can my chickens drink chlorinated water

[BrendaLea]

Hi, there,
We are getting chickens end of this month. We get our water from a municipal and they chlorinate it. Will that be safe for our birds to drink? Reason I ask, our daughter has a fish tank and when we used tap water the fish died..so it didn't seem like we could water our chickens with it.
Anyone have any input?
Thank you,
Brenda

 

[catwalk]

Don't know about chlorine. Is the water also floridated? Floride in the water is bad for calcium absorption, and the birds will need a calcium supplement, possibly even the chicks. Maybe you can use water from a dehumidifier to give to the birds. They will need extra vitamins because the water will be distilled, but there won't be chlorine in it.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Your birds will be fine with the chlorinated water. It's bad for fish because they are breathing it. Your chickens won't be. If it were too much chlorine for them it would be too much for people.

 

[JFW]

If it's safe for you to drink, it's safe for your birds.

 

[BrendaLea]

I don't know if there is fluoride in it..would that hurt them?

 

[drumstick diva]

I don't know if fluoride can hurt chickens but, they will have the best teeth in town. Kidding aside my friend has several chickens and they drink Chicago water with chlorine, fluoride and gosh- knows what else in it just like the humans are are doing okay. As far as the chlorine - you could set water out in wide basins the day before using it - allowing chlorine to evaporate. I have to do that with the houseplants I grow.

 

[ranchhand]

Hi Brenda,

Laying hens need oyster shell for calcium anyway, so flouride is a non-issue.

I have given all kinds of well and city water for 20 years- and my birds tend to live a long time. The main thing is that the water be clean and fresh.

Fish are a whole different story- any research at all would have told you that fish water MUST be de-chlorinated. To ease your worries, spend some time reading in the BYC Learning Center, the link is at the very top of the page.

Have fun, congratulations on becoming a "chicken tender"!

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Mine have always had chlorinated water.

 

[BrendaLea]

Thank you everyone!! You have saved us a lot of running to the spring to get water for our chickens. Thank you for explaining why our daughter's fish died, it makes sense.
We are looking forward to getting our chicks.
I think I can sure learn alot from all of you here, thank you!
Brenda

 

[bryan99705]

If you are really concerned about the water, put a catch barrel under your downspouts and give them rain water