Thirsty chickens?

[Mouthwash]

I have a 5 gallon bucket with nipples for 5 chickens. After a week it's probably about half empty. My wife is convinced their not getting enough water. She brought out a bowl and said they were drinking heavily from it today. However, no chickens have died of thirst yet. So is it possible they're not getting enough water, or are they just gluttons when it's easy access?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Have you always used this bucket? They may not know how to drink out of it? My chickens are very picky they won’t eat treats out of a blue bowl the rooster had to pick all the treats out. I hope you can figure it out I’m just guessing good luck!

 

[AnnPann]

1) bucket could be leaking so it looks like they are using it, but are not
2) i have a nipple waterer and open water containers and they all drink from both, but get pretty excited when the open containers are refilled with fresh water.

I would just offer both nipple waterer and open container at all times.

 

[Mouthwash]

Have you always used this bucket? They may not know how to drink out of it? My chickens are very picky they won’t eat treats out of a blue bowl the rooster had to pick all the treats out. I hope you can figure it out I’m just guessing good luck!

I see them drink from them.

 

[Mouthwash]

1) bucket could be leaking so it looks like they are using it, but are not
2) i have a nipple waterer and open water containers and they all drink from both, but get pretty excited when the open containers are refilled with fresh water.

I would just offer both nipple waterer and open container at all times.

If the chickens weren't drinking water wouldn't they be dead? The bucket doesn't leak, I tested it for a week before putting it in

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

Are they horizontal nipples or vertical nipples? I have both kinds and I find sometimes with the vertical nipples The bucket is so well sealed that eventually the water can't get out because of the vacuum.

 

[sourland]

get pretty excited when the open containers are refilled with fresh water.

I would just offer both nipple waterer and open container at all times.

All animals seem to prefer 'fresh' water and will drink immediately after their water has been changed.

 

[AnnPann]

If the chickens weren't drinking water wouldn't they be dead? The bucket doesn't leak, I tested it for a week before putting it in

Of course they would. But they may not be drinking as much as you think they are if the bucket is leaking. I have a bucket with 4 nipples on it and one has a very slow leak. So I know I can't judge how much they are drinking just based on how often I fill it.

 

[AnnPann]

All animals seem to prefer 'fresh' water and will drink immediately after their water has been changed.

Agreed. That's my point. It could be that they just liked the bowl of water because it is fresh, not because they are super thirsty. Or could be because they are super thirsty. Hard to get a straight answer out of a chicken.

 

[SourRoses]

How long can you survive without water? The answer is, longer than you would still want to be alive.
So just because animals aren't dead or immobilized doesn't mean their needs are met.
They don't drink more than they need, so whenever an animal acts desperate for water they're being honest.

This is a big reason why I don't use a nipple system. Not that they can't work well, but when they don't work it can fly under the radar. A secondary water source is always a good idea.