Hi! Is it okay if I add these three things to my chickens water?ACV, Honey, and Garlic powder!

[IvyYo]

Hello y'all! I add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon of garlic to my chickens water! I was just wanting to make sure all those things are good to add to their water? And was wondering if any of y'all do that also? I'm not exactly sure how big the automatic waterer is, but it's probably like 3 gallons!

 

[RoyalChick]

As long as you also provide a source of clean water without additives I don’t imagine those things will be too harmful.
But why?
Plain water is all they need.

 

[FrostRanger]

It won't hurt them, but it's not going to do much good either. I'd just stick with plain water

 

[nuthatched]

Modern sanitizers in municipal water sources will kill any probiotics in that little acv, so skip that
Garlic can be toxic in high amounts, and doesn't offer any benefits.
Honey is simply sugar, but unneeded.
Skip all and make sure their water is clean.

 

[IvyYo]

As long as you also provide a source of clean water without additives I don’t imagine those things will be too harmful.
But why?
Plain water is all they need.

Ok thanks! I've just heard that there good for your chickens! But I will probably stop doing that, and just do clean water!!

 

[IvyYo]

Modern sanitizers in municipal water sources will kill any probiotics in that little acv, so skip that
Garlic can be toxic in high amounts, and doesn't offer any benefits.
Honey is simply sugar, but unneeded.
Skip all and make sure their water is clean.

Ok, thank you!
I'll just do clean water!

 

[IvyYo]

It won't hurt them, but it's not going to do much good either. I'd just stick with plain water

Ok, thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ok thanks! I've just heard that there good for your chickens! But I will probably stop doing that, and just do clean water!!

Some people carefully micromanage their own diet and add all kinds of strange, weird, and glorious things. They honestly believe that their health and wellbeing depend on that. They may be correct for themselves. Others of us don't do that. Some in both groups do quite well and some have issues.

I don't know if either is right or wrong. My personal opinion is that if you don't have evidence there is a specific deficiency you don't need to correct for it. If I don't have a specific reason to treat for something I don't treat for it. At the same time, if you want to add some of that stuff to your water go for it. Just keep the amounts low enough that you do not harm them. Maybe clean your watering dish more often if you give them honey. And, yes, offer clean water in another container.

 

[IvyYo]

Some people carefully micromanage their own diet and add all kinds of strange, weird, and glorious things. They honestly believe that their health and wellbeing depend on that. They may be correct for themselves. Others of us don't do that. Some in both groups do quite well and some have issues.

I don't know if either is right or wrong. My personal opinion is that if you don't have evidence there is a specific deficiency you don't need to correct for it. If I don't have a specific reason to treat for something I don't treat for it. At the same time, if you want to add some of that stuff to your water go for it. Just keep the amounts low enough that you do not harm them. Maybe clean your watering dish more often if you give them honey. And, yes, offer clean water in another container.

Ok, thank you!

 

[CabritaChicks]

Honey is a natural sugar with some antibacterial properties, yet it can also harbor dangerous pathogens like Clostridium botulinum spores, which is why it's often avoided for infants and parrot diets. While I don’t personally base my decisions on this, a research project I completed a few years ago revealed an astonishing variety of bacteria within, including strains that raised some concerns.

That said, compared to the microbial horrors lurking in chicken droppings, spoiled food, or general environmental exposure, honey might be a lesser risk—so maybe we’re just being a bit paranoid.

Coming from a bird nerd- fresh clean water.