mom, push the button. They don't even have to move it that much to get the water to come out in the tiny tray thing. I really want them to be using it by the time I go to Vegas. I'm changing water out every 2-3 hours now, and I know my husband might look at them once a day. So I want them using this so they have clean fresh water. Any thoughts on how to get them to use it? I've been trying to train them for almost a full week now.

I have two drinkers in my hatchling totes. A cup drinker and a horizontal nipple drinker. After 8-10 days I take the cup away. Prime the pin so they see the water drops and they will bond to the nipple drinker if that's the only one in there. Otherwise, they will bond to the cup/bowl/conventional drinker and won't use the nipple very often. It's not a matter of them being trained to use it. It's a matter of what catches their attention more. An open source of water is sparkly and attracts them. They know the nipple will give them water....but oh....that cup/bowl is so sparkly!

I've also started many hatches with the horizontal nipple drinkers from day one with NO other drinker in there. No problem. Unless the chicks are tiny bantams or quail under 10 days old they will do it. You just have to trust that they are smart enough.....and they are! Once my babies are over 10 days old (even my baby quail) they never see another type of drinker.

Did you get your Baby Chick Bottle from Susan at All'Bout Chickens through IFA? I'm helping her with her new webpage due to launch soon.

 

[sillycmoy]

Its the $9.00 one from IFA, it says chick water bottle on it, not sure the maker. I've primed it a billion times, they go drink the water, but aftern an hour its bone dry. I've taken thr other water out for several hours and watch, nothing unless I play with it. Guess I got to wait longer.

 

[pawtraitart]

Its the $9.00 one from IFA, it says chick water bottle on it, not sure the maker. I've primed it a billion times, they go drink the water, but aftern an hour its bone dry. I've taken thr other water out for several hours and watch, nothing unless I play with it. Guess I got to wait longer.

Yes, that's Susan's bottle. (If you decide you want a holding bracket for it we make her brackets). Okay....so just take the other drinker out. Prime the pin....and....walk....away. It's okay if it's dry the next time you look. It doesn't take hardly any pressure to move the pin. The chicks will get the water close to the pin and leave the indentation dry when they are done. I've done this so many times. I felt scared about it at first. It's a new concept. Plus...if you wimp out and put a bowl in there they will go for it like they are terribly thirsty which falsely gives the impression that they can't use the nipple. I went through all that in my mind so I understand. All the back and forth does is confuse the babies. THEY WILL DO IT. I've never had a batch of chicks or adult birds not do it if I allowed them to bond to the bottle. They do like it if you nudge the pin for them, of course. It's like a mama hen calling them over. Your babies will be extra tame if you do that for them now and then.

 

[kimmypie]

My other EE was finally in a nest box this morning. So now I just have the exchequer as a hold out. Anyone want the Exchequer? She is at the very bottom of the pecking order so I've always felt bad for her.

 

[sillycmoy]

Yes, that's Susan's bottle. (If you decide you want a holding bracket for it we make her brackets). Okay....so just take the other drinker out. Prime the pin....and....walk....away. It's okay if it's dry the next time you look. It doesn't take hardly any pressure to move the pin. The chicks will get the water close to the pin and leave the indentation dry when they are done. I've done this so many times. I felt scared about it at first. It's a new concept. Plus...if you wimp out and put a bowl in there they will go for it like they are terribly thirsty which falsely gives the impression that they can't use the nipple. I went through all that in my mind so I understand. All the back and forth does is confuse the babies. THEY WILL DO IT. I've never had a batch of chicks or adult birds not do it if I allowed them to bond to the bottle. They do like it if you nudge the pin for them, of course. It's like a mama hen calling them over. Your babies will be extra tame if you do that for them now and then.

They are all really friendly now, Ryan has to take them all out every day to say hi, and of course we can't miss one of them. I'm really hoping that Queen Elsa, her favorite is a Hen, because its so huge its making me wonder, and I know she will probably bawl like crazy if it is. That is her Elsa, and she loves that chick to pieces. And Red, its the huge mega egg that it hatched out of, and it doubles the size of the other 2 that hatched, its the one with the copper lacing on the feathers. Very friendly sweet chick, the other do are really flighty, they are always trying to fly in there.

Well I took everything but the chick bottle in there, and they are all pecking at it, but I don't see anyone drinking. I just want them to learn how to use it by Thursday. They are all 2 weeks old, with the exception of my 3-1 week old chicks I got from Cal Ranch. I'm praying they figure it out. So what is the holder, do you think I need to get the holder too? I just have it sitting on the floor. I didn't see a holder at IFA. The guy when I bought it thought I was nuts, he was like you will never teach them to drink from that, I can't get mine to drink from the nipple waters. Well all mine outside have nipple buckets, except when it was winter, I need to get those out now since its stopped freezing, and put them back up.

 

[pawtraitart]

They are all really friendly now, Ryan has to take them all out every day to say hi, and of course we can't miss one of them. I'm really hoping that Queen Elsa, her favorite is a Hen, because its so huge its making me wonder, and I know she will probably bawl like crazy if it is. That is her Elsa, and she loves that chick to pieces. And Red, its the huge mega egg that it hatched out of, and it doubles the size of the other 2 that hatched, its the one with the copper lacing on the feathers. Very friendly sweet chick, the other do are really flighty, they are always trying to fly in there.

Well I took everything but the chick bottle in there, and they are all pecking at it, but I don't see anyone drinking. I just want them to learn how to use it by Thursday. They are all 2 weeks old, with the exception of my 3-1 week old chicks I got from Cal Ranch. I'm praying they figure it out. So what is the holder, do you think I need to get the holder too? I just have it sitting on the floor. I didn't see a holder at IFA. The guy when I bought it thought I was nuts, he was like you will never teach them to drink from that, I can't get mine to drink from the nipple waters. Well all mine outside have nipple buckets, except when it was winter, I need to get those out now since its stopped freezing, and put them back up.

Here is a video of chicks using the nipple. Hey.....if QUAIL can do it chickens are super easy!!! You won't see a lot of water coming out. That's the point. This is what successful usage looks like........................

And some older chicks in a bigger brooder box who have been using it for a few weeks.....

Yes.....there are doubters that the horizontal nipples work. It's kinda like "the earth is flat" thing. LOL

IFA didn't buy the holders. They are available, though. You don't need one. Just letting you know they exist.

 

[6KidsFarm]

Quote:
I don't have any geese to rehome but I do have four sebastopol geese I would like to sale. One gander and three geese, I am asking $200 for all four.

 

[6KidsFarm]

I have 15 cream legbar eggs collected and ready to go into the incubator. I am going to wait a few more days to add a few more eggs before I set them.
Isn’t it interesting what a change in pecking order can do for a rooster? My cream legbar roster has been in a coop where he was fourth at best on the roster pecking order. He didn’t look much like a rooster, now he has been in his own coop with three hens for 3 or 4 weeks and wow what a change.

 

[Cynthia12]

Here you go Karen...time to think of what you will have to set on the 29th.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/857062/the-5th-annual-byc-easter-hatch-a-long