Electrolyte Users!!!

[fiberart57]

Hello to all,

I have come upon three instances in the past two weeks of new chicken owners misreading the directions on the back of electrolyte packages and at least one of these has resulted in the death of baby chicks.

Most packets of electrolytes sold in feed stores are for a variety of farm animals and are in powdered form at a high concentration. Some are meant to be added to cattle or horse troughs and have the directions similar to: One packet for 256 gallons of water.

I recently helped a friend who had three babies die within a week. He had misread the label on the packet where it said "One packet per one gallon stock solution."

The stock solution is then meant to be further diluted to something like 1 fluid oz per gallon, not to be given to the chicks as it is.

Please read the directions completely of all electrolyte packages.

I used a digital scale with my powder, made a small amount of stock solution stored in mason jars and mixed gallon jugs from that.

Thanks, Mary

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Thank you for this reminder. I wonder if we need something like this as a sticky in the chick section? Something like, "Warning to electrolyte users" might be good. It's one of the causes of chick death that isn't usually mentioned in materials on chick care that people read. This has been a problem in other years, too. I'm so sorry it's happening again.

How many companies are producing electrolytes for livestock? Can't be that many. A lot of times one company has the lion's share of some markets. I wonder if we could write to them and let them know that home poultry owners are buying their product, too. Maybe ask that they try to add one line for people that are mixing a smaller batch for poultry? It would be worth a try. Even if the change isn't made until later, when they're updating their packaging for some other reason, it would still help in the future.

 

[AndreaS]

Thank you so much for this post!!! I just moved my girls outdoors and was thinking of giving them electrolytes. Would love to hear more about when and how often to add things to their water.
Andrea

 

[gritsar]

Thanks for the reminder. I only use electrolytes during the dog days of summer.

 

[Chickaholic]

Why are the electrolytes necessary? Is it kind of like E-mergency for us? I was told by the feed store to put it in the water every time I change out their water, is this even necessary?

 

[fiberart57]

I used electrolytes while raising my babies until they were about eight weeks old. It seems to help them overcome the stress created by shipping and other things. It was a small vitamin boost to keep them going. I've talked to a friend who raise chickens commercially and she said that she feels the electrolytes made a difference in the mortality rate.

I gave them a fairly watered down solution of them and weaned them off as they grew older. Now they get ACV in their water.

Mary

 

[Shellepup]

Here is a link to a .pdf from durvex that says the proper dosage is 3/4 tsp to a gallon of water: http://www.durvet.com/dl/Durvet-Poultry-Brochure.pdf
Go to page 11. You're right, that was confusing.

 

[OregonChickenGal]

Quote:
Thanks for sharing.

 

[snowflake]

the dosage I was given was 1/4 tsp. to a quart of water. I only gave when they first came for about 6weeks and some times when it was very hot out.

 

[spook]

Very good suggestions, not only measurements etc that we can hardly see written on the packages, I'll put the powder "medications" into a mason jar with the lid screwed down tight and tape the directions to the outside of the jar, also a sharpie on the cover.
Sounds like over kill, but so far so good on my "first aid kit".

Sorry to hear of the loss of the chicks and thank you for adding this, it is so confusing!