4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[KarmaMama]

Along with the new plastics bars and some vinegar I have ordered some new glugs and grubs.

 

At the moment I have their feed in a huge galvanised feeder that the breeder almost insisted I buy, but now I'm kind of nervous to take it away - so I am getting another grub so they dont run out of food and four can feed at once. I'm sure they won't starve as I know they use the grub as well as the big metal feeder.

 

I have also been through lots of different drinkers. I ended up with the big galvanised drinker too, after the breeder had dismissed the glugs as 'unsuitable' but for some reason our tap water reacted with the metal and I got a white residue inside the drinker that made the water cloudy (it's not limescale as our water is really soft) So I swapped to two smaller plastic ones, but they are constantly getting knocked over.

 

Anyway, I am concerned that if I just remove the drinkers they won't know what to do, as it's all they know, I have always had the super glug full of water available to them but I have only seen the Cuckoo Maran using it and so it worries me that they won't realise it's water. I have ordered two of the normal size glugs to put in the run too so at least they can see the water.

 

Wow, this is a long winded way of asking if any of you had any problems getting your chooks to use the super glug - and if you did, how did you work through it. Do you think that now they are used to the other drinker I have lost my chance or will they adapt as they are only 16 wks.

 

Many thanks for your help and advice

 

Jacquie x

 

PS, just wondering if this should have gone in the chickens section?

Edited June 11, 2008 by Guest

[bronze]

I gave my chicks the superglug today as well as their normal plastic mushroom drinker. They are four weeks old and by the end of the day they were all drinking from it [superglug] and ignoring the the other. Chickens are brigh beings.

[KarmaMama]

That sounds reasuring

 

I was just thinking I might take the plastic drinkers out on Saturday and then sit and watch them until I know each one has had a drink! That way I can be sure that they know what it is, lol....

[Olly]

My Cube was delivered in March - because they were used to drinking out of a traditional Glug, I started off by putting a 'peanut' full of water in the run every day. Every night it's been drained dry, but I hardly noticed any difference in the level of the Superglug. I have been too scared to take the peanut out of the run in case they couldn't use the Superglug.

 

The Cube and run are out of sight of the kitchen window, and of course if I go up there they start clamouring for food/freedom, so I haven't been able to observe properly.

 

On Monday, I trimmed back the tree in front of the run to give a clear view from the back bedroom window, then I went upstairs and took up position with the binoculars. (Am I starting to sound a bit obsessive?) Within minutes, I'd seen first one and then another drinking out of the Superglug

 

They CAN do it, they have just been using the peanut drinker because it is easy. The Superglug is cleaner, it holds more and from now on, that's all they are getting! I know some people don't like it or have given up on it, but I reckon all chickens can learn to use it.

[Woodchick]

My three took to the superglug without any problems whatsoever.

[Egg Lou]

I was worried about the super glug so put a bowl in when I first bought the girls home so they could have a good drink after the journey..

 

..but the next morning I sat in run and taught them to use the superglug.. just used clean kebab stick and tapped the metal nipples then held it there so a large droplet collected and "hung" they all pecked at the droplets and then carried on pecking .. so slowly moved the stick away and they did the rest! took less than an hour and now they use it without any problems whatsoever!

 

I did put a bowl back in during the really hot weekend but it got tipped straight over so just leave the superglug now.. they are all happy using it