ecoli in my hens water

[3littlepeeps]

i woke up on my birthday sept 23 to find that my drinking water had a horrible smell. through testing i found that my water had colliform and ecoli. i immediatly stopped watering my chicks with the water but am now not sure if my eggs are safe anymore. i still eat them myself but im afraid to sell them to anyone. can ecoli go from drinking water to egg? will the ecoli stay in the birds and thus the eggs too. im scared to even ask but have got to find out has anyone had this problem. thanks in advance.

 

[zazouse]

Wow.. this does not sound good at all.

Are you on well water?

What did the testers tell you?

Happy belated birthday! and welcome to BYC

 

[pgpoultry]

I don't think it's likely to affect your chickens and won't get into the eggs.

Our (spring) water was contaminated by sheep poo (YUK) when the fence around our little reservoir had come down without us knowing. My daughters both got Campylobacter and faecal bacteria were isolated from the water when tested. We reinstated the fence and installed an ultra violet filter for our own drinking. Throughout the chickens were drinking this contaminated water and horrible puddles they find around the place which are more sheep poo than water. They remain robustly well and our eggs have never caused gut upsets in anyone.

Sandie

 

[3littlepeeps]

zazous, thank you, i am on well water which i am currently treating with chlorine (what the people who tested the water reccomended). The well will have to be sleeved and possibly replaced to maby fix the problem that probably, but not positivly is my nieghbors sewer. I have another source of water in the meantime and am going to cook the eggs from before for my pigs. I may be overly cautious but peace of mind is priceless. has anybody heard of egg testing? Sandie I hear you on the chickens drinking gross water. My chickens free range and the water dish seems like a last resort. Even more gross though I saw a bird eat a small mouse the other day. I wouldnt have thought it was possible!

 

[zazouse]

Do you know if there any livestock pens or sewer runoffs within 100 feet of the well?

The clorine will kill the nasties but if it is seeping in somewhere it needs to be addressed because once the clorine dissapets the nasties will come back.

 

[pgpoultry]

You can provide filtered,chlorinated water, organic high priced food and they will choose to eat a dead frog and drink filthy puddles.My little darlings positively fight over big maggots which develop in my neighbour's cow pats!

Their crops and gizzards seem to be able to sterilise most things.

Sandie