Bleach in water??

[tvtaber]

I think the dark color would cause the water to get warmer and exacerbate the prblem. Everyone has their own threshhold of what is OK, but I put a small glug of bleach in the 12 gallon can that holds our water and it stays very fresh. My new scheme is a rubber feed pail with a rock to keep it stable, and i change out the water daily. Saw this in a pix on the board somewhere and it seems to be working out.

 

[Cetawin]

Apple Cider Vinegar in the water...1 tsp per gallon.

You can cover it with a black sock or knit cap.

 

[silkiechicken]

If the goal is to block out light, a thick white fabric should work just as well.

 

[Charlene1234]

Yes, vinegar works in the water - I raised pigeons and had the same problems. I think I just used plain white vinegar?

 

[crtrlovr]

I can't swear to the veracity of it, but I've heard that food grade DE in the waterers will also prevent algae. The DE powder settles to the bottom, but apparently still works. If one were to use it for algae prevention, perhaps a good "swirl" to stir it up once or twice a day would help...

 

[DaveMN]

i have heard that using a little bleach or vinegar does help. just remember not to mix the two together in the same fount. not good, makes a poisonous gas.

 

[JudyMcKinn]

Thanks, everyone. I think I will try the ACV first, and see if that works. I think I can find shade to put all, or almost all, the waterers in. A dozen gal. waterers, and 3 5-gal. waterers. I appreciate all of you.

 

[Jost]

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/3-2.html

here is a good article about benefits of apple cider vinager in this issue..... I am hoping to have chickens by late June & am reading everything I can get my hands on.... I especially love this site.... all my bedtime reading is consumed by chicken info!!!! is this a sign?? jane

 

[sBrickmanHouse]

A small amount of bleach in the waterer should not hurt a chicken.

Don't forget, for a lot of more suburban or urban backyard flocks, their water comes from a municipal source and is highly likely to be chlorinated, so there are a lot of chickens out there who are already drinking "bleach" in their water.

Also, chlorine breaks down fairly rapidly just from being outside, and especially with exposure to sunlight, so whatever chlorine you put in the water is likely to dissipate or break down fairly rapidly anyway. Fortunately or unfortunately, this characteristic is probably why ACV is a better choice than bleach, anyway!

If you do use bleach, though, make sure you only use a few drops, and make sure it is PLAIN bleach, nothing scented or with additives!

 

[tomdeggeater]

It seems to me, coloring your waterer black, or putting a black sock over it would increase the possible heat absorption, making the water less palatable for the fowl to drink.
A better idea would be aluminum foil/reflective coating. C'mon now, everybody can buy a roll of aluminum foil in the grocery store, right?
As for algae build-up, the only thing to do is change the water and wash your waterers, with bleach. Alga is in the air.
Adding bleach to the water is the lazy way out, and will kill chicks.