# Almost lost my first chick.



## mpgo4th (Apr 19, 2013)

A little warning from a beginner. My chicks are getting big at 3-4 weeks and they have been tipping over their waterer. So today I hung it from the wire cover on their brooder about two inches off the pine shavings so they won't knock it over. My wife came home and found one chick stuck under the hanging waterer. They had dug down in the shavings and got stuck and spilled water all over their self. The chick was on her side soaked and she thought shewas dead. We dried her off and put her under the heat lamp. She layed on her side for a while and wouldn't stand up or move around at all. I cleaned the brooder out and put clean shaving in it. I put the waterer on a block instead of hanging it. After a few hours she is up and eating and drinking. I just checked on her and she is playing with the others like normal. She gave us a scare but I think she is ok.


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

Well it's a good thing you caught her on time. If you don't want the water spilling you can try and train them to use a water bottle. They have "chicken nipples" for full grown hens, they must have something for chicks? Heck a hamster bottle would probably do, just figure out how to make to tip red to attract them... Been considering this for my older Serama chicks. It seems cleaner. Anyway, good luck with them all!


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## InnKeeper (Feb 17, 2013)

Yikes!! I'm glad you rescued her. 

Try using a brick to raise the level of the waterer a bit. Maybe that would give it more stability and keep the shavings out


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

Might have just been shocky and cold. Yes, good thing you came home in time. Others have put pebbles or marbles in the water. I do like you and set it on an upside down bowl. Gotta kinda protect them from themselves. Geeeeesssssseeeer!


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## mpgo4th (Apr 19, 2013)

Thank you. That's a good idea. I'm only concerned about them spilling their water because I don't want them to run out of it. I don't mind cleaning up after them. Three weeks here and there already family.


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## dandmtritt (Jan 13, 2013)

WeeLittleChicken said:


> Well it's a good thing you caught her on time. If you don't want the water spilling you can try and train them to use a water bottle. They have "chicken nipples" for full grown hens, they must have something for chicks? Heck a hamster bottle would probably do, just figure out how to make to tip red to attract them... Been considering this for my older Serama chicks. It seems cleaner. Anyway, good luck with them all!


Do those nipple water tend to drip water underneath? If so how much do they soak the bedding underneath? Just curious because that's my main concern with them is the water getting the bedding wet constantly.


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## camel934 (Sep 9, 2012)

WeeLittleChicken said:


> Well it's a good thing you caught her on time. If you don't want the water spilling you can try and train them to use a water bottle. They have "chicken nipples" for full grown hens, they must have something for chicks? Heck a hamster bottle would probably do, just figure out how to make to tip red to attract them... Been considering this for my older Serama chicks. It seems cleaner. Anyway, good luck with them all!


I have regular small watering dishes for my chicks, but out of curiosity, I hung a regular watering bottle that would be used by hamsters. The chicks use it regularly. I didn't even need to show them what it was for


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## camel934 (Sep 9, 2012)

InnKeeper said:


> Yikes!! I'm glad you rescued her.
> 
> Try using a brick to raise the level of the waterer a bit. Maybe that would give it more stability and keep the shavings out


I have a "slice" of a tree we cut down recently. It is flat and I set the waterer on top of that. Seems to work fine


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

I used the chicken water bottle nipple with my second batch of chicks at 2 days. They are about 2 weeks now and it is all they use. It does get a little bit wet underneath but only when they all decide to fight over one particular one and tap it over and over again.


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