Chickens drinking water from AC drain hose

[JRIII]

I recently became a new chicken owner with a coop and all. I had a basic rundown of care, but I'm learning a lot in these first couple months of what to expect and how to address certain behaviors.

I noticed that the chickens are drinking the water from the AC drain hose. I'm thinking that's not very safe and hygienic because of the chances of digesting metals, mold, etc.

I'm going to see how I can extend the hose to drain elsewhere and preferably outside the fenced in backyard so I don't just move the problem to a different part of the yard. However, any tips or tricks are welcomed. And I'm curious if anyone has ran into this issue.

Some of their eggs have been tasting funny as well. Sort of fishy. And I'm thinking it's because they have been drinking the AC water... I have also let them free range quite a bit in the yard, so it could be that as well.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yes. I would re-route that a/c hose to avoid the chickens from drinking it. While a/cs don't have evaporating freon any more, and from my understanding (recently researching for a new hvac system) the water is condensation from the humidity in the air on the coils...yeah...it ain't good water as it is running through the machine portions with mildew build up.

As to fishy taste...what sort of feed are you using? Some feed supplements are fish based and can give the eggs an off taste. Some herbs can cause a funny taste too. I've read that too much canola meal in feed is the most common cause of fishy flavor in eggs. Also a feed high in Omega-3's will cause fishy flavor.

While technically not "bad," I don't enjoy fishy eggs. I have a friend whose eggs are always overly fishy to me. Thankfully, my eggs are tasty and fresh...but I don't use the high omega 3 feeds.

Hopefully some experts on a/c re-routing can chime in on that particular problem.

LofMc

 

[azygous]

You're correct about the condensation drip being unsanitary and there may be dangerous microbes in the drip water that could cause crop issues or worse. Take care of that first thing.

Type of feed can cause fishy eggs. What brand is it?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yes. I would re-route that a/c hose to avoid the chickens from drinking it. While a/cs don't have evaporating freon any more, and from my understanding (recently researching for a new hvac system) the water is condensation from the humidity in the air on the coils...yeah...it ain't good water as it is running through the machine portions with mildew build up.

As to fishy taste...what sort of feed are you using? Some feed supplements are fish based and can give the eggs an off taste. Some herbs can cause a funny taste too. I've read that too much canola meal in feed is the most common cause of fishy flavor in eggs. Also a feed high in Omega-3's will cause fishy flavor.

While technically not "bad," I don't enjoy fishy eggs. I have a friend whose eggs are always overly fishy to me. Thankfully, my eggs are tasty and fresh...but I don't use the high omega 3 feeds.

Hopefully some experts on a/c re-routing can chime in on that particular problem.

LofMc

^^^ beat me to it.

and *in theory* there is nothing wrong with water condensate formed on A/C coils. In practice? Reality doesn't match theory at all. You know how "fresh" the air smells after a good rainstorm has washed it clean of molds, pollens, particulates? The water droplets on your A/C condesor coils are doing the same thing with everything in the household air. YUM.

How to route the A/C drain is specific to the job site, but remember its a gravity driven, zero pressure system - even tiny saddles and dips present potential problems. Unsupported lengths of near horizontal PVC never work as well as you imagine they might.