How to Teach Baby Chicks to Drink Water

By John Walker · Backyard chicken keeper in Dallas, Texas since 2017

How to teach baby chicks to drink water is one of the first jobs after chicks arrive, because a chick that does not drink will dehydrate fast. Chicks do not always find the water on their own, and they need a little help on the first day. This guide explains the beak-dipping method, the right waterer, the right water temperature, and the mistakes that cause drowning or chilling.

How to teach baby chicks to drink water

To teach baby chicks to drink water, dip each chick's beak gently in the water as soon as you put it in the brooder. Hold the chick in one hand, lower its beak into the waterer until the tip of the beak is wet, and then let the chick go.

The chick will swallow, shake its head, and usually go back to the water on its own.

Dip the beak once or twice, and no more, because the chick will learn fast. Do not push the chick's whole head under the water, and do not hold it there, because the chick can breathe water into its lungs. A gentle dip of the beak tip is enough, and the chick will do the rest.

Watch the chicks for the first hour, and dip the beak again if a chick has not drunk. Most chicks learn within minutes, but a weak or cold chick may need more help. If a chick will not drink after two or three tries, check that it is warm enough, because a cold chick will not drink or eat.

When do baby chicks need their first drink?

Baby chicks need their first drink as soon as they arrive in the brooder, and within a few hours of hatching at the latest. A chick hatches with a yolk sac that gives it food and water for the first day or two, but the yolk runs out fast, and the chick needs water soon after it arrives.

If you bought chicks from a hatchery, they may have been in transit for a day or more, and they will be thirsty when they arrive. Offer water before food, because a thirsty chick will drink first and eat after. Put the waterer in the brooder before the chicks arrive, so the water is ready and warm when they get there.

Chicks that hatch in an incubator should be moved to the brooder once they are dry and fluffy, usually within 24 hours. Offer water as soon as they are in the brooder, and dip each beak as described above. Do not leave chicks in the incubator for more than 48 hours, because they will dehydrate.

Choosing the right waterer for baby chicks

The right waterer for baby chicks is a shallow chick waterer, with a narrow drinking trough that the chicks can reach but cannot climb into. A quart-size chick waterer is right for a small batch, and it should be placed on a flat, level surface, on a small board or tile to keep it out of the bedding.

Do not use an open bowl or a deep dish, because chicks will climb in, get wet, and chill, and they can drown in even a small amount of water. A chick that gets wet loses heat fast, and a wet chick in a brooder can die of cold. A proper chick waterer has a narrow rim that lets the chick drink but not climb in.

Add clean marbles or small pebbles to the drinking trough for the first few days, so the water is very shallow and the chicks cannot put their heads under. This is a simple trick that prevents drowning, and you can take the marbles out once the chicks are a week old and steady on their feet.

What temperature should chick water be?

Chick water should be lukewarm, around room temperature, and never cold. Cold water chills a chick from the inside, and a chilled chick will stop eating and drinking, which makes the problem worse. Warm the water to around 30 degrees Celsius, or test it on your wrist, where it should feel warm but not hot.

Do not use hot water, because it can scald the chick's mouth and crop, and it will cool quickly in the brooder anyway. Lukewarm water is right, and you should change it at least twice a day, because the chicks will foul it with bedding and droppings. Fresh water is more important than warm water after the first day.

In a cold brooder, the water will cool fast, so check it often and change it if it feels cold. In a warm brooder, the water may get too warm, so change it more often. A chick waterer that is too hot or too cold will put the chicks off drinking, and they will dehydrate without you noticing.

Signs a baby chick is not drinking

A chick that is not drinking will look dull, stand with its eyes closed, and chirp weakly. It may sit apart from the other chicks, and it may not eat either. The droppings may be small and dry, and the chick may feel light when you pick it up. These are signs of dehydration, and they need action fast.

Check the waterer first, because the problem is often simple. The water may be empty, too cold, too deep, or blocked by bedding. The chicks may not be able to reach it, because it is too high or too far from the heat lamp. Move the waterer closer to the heat, lower it if needed, and dip the chick's beak again.

If a chick still will not drink, offer a drop of water on the tip of your finger, and touch it to the side of the beak. Do not force water into the beak, because the chick can choke. If the chick is cold, warm it first in your hands or under the heat lamp, because a cold chick will not drink until it is warm.

How to keep chick water clean

Chick water gets dirty fast, because the chicks scratch bedding into it, and they stand in it and foul it. Change the water at least twice a day, and more often if it looks dirty. A clean waterer is one of the most important jobs in the brooder, and it takes only a minute.

Wash the waterer with hot water and a brush every day, and let it dry in the sun if you can. Do not use soap unless you rinse it very well, because soap residue can put the chicks off drinking. A waterer that smells of soap or disinfectant will be avoided, and the chicks will dehydrate.

Raise the waterer slightly off the bedding, on a small board or a flat stone, so the chicks cannot kick bedding into it as easily. This simple trick keeps the water cleaner for longer, and it means you change the water less often. Our chick brooder size calculator can help you plan the brooder layout.

Adding electrolytes and sugar to chick water

Electrolytes in the chick water can help chicks that have travelled a long way, because they replace the salts lost through stress and dehydration. A commercial chick electrolyte mix is the safest choice, and it should be used as the label directs, for the first day or two only. Do not use electrolytes for longer than the label says.

Sugar water is a common home remedy, and it can give a weak chick a quick boost of energy. Add a teaspoon of sugar to a litre of warm water, and offer it for a few hours only. Sugar water is not a substitute for proper feed, and it should not be used for more than a day, because it can cause loose droppings.

Plain clean water is enough for most chicks, and it should be the main drink from the first day. Add electrolytes or sugar only if the chicks are stressed, cold, or weak, and go back to plain water as soon as they are drinking well. Apple cider vinegar is sometimes added to chick water, but it is not needed for young chicks, and it can put them off drinking.

Common mistakes when teaching chicks to drink

The most common mistake is using a waterer that is too deep, so the chicks climb in and get wet or drown. Always use a proper chick waterer, and add marbles for the first few days. A chick can drown in a centimetre of water, so shallow is safe and deep is dangerous.

Another mistake is forgetting to dip each chick's beak, and assuming the chicks will find the water on their own. Some will, but some will not, and the ones that do not will dehydrate. Dip every beak on arrival, and check again after an hour, because it takes only a minute and it saves chicks.

A third mistake is putting the waterer too far from the heat lamp, so the chicks have to leave the warm area to drink. Chicks will not leave the warmth to find water, so put the waterer close to the heat, where they can drink without getting cold. Our how to raise baby chicks guide covers the full brooder setup.

Sources: poultry.extension.org and University of Minnesota Extension.

Related tools and guides

For more on the same topic, see How to Freeze Fresh Eggs.

Frequently asked questions