Do you give your birds rainwater?

[Perris]

I provide tap water in a waterer in a shady spot by the back door, and we're lucky that the tap water here is good (safe, soft, tastes nice, no added chemicals). I clean this every time I refill it.

I also have a few bowls about the place that collect rainwater, that the chickens drink from if they chose. If I find them with a significant amount of algae in, I tip it out, clean the bowl and let it fill again naturally. Sometime such sources have a lot of wriggly things in them, larval stages of insects, and I leave those bowls alone to supply another generation of insects that the chickens can harvest sooner or later.

Also there's a seasonal stream running through, though I don't think I've ever seen them drinking from it where it flows quickly (only where it pools). It's hillside natural drainage and its quality is unknown but surely variable.

They often drink from puddles that form when it rains, puddles on tarmac, on stone, on wood, and on grass. Whatever contaminants they may contain, it doesn't seem to be an issue. I guess they taste it first and then decide if they want to drink from that source, or not.

They are also very fond of drinking the dew that collects on alchemilla mollis leaves, as here, where the chick on the right is swallowing water gathered from the leaves in front of him.

Of all these sources, there's no obvious preferred source for all birds at all times. A few go out of their way to drink the tap water from the waterer. Most just seem to use the nearest source when they get thirsty.

 

[pnw_urban_chix]

I live in a city and my chickens are in my backyard, so we have a running small pipe from a tap outside that feeds into a cooler in the coop that is above the run, and then uses gravity to go down small plastic pipes to a "water bar," which is a piece of pvc pipe with three little water drinking things in it. We also have a big 5 gallon bucket that we put an aquarium heater in for the winter when it is below freezing and the water bar freezes up. Whenever I let the chickens forage though, they love to find rainwater in buckets and puddles in our backyard and then drink it. They will also all come running whenever I fill a yogurt container with water and bring it out and stand around it and take turns drinking, even though they are not thirsty and have plenty to drink in their coop. It seems like a special treat for them .

 

[MysteryChicken]

Many backyard poultry keepers try to use rainwater for their birds, especially if they’re aiming for a more natural or self-sufficient setup. After all, chickens and ducks out in the wild drink from puddles, streams, and whatever rain collects around them. Some people say rainwater is softer and more natural than treated tap water, and it can be a great way to conserve water and cut costs.

On the other hand, some flock owners worry about things like roof runoff, dust, droppings, or other contaminants getting into collected rainwater. A few prefer sticking with tap water unless the rainwater is filtered or stored carefully.

So let’s hear from you: Do you give your birds rainwater?
Do you collect it intentionally, or do your chickens just drink from puddles after a good rain?

Share your experience, tips, and opinions. Does your flock seem to prefer rainwater or is clean tap water still your go-to?

I have at the start of last year, but now we give filtered well water.

 

[Martington Bear]

Rain barrels and a well.

 

[FrostRanger]

I don't go out my way to collect it nor do I stop them from drinking it from a puddle or something