Water solutions?

[ChaoSS]

Ok, is there a decent solution for chicks when they start going through the little 1 quart chick waterers but are too small to go outside and the brooder doesn't have room for the really big chicken waterers?


Right now I've had these chicks (9 Cornish Rocks) for about a week, I'm guessing they are about 10-11 days old, and I'm refilling the water twice a day already. They are still in the brooder, feathers are coming in but nowhere near where they would ok to be outside at night with no heat, and I'm not sticking a 5 gallon waterer into the little brooder box. I imagine in a few days they will be emptying the water out in less than 8 hours, and then they will be without water for awhile, since I'm gone for work for nearly 12 hours a day during the week. A taller container on the same base would be nice, but I haven't seen anything like that. I'm trying to think of some items I could use to put one together myself but I'm not coming up with anything that i have handy that would work very well and be the right size.


Next week I'm getting an order of 25 birds from McMurray, 16 layers and 9 Cornish Rocks, and unless I'm using multiple waterers, I'm imagining this will be much worse.

What is everyone else using?

 

[Judy]

It sounds like the best solution would be a laarger brooder, but could you also mount rabbit watering bottles on the sde and teach them to use them?

 

[subhanalah]

You can also buy poultry nipple at TSC. I recommend silicone sealing them since the drill bit is such an odd measurement and I have to use one slightly larger than the one called for. Maybe you have that obscure drill bit size. Lol

They also make one gallon waterers. I agree, maybe you do need a bigger brooder. Could you keep them outside with a heat lamp?

 

[ChaoSS]

I only saw the little quart sized waterers and the 3-5 gallon ones at TSC when I was there, maybe i'll find something somewhere else but I seem to remember it being like that at the other feed stores I was looking at. A nipple style system is possible but I keep reading that some chickens have a hard time with it. I can imagine why, too, with a beak instead of a mouth like a rabbit or rodent has.


Guess I just need to keep looking for a different sized system.

They do need a bigger brooder though, I think tomorrow I'm going to try and piece something together. I was going to try to just stick with using cardboard boxes, but they seem like they are going to be outgrowing these things too quickly.

 

[subhanalah]

I have brand new chicks using a vertical nipple waterer. Perhaps those having difficulties with them are the horizontal variety due to its spring.
Are you using a large produce box? You can always cut one side and tape the boxes together to make a bigger one.

 

[ChaoSS]

I currently have two 4.5 cubic foot moving boxes taped together. Tomorrow i'll probably just go ahead and cut some boxes apart and tape them together to make a bigger one, or just go and make one out of wood.


As for the issues with nipple waterers, I think the issue wasn't so much that they couldn't drink, but that they couldn't drink very well without getting water all over them.... Or something. I don't know, just something I read.

I have plenty of rabbit water bottles lying around, though I guess it wouldn't hurt anything to cut a hole in the brooder and hang it up and see if they will use it as well...





Might be worth it to get them using a nipples though, since it's probably easier to put ice into a 5 gallon bucket with nipples than other water systems when they get older.

 

[ChaoSS]

I didn't get around to making a bigger brooder box tonight, how big does it need to be for 9 broiler chickens anyway? They already seem to be getting restless and picking at each other with 6 square feet of room, I was thinking of going with a 2x8 box but is that even going to be big enough when they get a little larger?

 

[Judy]

You might find more information in the meat birds secction. I don't think the same guidelines as for standard laying breeds reall apply.

 

[bowerhouse]

My chicks were flipping the water all over the floor so they were always in wet bedding. I made my own mini waterer with one of those thin plastic leftover containers. It is about 6 in by 4 in but only 2 inches deep. I cut some small holes in the top and melted the edges of the holes with a lighter to keep the chicks from cutting themselves. It works great, they can't flip water all over, and the holes are big enough that they can dip their head in a little if the water gets low. They still poop in it occasionally but such is life.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I didn't get around to making a bigger brooder box tonight, how big does it need to be for 9 broiler chickens anyway? They already seem to be getting restless and picking at each other with 6 square feet of room, I was thinking of going with a 2x8 box but is that even going to be big enough when they get a little larger?

We always go to the local furniture store and get (preferably) a refridgerator box. Currently we have 8-3 week old birds in a recliner box. We have pieced boxes together before to add room for them as they grow. We've never done broilers so I don't know if your space would be different. We also add a shoe box of sand as they get a little older and a roosting pole. we also try to take ours on outings to the yard at least once a day, weather permitting.