Do I need to add something to the water in my rain barrel?

[KatieSwindler]

I just installed a gravity watering cups system run off a 50 gal rain barrel I’m filling up with a hose. Do I need to add anything to the barrel to keep the water from getting gross? What’s safe for chickens?

 

[Saveria]

This is just me, but I think there may be too many pollutants in rain for it to be good for chickens to drink only that. I guess it depends on what your practices are. If you cull the whole flock every 3 years you may not see any problems, but with the levels of contaminates in rainwater I wouldn't be surprised if issues started developing at some point. Their bodies are really small when you think about it.

Sitting water will stay fresher if it is agitated in some way, and it needs all debris kept out of it as much as possible, if that is your only choice. Maybe setting up a fountain that keeps the water moving would help.

 

[Brooks_]

I just installed a gravity watering cups system run off a 50 gal rain barrel I’m filling up with a hose. Do I need to add anything to the barrel to keep the water from getting gross? What’s safe for chickens?

Bleach at proportion of water purification level for humans should be safe for the chickens (think city tap water) and keep it cleaner a little longer. A web search should provide the amount per gallon.