Green goo in water

[Kim95037]

Does anyone know if the green algea that can build up in the chicken waterers is bad for your chicken? I dont let it build up on mine but I know some people that do. Could that make a chicken sick?? Thanks

 

[fried green eggs]

The algea won't make them sick and can be avoided if a small barley bag is added to water if you don't want to dump it and clean it daily. I use 5 gal pails with covers and nipples and algea doesn't form in them.

 

[donrae]

If it did all my birds would have died long ago. They scorn the cleaner water and go to the duck's kiddie pool and drink that instead.

 

[Lazarus718]

Does anyone know if the green algea that can build up in the chicken waterers is bad for your chicken? I dont let it build up on mine but I know some people that do. Could that make a chicken sick?? Thanks

Sounds like one of the five food groups to me

 

[donrae]

Sounds like one of the five food groups to me

Yeah..."leafy green, not gummi green".

 

[ChickyBangBang]

The algae isn't bad for the chickens, but the other little nasties that grow inside of the algae can make them sick (depending on what is growing on the algae). That being said, I believe that a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. I wouldn't want to drink water with a bunch of slimy green junk floating in it, so I won't make my chickens drink it either.

 

[Kim95037]

I agree!!! AMEN! Actually my chickens eat better than I do.......

 

[nurse_turtle]

The algae is harmless.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

The algae isn't bad for the chickens, but the other little nasties that grow inside of the algae can make them sick (depending on what is growing on the algae). That being said, I believe that a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. I wouldn't want to drink water with a bunch of slimy green junk floating in it, so I won't make my chickens drink it either.

The algae is harmless. When I was young, the best tasting water on the farm was in a spring-fed pasture watering trough that was frequently covered with filamentous algae--a huge concrete structure miles from a house, no way someone was going to clean it daily. When I'd ride my pony, we would both drink from the trough--and that pony was far more choosy about her water than I am.

There is a big difference between distasteful to humans and harmful. It's very difficult to keep algae out of waterers, and the cure is worse than the symptom since you'd have to use copper or something else toxic to get rid of it. I suppose if you only have a seven gallon waterer or so, then scrubbing it out isn't too much work and is no big deal. We have a 50 gallon pasture waterer, and when I fill it I dump the pool and hose out most of the algae, but I know it will be back in a day or two.

 

[fried green eggs]

They sell barley straw in small burlap bags at farm feed stores and if you put one in the water tank - algae stops and stock tank is left very clean. When the bag stops floating in tank replace it with a new one. The barley is safe for fish and all animals. I use them in my horse stock tanks along with gold fish so mosquito larva doesn't develope.