Whats the best waterer for baby chicks?

[floridachickhatcher]

as much as i try to keep their waterer free of waste i cant raise it up underneath a small brick cause then they cant reach it any suggestions?
i have a 1 Gallon Chick waterer and the mouth of it is wide

im wondering if i could get one that holes a gallon but is a smaller trim that you put into the brooder when they first hatch to prevent drownings

like this

I have 38 chicks in the brooder coop outside and i just dont want them to start getting sick from drinking nasty water i go out at noon to dump out the dirty water and let more fresh out and its washed down to prevent growth in it

 

[gale65]

No matter which one you get, they'll get junk in it. I have one like the red and white one and keep it on bricks and they get it dirty. I think they get food on their beaks and then take a drink and it gets food in there. I swirl and dump what's in the tray part when it gets really gross and I replace the water at least once a day. I only used 1 qt of water each time when they were tiny since they didn't go through that much in a day. A lot of people use the nipples for chicks and they don't get the water dirty with that system.

 

[de kippendame]

I used the 1qt red and white jug with some rocks in it so my chickies wouldn't drown. I was constantly cleaning it out, they'd kick shavings in it, poo in it, etc.

So, when they were about a week, I also added bottles with chicken nipples. I left the qt. jug in there while they got the hang of drinking from the nipples, maybe a few days. I HIGHLY recommed the nipples! I love them, and I'm sure the chicks appreciate having a constant supply of clean water! I got mine on ebay for $1.99 each, no shipping cost.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CHICKEN-WATERER...752?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6118daf8

There are screw in and push in, I recommend the push in, much easier!
I have 3 pop bottles set up in my brooder right now, but I will be making a 5 gallon bucket for the coop soon.

 

[debid]

I used a gallon ice cream tub with two push-in nipples installed in the bottom. Sparkling clean water all of the time and zero chance of drowning. I doubt I'll ever use a dish waterer again.

ETA: That was for 10 chicks... you'd need a couple more nipples for 38.

 

[floridachickhatcher]

okay well let me ask you this how do you get them to use it? i mean does it have a drop of water on it for them to come over? cause my mom was saying too bad couldnt get them to drink from a hamster waterer and the nipples reminds me of that very thing

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Water cups like these can be hooked up to any size bucket and makes adding water easy without accessing the brooder directly.

 

[Tenmore]

I used the quart jug than the gallon I put it on 2 2x6 pieces side by side so the they had to get on the 2x6 and walk to the water thus away from the shavings to drink. But that only helped for a little while till they were bigger and started scratchin around throwing shavings from one side to the other alas a never ending battle to keep water clean. What did help though was I cut bottom off of milk jug and put on top of gallon jug to keep them from sitting on top and poopin in the water. used top of 2 liter soda bottle when I was using quart waterer and feeders. good luck hope this helps......Oh had a problem with them nocking over feeders hers how to I fixed that problem....I was using the quart mason jar feeders with the galvanized base... 1 I tooka piece of 2x6 and drove a nail through the bottom 2. poked a hole in center of the base with same nail 3. plased 2x6 in brooder nail point up filled feeder and placed over nail problem solved......I can sen pics if needed. Hope this helps.

 

[debid]

Quote:
I just put the waterer in and they used it. The red base of the nipple combined with the shiny metal is very attractive to a chick and they'll peck at it to explore and discover the water. Once one figures it out, it's a party.

 

[Ariel301]

I use water bottles meant for rabbits. When you install it in the brooder, show the chicks how to work it by sticking their beaks against the ball so the water gets on their beaks, they usually figure it out very fast. It keeps the water clean and since I use cage style brooders, I can hang it outside the cage with just the end sticking in, so it takes up no floor space.