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McGraw2601

Why are they drinking from puddles?

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Hi,

 

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I bought 2 XL water bottles that you would use on a rabbit hutch after seeing my ladies use it when they where being hen sat for 2 weeks by a breeder. I attached them at the appropriate height and I have seen them using them. However over the last few days we have had some very wet weather and puddles have formed in the run which the ladies have now taken to drinking from.

 

I am concerned about them drinking dirty water, this was in part the reason I moved away from the Glug. Are they just being lazy in using the puddle because the bottle takes a bit more work or are they not getting enough water from the bottles?

 

Has anyone else had this kind of issue.

 

Thanks

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Oh dear, you will soon get used to the fact they like to eat/drink out of the most inappropriate places. My ladies have a glug and a gravity water container but love nothing more than drinking from puddles and often the drops off the side of the cube. I have a litter tray filled with water and they love drinking from that especially when it's got rainwater in it. They are funny creatures:) :doh:

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Mine do that all the time ..and get the water off the wire in the run .

I think it is because it is pure with bugs in ..No addatives like our water . I love watching them when they lift their heads back and let the water go down .

You wait till they swallow a mouse or suck a worm down whole :lol:

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When I got my chooks I was told they will only drink fresh water every day. Not true. Just like dogs and cats , they much prefer puddles and naturally occurring rain containers. Also, like cows and horses, if they've been free ranging on wet grass, they don't even bother to drink. They don't need to GNR:)

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Agreed, my chooks like filthy puddles and drops of rainwater on the run mesh far more than the drinker full of water I give them (which thy also get in a filthy state :roll: ). I wonder if they can taste the chemicals in tap water and therefore prefer rainwater? Certainly I think dogs do - Tango likes a muddy puddle more than her bowl of clean water in the kitchen too....

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