u/Raubkatzen

I am so tired of my hens kicking their shavings into their water dish. I have tried a couple of different styles, and by the end of the day it's either completely full of shavings, or they have dumped it because it is full of shavings and they are looking for the water. I think my last ditch effort to keep water clean for more than a few hours is going to be to swap to the nipple style. All of my hens are a year or older. How hard is it going to be to train them to use this style instead? I am particularly interested in the Omlet brand one. I live in an area where we can get temps in the negative 30s to 40s for several weeks on end in the winter, so I need something that is going to survive both the heat of summer, and the extreme cold of winter.

I very last minute added another chick to my order from a breeder, and ended up with two littles and a monster. 🤣 Right now the littles are acting like the frizzle is their mother, and she is actively stepping up to the role despite her young age. They hide under her, and she shows them where the food and the water is. Is there anything I should be worried about as they continue to grow? I don't really want to separate them even though she will be ready to go outside well before them.

I have two girls that I let out while I am doing chores that non stop make this noise when they are around me. The reason they are allowed out is because they rarely leave my side, or if they do they are always in my line of sight, unlike my other chickens that scatter to the four winds. 🙄