Had 3 hens stop laying for 2 months and tried everything before this dumb fix

Ngl I was about to re-home my whole flock because they stopped laying back in June. I checked for mites, changed their feed to a higher protein layer mix, even added oyster shell - nothing worked for 8 weeks. Then my neighbor chuckled and said "check your water nipples." Turns out the little red rubber gaskets inside two of the nipples were stuck closed so they could only get a few drops a day. Popped them out, cleaned them with a toothbrush, and within 4 days I had eggs again. Has anyone else had waterer parts just fail like that out of nowhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elliot17d ago

Those little rubber gaskets on nipples are probably the most overlooked part of a chicken waterer. I had a similar issue last fall where three out of my six nipples were getting stuck from mineral buildup in my hard water. Soaked them in vinegar for a couple hours and it fixed it right up. Did you find any actual gunk inside the gaskets or were they just worn out and sticking shut?

adam_nguyen717d ago

I mean, I get where you're coming from with the vinegar soak trick, that definitely helps with mineral buildup. But what I've seen more often with my own setup is that the rubber gaskets just get too soft after a while from sitting in water 24/7. Like, they start to swell up a bit and lose their shape, so even a clean gasket won't seal right and the nipple just dribbles constantly. I had one last month where the gasket looked fine, no gunk, but it was so mushy it barely held water pressure. Maybe it's just me but I think replacing those little rubber rings every six months or so is more important than cleaning them.