Week old chicks using nipple waterer

[Hawgon]

Thanks for pic Presidential....Very simple design.....

 

[LilacSpring]

How did you attach the bottle to the brooder?

Lisa

This is the waterbottle I used in my brooder. I used the same type of nipple on gallon pitchers for my coop.
The nipples I purchased are: http://www.avianaquamiser.com/

 

[billyb]

will a rabbit water bottle work? and once they get it can i take the chick dish out?? how do i teach them to do it?

 

[KLRA]

I use a rabbit water bottle with all of my chicks the first day in the brooder. Usually they're curious enough that they will just start pecking at it without any work on my part. My bantam cochins get it right away. My seramas take a little more time, but they get it. I started using the bottles because the serama chicks are so tiny and I didn't want to have to worry about them drowning. Plus it's just so much easier... and cleaner! The only problem I've encountered is how to attach the bottle to a cardboard box. Honestly I havent invested any time in a real solution--I just tape it on there!

 

[billyb]

okay thanks! i'll have to give this a try!

 

[billyb]

Oh yeah, will they stick to this? They won't just stop drinking from it? And, will they do this when they are adults?

 

[mommabice]

So you can use the rabbit type water nipples (with the ball on the inside)? I don't want to order the nipples when I can just get a couple of rabbit water things here in town. I *really* want my 6 week olds to use the nipple system b/c the water gets dirty about 2 seconds after I put it in the brooder. They will be out in the coop after this weekend (fingers crossed!) so I don't want to have to trek out the pin a 100 times a day to clean the water.

 

[KLRA]

Yeah they stick with it... It's really convenient. It gets a little harder with the ball-type waterer as their beaks get bigger so as they age I think it's easier to use a nipple waterer since you can make the reservoir as big as you want. My local feed store carries the nipples and installs them in whatever container I bring in for me. Try checking with your local feed store to see if they will do the same. The rabbit waterers are kind of spendy

 

[billyb]

Okay, thanks! Are the nipples medal, or the ones squishy ones that go on a calf feeding bottle? And what are they normaly used for?

Thanks,
Billy

 

[KLRA]

The metal kind with (usually) red plastic at the base. I don't know if they're typically used for something else actually... I'll have to look into that. After posting in this thread I kind of got mad at myself for not having a better setup for the water bottle so I did this today to my brooder box:

I just used what I had on hand. Staples would've been less time-consuming than the duct tape but I couldn't find our little staple gun anywhere! Disregard the white stuff next to the bottle--it doesn't serve any purpose! It's just a bed.

Edited to say:
It's soooo much easier now that I don't have to tape the stupid bottle to the box! Don't know why I didn't do this before...