Water in the Brooder

[tanialynn]

Help! My chicks keep spilling all their water! I don't know how they're doing it - the waterer is upright but empty, and the shavings are soaked! With our chick-sized waterer I thought maybe they were bumping into it while flapping around and knocking the water out, so I went up to the big chicken size but somehow they've managed to do it again despite the weight of the thing. Any ideas on how they are managing this and how to get it to stop??? They are in a little plastic-sided enclosure with netting over the top so I can't hang the waterer.

 

[Fluffy&Cutie]

congrats on your babies. i grabbed a brick from the yard and put the waterer on it to raise it up in the brooder. it was better, not perfect, but better. good luck to u!

 

[tanialynn]

Thanks, I do have a paver underneath. I'm stumped!

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

It may have a leak....

 

[Lady Lionheart]

I use the poultry nipple on a soda bottle and tie it to a board and lay it across the top. So much cleaner and I have never had a problem with them not being able to use it right.

Edit: It will drip a little water underneath but nothing like the mess you have currently.

 

[chickens really]

I actually use a Dog dish up on bricks. Chicks definitely won't drown because they jump and run pretty fast.

 

[aart]

Post pic of brooder set up?

 

[tanialynn]

Here is a view of the brooder from above

 

[aart]

I can't quite see what the waterer is sitting on, needs to be something solid and heavy and bigger than the base of the waterer. Moving it away from the side of brooder might help too, so they don't try to walk between and bump it. At that age they start to fly up onto stuff, that's likely the problem. I set a funnel on top of waterers, they'll knock it off a few times then stop trying to land there. How soon until they move out to coop, might be time for them to have more space.