water buckets

[apostoliclady]

Quote:
What is hardware cloth and where do you get it from? I'm loving this idea!!!

 

[Arielle]

I bought some too (from another source) and I do love the idea of less lugging of water; they are suppose to reduce wasted water. Hoping to be able to continue using vinegar in the water to keep the slime and green at bay. Need to find out if the nipple is stainless steel. Hope so. ANd yes, you do need to teach the chickens how to use it. I just introduced it so I've been chicken to remove their old waterers.

THe instructions said to remove the old ones.

 

[hacharlton]

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Can you tell me how to train a chicken to use them?

 

[Mervin]

1. Scoop up a chicken, here to fore known as said chicken
2. Walk said chicken to nipple.
3. Tap nipple a few times with your finger.
4. Maneuver said chicken's beak close to the nipple.
5. If said chicken doesn't instinctively peck the nipple, gently persuade said chicken (kind of like dipping a chick's beak).
6. Repeat as necessary until said chicken pecks inquisitively at the nipple on its own.
7. Set said chicken down and leave the area, being sure to remove other water dispensing units as you go.
8. Once the remaining flock members see said chicken pecking at it, they will come to investigate and learn from said chicken.

 

[hacharlton]

Thanks

That does sound like a logical way to do it. The only problem is that I do not handle the chickens often and they will be more annoyed by my grabbing them up and not think about water. I will give it a try as soon as I get the nipples in the mail and set up some buckets

 

[apostoliclady]

I put some out there a couple of weeks ago. I just kept tapping the nipple and the little drop of water made him curious. After about 3 days, he figured it out. I never even thought about picking him up and showing it to him that way. He just stood back and watched what I was doing.

 

[DebbieF]

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Can any chicken be "said chicken"?

 

[mons02035]

My hens took right to the nipples. I left there regular one in there until I noticed water going down in the bucket. The nipples are red and the chickens are natually drawn to them.

 

[kittycooks]

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Yup, that worked for me too!

 

[catchthewind]

We did pretty much what Mervin wrote with our older chicks, though I did leave the regular waterer in the brooder as well just in case. It only took a day or so before they were all using the nipple though. When I introduced new chicks, I put the regular waterer back in, showed the new ones the nipple, and again it only took a day. With our day olds, I didn't even both with the regular waterer. Just tapped each of their beaks gently on the nipple and left them to it. None of them have had a problem learning to use it.