I have my first flock of chickens, 3 RIR and 3 BR that are currently 18 weeks old. We switched them to the water cups(red ones with the yellow stick they peck). I am concerned they won't figure out how to use it. We have seen some of the chickens use it, but not all of them. Should I be doing something to help or will they be ok? We have raised these chicks since they were 1 week old and haven't lost a one, so I am paranoid to do something wrong now!
One common concern when using cups is people assume that they're not working because they never see water in the cup. It's important to understand that the cups work by dispensing water only as needed and the birds tend to drink them pretty much dry, leaving just a little in the bottom which will naturally evaporate away between uses. If you want to see them use it, use your finger and depressed the plunger just enough to dispense a tiny bit of water in the bottom of the cup. You doing this is going to draw attention to the cup the birds will peck at the water dispensing more water themselves and learned that that is how they function.