Mold in my water with ACV?

[EggSighted4Life]

Actually we are on well water, all of us drink it. I also live at the coast in the Pacific Northwest.

So it's very humid and anything with a surface will grow some kind of spores around here! My jug had been sitting less than 2 days with a cap. I have other jugs of the same type used for different things like the garden and filling my ice maker. Neither of those grow the "mold", so it must be acv related.

So if simply cleaning the jug isn't the solution for me, is it safe to use this method or should I just skip it? We aren't big chemical users since we are also on septic, aside from the toxicity posed by them (ever breath them in or get it on your skin, accidents happen). I do use bleach as needed, but couldn't see doing it that often.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Also, can I keep the jug refrigerated until I'm ready to use it? We only go through a gallon every 2-3 days. My flock is small, weather is still cool, feed is already wet from fermenting. I'm sure consumption will increase with body/flock size.

Hope you don't mind me getting in on your question.

Thanks

 

[ChickNanny13]

This is where it is SO helpful when people put their physical location in their profile! You live in Hawai'i, which depending on which side of an island you live on, will be humid more than the other. But all sides of the island are still quite humid compared to say, Nevada. Molds LOVE humidity. They are everywhere, including in the air. If I were you, I'd toss your container and stop storing mixed ACV in it. Just mix it fresh each time you fill up the waterer. Or try borax, several posts back, "Chemguy" wrote that borax is great for killing mold. But I have no idea how much/how long to soak your container with the borax. Borax can be toxic, so you would want to be sure to rinse it well.

You might also want to sanitize your waterer with bleach, borax or iodine (but only one, not all three).

Wash out with bleach and RINSE. Worked for me.

 

[pdirt]

@ChickNanny13 Are you on well water?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Also, can I keep the jug refrigerated until I'm ready to use it? We only go through a gallon every 2-3 days. My flock is small, weather is still cool, feed is already wet from fermenting. I'm sure consumption will increase with body/flock size.

Hope you don't mind me getting in on your question.

Thanks

Don't mind you joining in at all, that's how we learn I keep only a small flock (4 - 6), feeding FF so we use about the same amount of water. I started mixing half gallon with half TBL ACV since the birds don't drink that much, that would last me 2 - 3 days. When I was making a gallon, it lasted too long & I'd find faint black spots. Dump it, soak with bleach and it would be clean but I'd mix up another gallon & the spots would appear again. No idea what the issue is. Going to purchase a wide mouth container that I can 'scrub & dry' for my mix, hopefully no more "black spots". As for their waterer, assuming the ACV has something to do with the slimy feel.

Thank you

 

[ChickNanny13]

@ChickNanny13 Are you on well water?

I'm on city water, it's chlorinated but I'm thinking it's the weather/humidity.
Certain rooms I need to wipe down walls with a bleach, vinegar or lysol mix with water. Every year I try something different, now I spot wipe with Clorox Wipes, Hubby does the ceiling with a sponge mop & bleach/water mixture.
Prior to learning about ACV in the water, their waterer never got slimy so that's why I'm thinking the ACV with heat/humidity is causing the slimy feel. Can't stand the thought chickens drinking from that so I change their water more often than need be. I've thought of stopping the use of the ACV in water since I'm doing the FF....Hummm, will try that when I get the next set of chicks.

 

[azjustin]

Prior to learning about ACV in the water, their waterer never got slimy so that's why I'm thinking the ACV with heat/humidity is causing the slimy feel.

We're on well water and never had mold in any of the waterers until using ACV. Not really a big deal, I just noticed it appearing more.

 

[peopleRanimals2]

...

Also, can I keep the jug refrigerated until I'm ready to use it? We only go through a gallon every 2-3 days. My flock is small, weather is still cool, feed is already wet from fermenting. I'm sure consumption will increase with body/flock size.

Hope you don't mind me getting in on your question.

Thanks
[/quote/]
I think you can, but
1) don't give chicks cold water, it lowers their temerature, and
2) I would not give it cold to your chickens in cool weather, for the same reason
Hope this helps!

 

[peopleRanimals2]

I don't know why that quote messed up, but you know what I meant

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We're on well water and never had mold in any of the waterers until using ACV. Not really a big deal, I just noticed it appearing more.

Same experience for me. I love being on well water! The difference is tremendous. It taste good. Now when we are visiting someone in the city you can even smell the chlorine when you shower. Actually, chlorine doesn't have a smell itself according to my local water co guy. He said what you smell is the reaction of the chlorine interacting with the contaminants.

@peopleRanimals2 - Yes, that makes sense and was my intention. Thank you for the pointers, it does help!

So is doing FF and ACV overkill? Do they still receive the same benefits?