Food coloring in water harmful?

[Carlyle]

I put a few drops of red food coloring (human food grade, purchased at supermarket) in my Chickens' water dispensers so I can see the water level easier. For the 4 chickens, the egg production has gone down from 3-4 per day to 1-2 per day. Is this a coincidence or could the food coloring be interfering with their egg production?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I doubt it, unless it's putting them off of their water. Are they still drinking the same amount?

Another solution I have heard folks mention is to put a colored ping pong ball in the waterer to help see the water level.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Yeah I don't think it would be the dye more likely the weather. The ping pong ball idea is great though!

 

[Californichicken]

Can you try green or blue instead? Red dye does terrible things to people and is outlawed in Europe and is on it's way out of Maryland. Mostly it causes terrible behavior problems in lots of kids, who knows what it would do to little chooks.

 

[redrocketrooster]

Quote:
I've never heard of this...;;

 

[weliveintheforest]

Red food colouring is pretty bad, but I wouldn't use any at all.
I can't site any evidence that it would harm your chickens, but I know it affects people, some quite strongly.

 

[Tala]

Just get a bucket to water with. You can just glance at it to check the water level.

I always wonder why people even invented those chicken water-ing contraptions that have so many issues.

They are probably better for large flocks, but for 4 birds a bucket or tub works great!

 

[Akane]

Drownings happen frequently with open topped water sources unless some precautions are taken. Plenty of people using 5gallon buckets have found one of their chickens jammed head first down in it some morning. You have to make sure to use wide topped containers and even then if you have bantams or we are talking about a small stock tank that is quite deep put a brick in it so they can get out. I build stairs up the outside and inside of a short stock tank for mine to use during the warmer months. In winter I use heated 2gallon wide mouth/flat back buckets with a brick placed in the bucket in the coop with the seramas and other small bantams. Drownings still occur occasionally but I can't haul water multiple times a day to keep any smaller of a container filled. Poultry waterers were invented to prevent drowning in all situations and to keep the water cleaner. A bucket will gain quite a bit of sludge if you don't keep rinsing it out every day.

 

[Keg]

Quote:
It's fairly amusing to think of chickens hyped up on red food colouring.. mine are bad enough without it

 

[Tala]

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Uh yeah. 5 gal is a LOT of water. I wouldn't want to lug one of those around anyway.

I use 8qt and smaller. The birds just stick their heads in, no leaning in for the water. Plenty of people use the heated dog bowls and rubber tubs and such.
I change them every 2-3 days not a big deal.