Author: Anna & Mark

Do chickens get enough to drink with a nipple waterer

May 1, 2010 Posts No Comments
Obviously
this method of water is working well for you and for many others, but
still it seems like the chickens would have a hard time quenching their
thirst if they just get one drop of water with every peck.  Or can
they get a constant stream if they keep their beak pushing against the
nipple – and if so, do they do that?
— Shirley



Homemade chicken watererYou’re
completely right that it takes chickens much longer to drink out of an Avian Aqua Miser than a traditional waterer,
but I consider that a plus.  Unless your chickens are ranging over
a large pasture, chances are they’re bored
and don’t have much to do with their time.  Studies have shown
that chickens
are hard-wired to peck all day long — in the wild, it would
take them that long to fill their bellies.  When given easy to
grab food, they usually eat it up within an hour and spend the rest of
the day with nothing to peck at…except each other.  That’s where
a lot of the feather
pecking problems
begin.



The Avian Aqua Miser
gives chickens something to do with their pecking instinct — they can
peck all day at the nipple rather than their neighbors.  The
result is healthy, happy chickens with beautiful
plumage.

Avian Aqua Miser is a god send

April 30, 2010 Posts No Comments

We’ve been receiving
some kind praise from our customers that I wanted to share:

Automatic duck waterer

I
am a very happy customer…  I believe that your [homemade chicken
waterer] kits are the best thing to come along in a long time and
it’s certainly changed my life. I have it in one coop and the other
still has the old system, so I can attest to side by side comparison
workwise and cleanliness wise.

We
received the [pre-made
chicken] waterers yesterday – what a God send! The ducklings
took to them in, literally, about 30 seconds.  We are so
pleased!  We
may end up ordering a 5 gallon water
bucket kit from you as well. 
Thanks for the super product!
— Christina



Thanks, ladies! 
I’m sure your birds thank you too.


Australian chickens
I also wanted to share
the images above from Alex’s
chicken operation Down Under.  In fact, I wanted to
give a salute to all the Avian Aqua Miser customers in the United
Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, France, Australia, Norfolk Island, and
Aruba.  I’m thrilled to hear that chickens’ love of clean water
knows no national boundaries.

Forest pasture experiment phase

April 28, 2010 Posts No Comments

Chicken on a mound of compostI’m
afraid our chicken
pasture contest is a
bit of a wash.  As the weeds grow taller and taller and our pudgy
chickens become slower and slower, it’s becoming clear that there will
be no scratching the earth bare at this rate.  Our Dark
Cornish chickens
don’t seem to be as avid foragers as I’d hoped they’d be, although they
do like picking through the huge mound of weeds I keep wheelbarrowing
into their pasture.



Dark Cornish cockerelWhat
you all probably care about the most is — who wins?!  I’ve
decided to name Bethany our grand prize winner since she picked the
furthest away date which is closest to infinity.  Bethany, drop me
an email with your address and your onions and flowers will be in the
mail next week.



The more scientific
among you may be asking — what now?  I still want to have the
chickens scratch up some of the earth to expedite grain planting, so
we’re going to subdivide their current pasture in hopes that a smaller
enclosure will actually get scratched bare.  Given the proximity
of butchering day,
we may wait to build more pastures until next year, and will be
rethinking our broiler experiment — maybe we’d be better off having
the slow, fat broilers in tractors and our perky layers achieving self
sufficiency on pasture?  Stay tuned for future experimentation!


Our chicks drink copious,
clean water from their homemade chicken
waterer.