How clean does the water have to be? Give it to me straight!

[Beekissed]

We fill up our waterer, a big rubber feed pan, once a day. Within a few minutes the hens have dipped their mash dusted beaks into it and dirtied it again. Before I refill each day, I swish my hand around in the bowl and slosh a bit of water to rinse it out.

This is about as clean as I get with the chickens. They get fresh water and ACV each day. Sort of like the dogs....you can fill up a nice, cold, fresh bucket of water and they will run over and drink out of a mud puddle in the middle of a cow pile.....

About every other month or so, I will scrub out all watering buckets and bowls with a mild bleach solution and rinse well. As long as I don't see active mold or slime growing in them, this is my regimen.

This seems to keep the animals healthy and bright.

I wouldn't sweat it....they don't care and it doesn't hurt them to drink their messy water. Probably gives them some extra protein...

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I bush and clean all my waterers atleast twice a day with fresh water in the summer time. And that's 14 water bowls with the brooder pens included!!

 

[felidaet]

I have a 5 gallon plastic warterer for my 18 chickens. It is siting on a concrete block in the coop. I have no problems with poo of shavings getting in it. I am using city water. I go about 5 days until it starts to get dirty. Most of the "dirt" is from the dust they are continually making.

 

[NotTheMomma]

I have two of the small gallon waterers. I fill them and clean them twice a day. HOWEVER, my chickens much prefer the rain water that gathers in any empty container, mud puddles, and drinking out of the dog's bowl. They also drink all the dew off the grass in the morning. Anyone watching would swear the poor things have no water. Oh, and during the hottest time of the day, I even go out and put frozen 20oz drink bottles of water into their waterer so they have cold water instead of boiling water. They don't seem to appreciate the effort.

 

[cjeanean]

You have to change their water?!?!?!!

 

[cjeanean]

J/K...honestly, though, I kinda tend to forget about it. It doesn't get all stagnant because they go through it so quickly, so it gets refilled a couple times a day. The mud and dirt and other stuff I gave up on LONG ago, and they haven't gotten sick yet!!!

 

[redhen]

Quote:
You must have to start again as soon as you finish with the first cleaning....

 

[redhen]

We (meaning hubby) cleans ours every night when he fills it up..

 

[txchickie]

They get fresh water every morning, with acv added. If it's super hot I will change it in the afternoon and add ice.

Most of the time they prefer to drink out of a goat waterer or horse trough Now chicks in the brooder, I change their water several times a day.

 

[Chicksdigit]

something you might think about........ these are creatures that eat dirt.