Water issue with rooster in winter

[Gwhite3678]

This is Herb this morning. Actually looks maybe a bit better from yesterday but hard to tell. I know it’s uncomfortable because he is shaking his head a lot. But I brought up the chick size waters this morning and everyone was drinking happily

 

[azygous]

You can give him an 81 grain chewable (baby) aspirin twice a day for his pain. It will help.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

not ideal but if you keep the water quite shallow, he'll dip less. I was observing my hens with big wattles and it seems they do more of a surface dip than a scoop when the water is quite shallow. hope that helps. he does have very large wattles. that's hard in winter, poor guy.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Best not to touch frostbit tissue, can make it worse and introduce bacteria.
Got pics?


There really aren't any.
Next year train them to horizontal nipples and get heat for the waterer.

Agree! Horizontal nipples certainly help lessen risk of severe frostbite but no one thing will prevent all frostbite when it is extremely cold temps.
My roo has frostbite on one wattle only- he tilts his head to one side when drinking. Nothing can be done to avoid that.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Nipple waterers can also be a problem. Water drips down our rooster's wattles quite a bit when he drinks from those (he's a messy drinker). Plus, the nipples freeze up fast.

Chick waterers would be good idea. Our guy doesn't dip his wattles in the 1-gallon plastic waterers, either.
https://smile.amazon.com/Little-Giant-Complete-Container-7506/dp/B00CLDZ5OA/

 

[aart]

Nipple waterers can also be a problem. Water drips down our rooster's wattles quite a bit when he drinks from those (he's a messy drinker). Plus, the nipples freeze up fast.

Vertical Nipples drip more and more often.
Horizontal Nipples much less likely to drip, if installed correctly, and depending on birds 'technique'.

VN's are pretty much impossible to heat, HN's work good with an internal heater.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Vertical Nipples drip more and more often.
Horizontal Nipples much less likely to drip, if installed correctly, and depending on birds 'technique'.

VN's are pretty much impossible to heat, HN's work good with an internal heater.

Good point--I should've specified the nipples were horizontal, and they don't leak or drip randomly. His technique is the issue. Like a lot of roosters, he does everything with gusto. His self-confident pecks make the water drip out too fast.