When Can I Remove the Marbles From the Chicks' Waterer?

[fuzzi]

My bantam chicks are 19 days old. They are very active, running around, making short flights around the coop and run.

Is it too soon to remove the marbles from their waterer?

 

[neo71665]

I don't use them with chickens only baby quail.

 

[FunClucks]

You can remove them. Those chicks are huge compared to the size of their waterer. The marbles are there to keep them from falling in, getting stuck, drowning, or getting soaked and freezing. Those babies are big enough to easily get themselves up and somewhere warm if they get wet, and are too big to drown without a lot of effort.

In my experience, after about a week or so marbles aren't needed. Just for those first few wobbly days while everyone is hatching and getting their legs figured out, or if you have a large adult waterer you might keep them longer.

 

[NatJ]

My bantam chicks are 19 days old. They are very active, running around, making short flights around the coop and run.

Is it too soon to remove the marbles from their waterer?

I've never used marbles for longer than about a week, and I usually get impatient and remove them sooner than that.

Once the chicks are steady on their feet and recovered from the stress of shipping, they don't need the marbles to prevent drowning in a waterer of that size. Marbles also help the chicks find the water in the first few days, because the marbles are shiny and the chicks try to peck them, but after a few days the chicks don't need that help either.

 

[fuzzi]

Yippee!

I thought it might be safe, but didn't want to take any chances.

 

[fuzzi]

You can remove them. Those chicks are huge compared to the size of their waterer. The marbles are there to keep them from falling in, getting stuck, drowning, or getting soaked and freezing. Those babies are big enough to easily get themselves up and somewhere warm if they get wet, and are too big to drown without a lot of effort.

In my experience, after about a week or so marbles aren't needed. Just for those first few wobbly days while everyone is hatching and getting their legs figured out, or if you have a large adult waterer you might keep them longer.

I have a middle-sized waterer on the way. I was buying leg bands online and the company had them on sale, so, why not?