waterer help...they won't stop tipping it over!!!

[sunket77]

HELP! my chicks won't quit spilling their water, my BO thinks she is king of the mountain won't quit jumping on top. When the other see her they want up there too. I have the waterer set in a bowl to raise up to keep the shaving out. It not only is making a mess every time but they do this while I am gone and come home to very thirsty chicks. I won't be able to go buy a different kind of waterer for a few days and I am worried they will spill it and be without water most of the day on top of the very yucky wet bedding! Anyone have any ideas on a quick home remedy to fix this with something around the house?

 

[Tikka]

We started to have that problem a couple of days ago, and our brooder is a cardboard box so it just couldn't continue. I made a suspending jiggy out of a coat hanger and duct taped it to the jar, and it is great. Also, they can't kick shavings into the trough any more.

 

[Ozark Chicken]

Hmm what kind of waterer are you using. I have 75 chicks in a brooder now. I have 2 of the 1 gallon plastic waterers from TSC and 1 large one gallon glass one that is an antique from the broiler farm I grew up on. Anyway no mater what they do they cant knock the plastic ones over. Try the plastic ones from TSC

 

[jennh]

You say you have your waterer in a bowl. How about just raising the bowl enough to keep the bedding out, and just put water in the bowl?

Jen

 

[Tikka]

We just have 8 chicks and it's just a 1 qt waterer, btw.

 

[sunket77]

mine is just a small plastic 1 qt one also...after combing the house I found the perfect solution.. my dogs food bowl worked perfectly! it has a wide base and the waterer set in it perfectly no more tipping! yay! My dog doesn't use it much anymore since she stays out most of the time, if I leave it outside she will carry it around when she is done eating. So we have to feed her on top of a bucket she can't move.

 

[ZaneyMama]

I had that same problem. I placed the water on the two inch side of two cut 2x4's placed side by side and built a little table with 2x4 legs to set over the waterer so they can't stand on top of it! They were also pooping into the water while they roosted on it, and this solves that problem as well!

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
Pretty much what I did too. Scrap wood is easy and gives a nice stable base. You could also try switching the plastic container out with a glass canning jar and see if the added wait helps make it more stable. Gotta love the fuzzy butts!

 

[underground chickenman]

You need a waterer with a wider base and more capacity. A one gallon waterer will probably suffice. I elevate mine on 10 pound weights that are about the same diameter as the base. The plates are about an inch thick, and I just add another one as the chicks grow. I wouldn't go out a buy weights for this purpose. I just had some laying around that I wasn't lifting...sadly...and decided to use them. Works great.

UGCM

 

[felidaet]

There is a simple solution that I read about here on BYC last year. Make a paper cone (like an upside down ice cream cone) and set it in top of the waterer. I triedf it last year and it eliminated the problem right away. I will do it again this year until I upgrade them to a "big bird" waterer.