Chicken bald back

[Gelbel]

Hi. Hoping some of you can make a few suggestions. Since we've got 5 girls, they seem to drink a totally out of proportional amount of water compared to 3. Just for info, they are all fit and healthy, so the problem is not due to illness.

 

I've a glug that gets as mucky as you like with various debris and some of the girls will climb on it, I also use a garden trough on legs that also gets full of muck - and I mean that as Edwina has been known to use it as a bidet. While they don't seem to mind the dirt, they will only drink them part-way down. My 'main' drinker is a 5ltr hanging gravity drinker but I sometimes have to fill it twice a day as the little madams knock into it a spill the water all over the floor. Hence seeming to drink loads and loads.

 

This is rather annoying as I work away a lot and the DH is not always able to refill as he works awful hours.

 

I need suggestions for spill free drinkers please. I'll still keep the glug and trough as it offers alternatives if the top girls are in a 'mood'.

 

Many thanks.

 

PS excuse any iffy typing - on a train home after being away since Tuesday and DH informs me that 15 eggs await me. Omlettes for tea me thinks.

[Leeloo]

Do an Internet search for "chicken nipple." It is a watering system where the chicken has to peck a switch to get water drops out. There is some assembly required. You have to install the device in some sort of water container, but it only supplies what they can drink right away so they aren't standing in or scratching muck into the water. Some people think that it also helps with coop boredom and prevents feather plucking since it gives them something safe to peck at. I don't have one because I only have two hens, but if I ever got more or had to go out of town for a few days, I might consider getting one.

[Duncan08]

After being extremely impressed from switching to a hanging feeder I am getting a hanging waterer this weekend.

They cant stand in it, or on it, kick straw/bedding into it and as long as you hang it in the right place, ie not under perches they can't poo in it either

[Redwing]

The problem with hanging drinkers is that chickens can walk under them or cannon in to them and spill the water - most of my lot dont but I have a couple of mucky pups that do

 

having 'long' rather than dumpy hanging drinkers helps

 

I have a couple of the hanging drinkers stood on bricks rather than hung and one that sits on a higher wooden frame - they tend to stay clean

 

I like the idea of tripod drinkers though some are not particularly good I have recently seen the 'honeypot' drinkers which I think look excellent in terms of design, practicality and most importantly stablility

[Duncan08]

Thanks for that tip Redwing will look out for the long one, I have a gravity drinker on bricks but have given up on it as our Bluebell always pulls it over. Will have to look out for the "honeypot" ones too

[Gelbel]

My hanging drinkers are all shapes and sizes - they manage to spill them all in equal measures. I also want to keep hanging to preserve floorspace.

 

I'm rather attracted to nipples (as Madge loved a rabbit waterer) - will have a look later.

 

I understand the superglug no longer has these.

 

Thanks folks.

[Singalingz]

The 6 chooks at my daughters school turned their run into an absolute quagmire, plus they were always pooing in their water, the rim is only about an inch and a half wide so I don't know how they manage. Anyway someone put the water container on a couple of bricks on their side and it really sorted out the problem, this rain of course has changed that but at least the water stays clean and where it should.

[Gelbel]

I've ordered 10 nipples from ebay. I will ask the landlady of my local if she has a catering size 'bucket' with lid of some description. If not, I'm going to use my huge Stalosan box.

 

I will post photos once I've done.

[Duncan08]

Well I picked up a nifty drinker on Saturday.

 

It is mushroom shaped has a hanger and also has tripod legs that fold away underneath so you can use it either way.

 

It is hanging at the moment and seems to be doing quite well, I have tried to get it high enough that they don't keep swinging it, but still low enough that it is easy to drink from.

 

On Saturday they were a bit wary, they also had their glug in with them, but Sunday and Monday they seem to have taken to it well. So I am very pleased,.

[Gelbel]

And I think I'll be following Duncan's lead. Go and get a cuppa to settle down to read this.

 

So chicken nipples. What a waste of time over the weekend. The DH made something so easy the hardest possible. I was going to do it - he took over.

 

3 buckets later...first had slightly sloping bottom so they did not go in straight and so could not get a seal.

 

2nd - this is where I got annoyed. He got a floor mop bucket - no good as was not right shape to hang off nest box and when I filled with water the handle fell off.

 

So, if you want a job done properly I took over in Sunday morning and one £1.98 bucket from Wickes later and a load of plumber's mate, it was sorted.

 

Took them a good 2 hours to work it out and then I had to force one gasping for water to try it. It needs to be quite high as they have to reach up for it. And I'd recommend push-in ones not the thread type I got as they do need sealant. But then you do need a 11/32 drill bit.

 

Which the DH thought he had but had to make do with 9mm bit. So not exactly the right size holes any how! Means they gave 14l water which will last ages and ages. I was then planning to get a lid a various flies had committed suicide in it within those few hours.

 

Roll on to 8pm (and I am about to go to bed as I was getting up at 5am the next day). Two girls attacked same nipple and there I was singing there's a hole in my bucket.

 

Back to the drawing board...and Duncan's suggestion.

[Duncan08]

Well I am still pleased with my hanging drinker, other than its a bit fiddly to screw the top (bottom) on. They do still manage to kick things in it but no-where near to the same extent as before with the glugs.

 

Will try and post a picture, although I have been struggling with this since photobucket changed their editing