Q: I purchased some of the Brooder Bottle Caps™ but don’t know how to hang the bottle in my brooder, can you help?
A: We sure can! One of the easiest ways to hang the bottle is to simply make two holes at the base of the bottle on each side about ½ inch from the bottom. Then take the wire from unpainted coat anger and slide it cross-ways through the bottle forming a hook that you can slip over the edge of the brooder. Also please visit our Facebook page for many more creative ideas submitted by our customers. You can find us at www.facebook.com/thechickenfountain

Q: I purchased the Brooder Bottle Caps™ but they will not fit my water bottle?
A: Our Brooder Bottle Caps™ will only fit a carbonated soda bottle. The threads on a water bottle will not accommodate the threads on our caps.

Q: What size soda bottle will the Brooder Bottle Cap™ fit?
A: The Brooder Bottle Cap™ will fit any size soda bottle with the exception of the new 3 liter bottles. Remember, the Brooder Bottle Cap™ will not fit most water bottles.

Q: Water does not seem to be coming out of the dripper on my Brooder Bottle Cap™?
A: It is very important that you poke a hole in the bottom of the bottle to allow air to enter the bottle as the birds draw water out. Failure to do so will result in an “air lock” where no water will be released from the dripper. To tell if the hole is large enough simple place your finger over the hole, fill the bottle with water, invert the bottle and remove your finger from the hole. If the water comes out of the bottle in one column of water the hole is large enough, if the water “gurgles” as it comes out of the bottle you will want to make the hole a little larger. You may want to do this test in a sink or outside.

Q: My chicks don’t seem to know where the water is how do I teach them?
A: Gently pick up a chick placing its head between your thumb and forefinger. Now slowly lift the head and touch the chick’s beak to the tip of the dripper activating the drip hear so water flows to the chicks’ beak. You may have to do this a couple of time but usually once is sufficient.
​
Q: The chicks are sloppy with the water what can I do?
A: The first thing to do is check to make sure that the Brooder Bottle Cap™ is set at the correct height. You want the chicks reaching for the dripper not bending to get water. Chicks grow very fast so you will need to adjust the height several time. As they are learning they can spill more water then normal. An easy solution to this is to bury a short walled bowl directly under the Brooder Bottle Cap™. Fill the bowl with substrate (shavings, sand etc.) so the chicks can walk right over the top of it. As the water drips from their beaks it falls into the substrate that’s contained in the bowl and the bowl will keep the water from spreading. Once per day simply wipe out the bowl and refill with new substrate. Some customers even put small pots of live plants under the Brooder Bottle Cap™. When the chicks drop water it waters the plants that in turn provide the chicks with fresh greens.

Q: How many Brooder Bottle Caps™ do I need for my chicks?
As young birds we like to limit the ratio of chicks to drippers to 12:1. As the chicks get older we reduce that to 6:1. You will find that when fresh clean water is always available to them there is no crowding at the Brooder Bottle Cap™ to get as drink. It is always a good idea to have too many instead of not enough.

Q: Can I use the Brooder Bottle Cap™ in my coop?
A: Many of our customers use the Brooder Bottle Cap and a 2 liter bottle as a back up source of water for their flock. The original design for the Brooder Bottle Cap™ was for chicks and adult birds in isolation cages or sickbay. While we do know that the Brooder Bottle Cap™ does work well with adult birds we have done no formal testing as to the durability of the caps under the constant pecking of adult birds.

Q: Can birds other then chickens use the Brooder Bottle Cap™?
A: Yes we have many people using the Brooder Bottle Cap with poults, cheepers, pheasant and many other birds.

Q: Can I mix “Save-A-Chick” or other supplements in the bottle while using the Brooder Bottle Caps™?
A: Yes you can. The internal parts of the Brooder Bottle Cap™ are stainless steel and are impervious to the chemicals found in these products.