As for training the chicks to drink from the nipple, we just picked up each chick, held their heads up to the waterer, tapped their beaks against the nipple, and let a drop or two of water drip onto their beaks. It worked like a charm. The chickens were drinking out of the waterer within minutes.
Wow! This turned in to a larger post than I anticipated. We will continue this post tomorrow with our coop waterer. Stay tuned for Poultry Nipple Waterer Part Two!
Disclaimer: These nipples are not totally leak proof. Some people do experience some leakage on occasion from the rod itself. If you have a leak from around the actual unit at the pipe connection, then the device may not be seated tightly enough, or the proper size hole was not drilled, or the seal is damaged in some way. If this is the case you can use a small bead of silicone around the nipple/pipe connections. If the device is leaking from around the middle where the two parts attach, hand tighten the lower piece. This should stop the leak. If the device is leaking from the stainless steel rod itself, the waterer may be on a slight angle allowing the rod to not seat properly, or a small piece of debris may be caught inside. If leveling does not work, disassemble the device at the middle (you do not need to remove the entire device from the waterer). The nipple will come apart in two pieces and inside you will find the bottom stainless steel rod, a stainless steel ball, and the top stainless steel rod (or copper rod if you are using the heater accessory pack). You might want to place a bowl or something underneath the nipple when disassembling so that you don’t lose and of these tiny parts. Clean the inside well and reassemble. If you experience further leaking you might want to contact the manufacturer of the brand nipple you ordered. I have found that a couple of our nipples still leak a few drops on occasion (it is not excessive) so we plan to place a small plant underneath the waterer for the chickens to eat and the leaking nipples will catch the extra water.