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

[babyspice35]

I had heard it mentioned somewhere on here and thought it was a good idea a while back. So I tried it.

Im sure you've seen them before. My chickens peck at them to get the water, and it works just fine. In fact, i think they like it better than the water dish. I had to show them how to use by pecking their beaks at it but they got it. Super easy!!!

 

[FLWB039]

Cool idea

 

[12Under1Roof]

I know Im showing my experience here, but what is ACV?

 

[valentinebaby]

I think over-cleaning is not good for chickens. Their bodies must build up their own immunity systems and if everything they come into is completely sterile, then I don't see how that would work. Without immunity, it would only take one change to their ecosystem to start trouble in their bodies.

With that being said, however, I use 1 gallon waterers for 11 girls and change it every morning in the run - mainly because they go through one a day. The one in the coop gets changed about every other day since they don't use it that much. I too use apple cider vinegar to help keep the water clean, but it's chock full of trace minerals that are beneficial to them (ACV brought my husband's cholesterol down 23 pts). At night, I place the old waterer in the dishwasher and it gets cleaned that way. I don't really do it this way because I'm a stickler for cleanliness, it's just easy for me!

 

[12Under1Roof]

Fingered it out--ACV=Apple Cider Vinegar hehe

 

[logansmommy7]

I definitely am not on the really clean side. I have two hanging waterers in the run that are on chains so they can't stand on them. They are 3.5 gallons each and I refill them about every three days and always put teaspoon of ACV/gallon to their water. About every other fill up I use some diluted bleach with a brush to get all the slime out. I can't imagine cleaning them out daily-they really don't get that bad, just the stuff from their beaks.

 

[newchickmom09]

12under1roof~ thank you for figuring that out for me!

I was wondering the same thing threw this whole post until you said that.

 

[Egg_newton]

I have designed a one gallon hanging waterer that is poop, litter, dirt free. If you are interested I can send you a few pics when I get home and maybe even see you a couple. I have one hanging in the coop and another hanging in the run. With 13 birds I only need to refill them about every other day depending on how warm it is outside.

 

[Msbear]

Changing water SEVERAL times a day!!

What the heck? My dad has an old rubber tub that he leaves under the eaves of the barn roof so the rain fills it up. There is a bucket there too to hold water if the other dries up. Everyone is healthy and happy. The sides of the tub are high enough that no poo gets in...

I have the little mason jar waterers and I elevate them on bricks or upside down flower pots so poo and shavings don't get in. I just refill when empty. I keep gallon jugs of water in my coops for refills to lessen the load too.

Remember folks, these are chickens. They eat worms and bugs and root around in places we would not want to be. I don't think a little debris in the water will matter much. Changing once a day is plenty. I like what the poster said a few clicks back.

....something along the lines of a sterile environment is not ideal. Chickens like any other animal or human for that matter need to build up immunity. So chill and let them be chickens.

 

[Rebekah]

@newchickenmom09 and 12under1roof:

when we're talking about Apple Cider Vinegar here, we're talking specifically about raw unfiltered ACV... the kind with the "mother" inside. a popular brand that I think most here use is Bragg's. you can also find easy instructions online for making your own. distilled AVC from the grocery store is no good.

hope this helps