how am i supposed to clean this waterer?

[raymondjames]

i have a flock of three birds coming in soon around the thirtieth this month. i washed my waterer last flock but never really used the intense sanitizing procedures i was supposed to use. i know people sterilize stuff by boiling it... but my waterer is plastic and would melt. i hear bleach works is this safe and exactly what ratio? i need to be on top of cleaning this time because ducklings are gonna be a
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[ChickenCanoe]

It's hard to screw it up if you start with healthy birds and make a reasonable effort.
I don't use bleach. Ammonia or vinegar works well as a cleaner, then let dry well and this should take care of most pathogens.
I also use organic apple cider vinegar and garlic in the water when feeding birds.

 

[raymondjames]

cool. ill get a new waterer and vinegar it up. then i'll fill it and put some sugar water in there for a good start because they will be under stress (coming mail order).

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Cleanliness is a double edged sword. I like to start with a clean environment for stressed/shipped chicks but they'll come into contact with all sorts of pathogens eventually so I don't think a perfectly sterile place is desirable either.

A little yogurt or water with bene-bac powder to provide probiotics is helpful. I don't make the water too sweet, just a hint for some energy.

 

[Jubilee1111]

I scrub them out with one of those handled scrub brushes designed for dishes, they get down into the grooves and threads well. Then I soak them in the sink with 1 part bleach to ten parts warm water. Bleach denatures after an hour and evaporates at 80 degrees, so you needn't make it too hot or soak for too long. Rinse thoroughly and you're good to go!

 

[Tigertrea]

I must be negligent lol. I washed mine with hot soapy water. That is it.

I DID clean my brooder boxes out with a mild bleach solution. The smaller one I used for the first few days was used for storing veggies in the winter then wood since the veggies ran out. the bigger one had been last used about 6yrs ago as a puppy playpen. I they needed a bit of extra cleaning lol.