Electrolytes vs plain water

[Ext 918]

My girls arrived on Tuesday and were provided both electrolyte water and plain water. They devoured the electrolyte water and barely touched the plain. I Took the electrolyte water away last night before I put them to bed.

I just checked on them and they are energetic and happy. My concern is that their water consumption has decreased. The waterer is 1.5 liters. They consumed 3/4 of it when the electrolytes were added. It's barely moved this morning.

This is the first time that I've had chicks shipped to me. I was happily surprised that Hoover's not only honored my order but that I was able to get them a day early and all survived the trip.

So after the preceding novel, this is my question. Is it normal for the chicks to have excessive thirst or prefer electrolyte water the 1st day that you have them, due to stress of shipping and should I offer electrolytes back to them?

 

[nuthatched]

Electrolytes are tasty, plain water, not so much

 

[SourRoses]

Electrolytes are mostly salt. Salt makes you thirsty.
The issue is, chicken feed already has salt in it. Too much sodium is not a good thing.
So Electrolyte solutions should be treated as an occasional boost.
They also have sugar (dextrose) which is appealing to birds (and good for them during stress). So I've used just sugar water when new chicks arrive and once during a heatwave. The concern there is that bacteria like sugar water too, so the water should be changed regularly and the container kept clean (hard to do with chicks). Again, a temporary measure.

Plain clean water is the best option the majority of the time

 

[Ext 918]

I agree that the salt levels are a concern. I gave them the option as a precaution. When I picked them up from the distribution center at USPS, the clerk informed me that a worker had all the chicks stacked at the bottom of a heap of boxes and were not getting good airflow. They were a bit lethargic for the first hour, but then all of them adjusted well.

It's absolutely possible that I'm being overly cautious about their water consumption rate. I check them every 2 hours or so and as soon as I walk out they all run over to see what I'm doing. No one is huddled or lethargic and they are eating like gluttons.

Thank you all for the feedback.