Nipple Waterer Training?

[JS1977]

Digging up an old post here, but I just got my chickens yesterday. They are already 1-2 years old and have been accustomed to the traditional water method. I purchased the drip waterer nipples on a small bucket. The girls have been in their run and coop for about 20 hours so far and have yet to touch the waterer. I've read some tricks about putting ice in the bucket which causes condensation, which helps the chickens find the water to start off. I've also read several posts about just leaving them alone and they will eventually find it. How long before I should consider another watering system?

 

[MaritaMamma]

Hello JS1977, I just wanted to jump in and give you another idea. I just trained my chickens (10 weeks old) to use the nipple waterer by smearing yogurt on each of the nipples. My chickens love yogurt and they immediately started pecking at it - which caused the water to come out. Within ten minutes my smartest one, Pretty Girl, was drinking from the nipples no problem. This is while they still had access to their regular dish of water. Hope your chickens got the hang of it too!