Baby chicks and well water

[RlgNorth]

Up here in alaska we have well water where we live. We have a water softner that uses salt. We currently arn't useing any salt added to the water. It is very mineral water, has solfer smell We dont even drink it just bath in it. Should I not give it to the baby chicks that will be here soon? I buy gallon drinking water all the time and can afford to give it to them. My other animals drink the well water and are fine but not when they were babies. What are your opionions about using well water for baby chicks.

 

[chicklady63]

We have a well and I use the water for both us and our animals. We don't have the sulfur smell you mention and I don't add any chemical treatments to it like you would for a water softener (salt or whatever you use). If you are concerned maybe you could run some it a clean container and let it stand for 24-hours or so. My mother used to do this years ago for our tropical fish aquarium. We never had to treat the water, just let it stand a while and everything was fine.

 

[RlgNorth]

I like that idea!! I have also heard of people boiling the water to and then letting it chill. I figure if we can drink it and be fine they would be ok to. We choose not to drink it cause of the taste it makes your mouth feel like you drinking melted metal hehe.

 

[KellyHM]

We have well water and I take it straight from the tap and to the babies...they all do fine.

 

[mhaines4102]

Have you had it tested. It may be good water just heavy in minerals. Ours is and I grew up on water like this. In fact, the hardest part about moving to the city when I was in college was that the water had no taste (except bleach). In Oklahoma, the extension office will test the water for $7.00. As long as it is just good minerals, that sulfer smell just tells you it is healthy. My chicks do fine on ours, but again, get it tested. It could have high salt content (and not table salt) and that is not healthy.

 

[PattiXmas]

The sulfur smell you have is an iron bacteria. Is your water rusty colored (leaves stains on your sinks, tubs, etc.)? You can shock the system with chlorine to help removed the iron bacteria. Your chicks should be fine with well water. A lot of people don't realize that the bottled waters are actually from a well! Ice Mountain bottling in Michigan uses well water, as well as Absopure.

 

[RlgNorth]

It was tested when we bought the home 4 years ago and was ok. That was my concern was the salt, cause I read salt can hurt them. I know many ppl up here with chickens and well water. Just thought maybe till they were week old might be good idea to use bottle water.

 

[bockbock2008]

PattiXmas - how do you shock a well?

Anyway, we have well water and all of my animals drink it from day 1

 

[RlgNorth]

OH yes we definatly have iron in it I dont even think about buying white clothes cause it turns them rusty brown after a couple of washes. We give it to our goats and they are fine so I guess I wont worry , It soo hard not to worry when you are 6 months prego anything baby related and I stress hehe.

 

[Lollipop]

Chicks will be fine on any water. The glitch comes when you change locations(move) and your water changes. That can sometimes stress a chicken. Little ones should be fine......Pop