Help !! Will pool water hurt my chickens

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

I just got home from church and my *** husband was draining the pool for winter right into my chickens lot. There was a pool of water in there. Our pool runs off of a salt filter,so it is mostly salt with a smaller amount of chlorine then normal pools. I got them locked in their house, but You know how chickens are, I"m sure they drank it. Will it hurt them??? What can I do or give them to help clean it out of their systems??

 

[elmo]

Unless the cholorine level in your pool was very high, the chlorine shouldn't hurt them. The chlorine level in a swimming pool is not normally higher than chlorine in municipal tap water, and many people give tap water to their chickens (I do!) with no problem.

I would be more concerned with the salt, actually. Birds can't rid themselves of excess salt easily. But I know absolutely nothing about salt pool systems so I can't help you there. I'd also wonder about salt residue left behind in your pen after the water has evaporated. Can you easily replace the substrate in your pen that got flooded?

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

I was worried about left over residue also. I do know you don't "taste" salt when you swim, so I'm not sure how much is actually in it. Salt pools don't use hardly any chemicals,s o I"m hoping for the best. I gave them some yogart. and everyone is acting fine so far.

 

[elmo]

The salt turns into chlorine somehow, right? So I think your birds will probably be just fine. Whew.