Ok I cleaned the chicks food and water ers today around 10am along with there brooder , put everything and everyone back and left for the day , I just checked them and they were out of water, I dont know how they were out of water I have one of those waterers that have a saucer then a like little jug you can fill and screw on. I admit I did not fill it all the way up I only have 4 chicks so I usually fill it up half way cause I have to change it 2 to 3 times a day cuase they poop in it anyways . SO are they gonna be ok they all came running over and drank and drank, is there lasting effects for them to be without water for how ever long , ( I still dont know how they went thru that much water , they never ever do).
The waterer could be tipped. It could have a leak in it.. I had one with a tiny crack in the plastic. It would just run right out.
Check the bottom of the brooder and see if it is wet. I placed my waterer which sounds like yours on top of a old dvd case. That way it is a little higher up so the wood chips don't get it that much. Good Luck
We had a problem with that last year with 4 BRs, but I think our problem was evaporation. We got them in the summer and the garage was just sucking the water right out of it. If the bedding isn't wet, maybe you need to get a bigger waterer, that was our solution for this year. We also are using a flat cinder block type stone (I don't know how to better describe it) underneath the waterer this year.
I place a board over the shavings so to help reduce the shavings in the water or tipping. Keeping water clean and full can be a challenge, evaporation and all that great stuff can be a pain in the butt. Placing the waterer out of the direct heat lamp direction is good, you don't want "boiling" water for the babies. Good luck and happy chicking! (giggle)
I put mine on some plywood about 1.5 inches off the floor. I hade to clean there water about 6 or 7 times a day now its only 2 or 3. My chick are about 2 weeks old so they are tall enough to get there beaks in the water. I have 15 chicks in there with 2 winterers and I keep theme as full as possible. I know that they drink a lot moor than I would think. I hope this helps good luck
