My Flock of Pet Chickens — Dead. Can Self-Waterers Poison Water?

[htollvr]

Hi, everybody.

I am new to chickens and lost my flock of eight chickens yesterday. I didn't check them until late in the day, and I hadn't checked them the day before, but the day before that, they appeared to be healthy and doing great. Yesterday, when I checked them, they were all dead.

The two who wander my yard (Brown Brahmas — is that right?) and are my pets had been walking around the house in the rain, being really funny, and that afternoon, one was crumpled in the yard, dead, and the other was suffering in the weeds. I thought the dog got them, because I lost two like that a few weeks ago.

But last night, I went up to change the water and feed them, and the house was empty. No signs of chicks, then I began to find them. If they were dead, they were laid out like rubber chickens. Sometimes, the heads tucked under, as if they had flopped over first. The one I found that was alive was like the one in the yard, suffering in the weeds, in sitting position, breathing heavily.

It's not overly hot here — in the 80s — and they can come and go into the fenced chicken area from the pen. Every time I've checked the chicken house, it's not uncomfortable in there.

What I'm wondering about is the self-waterer. I bought a 3 1/2 gallon self-waterer for eight older peeps. When I first got it, it had a strange smell inside, like chemical leaching. I figured it would go away. The guy didn't tell me how often to change the water, so when it started looking yucky, I changed it. It smelled so foul that I coudln't believe it. Not like organic material or decay, but like chemicals or something. I can't describe it. I washed out the waterer and refilled it.

The guy told me the self-waterer would hold them for two weeks, and I don't know how long I waited, but when it was half or more down, I went to change it. Again, this horrific smell. I thought maybe there was too much corn getting into it, but the smell wasn't like organic decay. So I washed it and moved the waterer to another area of the house away from the feed. But the chickens were growing and seemed to be healthy and happy.

Another water change. Then it started to get warmer. I noticed the other day that the water was down, but I couldn't do it then. The next day, Cooper Penny and Lincoln died. Then yesterday, they were all dead. It was a warm day, but still in the 80s, but they might have been drinking more water. But it's been raining, too, and they go in and out of the chicken house and have plenty of tall grass and things to drink from. But these two days it's been dry.

When I checked the water, I almost chocked. I've never smelled anything like that. Like draino. It's no wonder they died. Have I been the most awful, irresponsible chicken owner in history? Or is it possible that chemicals were leaching into the water? Maybe accelerated by the heat? I know what decay from organic matter smells like. This didn't smell like that. It has this chemical odor that I can't describe. Then again, I have never had chickens before and have never smelled water with leftover corn (from gullets, right?) sitting in it.

I feel so awful, and so guilty, and spent last night crying. I am trying to figure out if it was me not changing the water often enough or if perhaps there was something going on with the self-feeder that was poisoning the water.

I haven't told my children yet; they were gone yesterday when I found out. I'm dreading it.

 

[kazkut]

what a sad story.

what material was the self-waterer made out of?

when you moved the waterer, were the chickens able to find it in its new spot?

 

[Beekissed]

It's possible that you have some serious leaching in your waterer and I would get rid of it.

Use plastic or rubber from now on and change water each day or every other day if its cool outside. In the heat of summer, water tends to get slimey and unpalatable quicker and needs to be freshened daily. You might also try putting a Tbs of ACV in your plastic or rubber waterer to keep the water a little acid to deter microbes.

 

[honeydoll]

I know you said the waterer smelled when you bought it, but is there a possibility someone could be poisoning them. My two cats were poisoned by someone and they died the same way. The heavy breathing and suffering, my cats even moaned. It is awful funny they all died like that, just like the cats in my area. Very sorry, I feel your frustration.

 

[ChooksChick]

That's just horrific- I'm so sorry for your loss!

I would definitely get rid of it- nothing should smell of chemicals after use and airing- and anymore, I avoid plastic in general just because of all the things we can't control in the countries in which most plastics are produced. The quality control and safety controls aren't there or are subject to more corruption than here.

I have galvanized waterers, and washed them repeatedly before use- what I'd really like is one of the old glass watering stations! That would be good!

I'm trying to figure out how to make a base for a gallon jar- that would be my first choice.

I use ceramic bowls and have 8 watering devices throughout my yard. It's work to fill them all, but worth the knowledge they have a choice if something's afoul with one.

I think that the waterer must have been the culprit, though. I'm not sure what else could have done this to them!

 

[daisy_dukers]

I use 2 doggy water dishes that look like a mini water cooler, they are made out of plastic that has anti-microbial properties to it.

I have been changing the water in both of them every day regardless of the water level and have not had a single loss (25 ISA browns), they have been using them since they were day olds.

Personally I wouldnt go more than 2 days without changing the water and that would only be if I absolutely had to.

It takes me about 2 minutes to walk to the coop grab the water jugs, fill and put them back in the coop.

Personally I wouldnt want to drink water that has been sitting for 2 weeks especially when you add in a bit of bird poop, litter, etc.

I know from growing mushrooms that there are some really nasty strains of bacteria that can grow REALLY fast given the right conditions and some of them can kill a fully grown human, let alone a chicken. This was even after steralizing my substrate as it only takes a microscopic amount of bacteria to ruin a batch.

Warm temps+water+bacteria+food(corn) = deadly combination.

 

[cochinbantam-lover]

I am so very sorry, my heart goes out to you and your kids, it will be a difficult time for you all! I would get rid of it too, kinda concerned me cuz I have one of the 3 gal galvanized waterers and I change their water every day. I am thinking I will see if there is any odor coming from mine, although I have been using it for about two weeks now and didn't notice anything. But changing it daily I maybe wouldn't I dunno but I'm gonna check it out for sure. I really am sorry!!!

 

[htollvr]

Thank you so much for your advice and support. I was distracted yesterday by some family things and didn’t get back to this thread as I’d wanted to.

The waterer was purchased from a farm store and was made from hard plastic (white top with red bottom).

When I moved the waterer, I only moved it over to the other side of the chick house, which is about 20 feet wide, so yes, they could find it easily.

One of the things I’m struggling with is the guy I bought them from raises banty hens and has thousands of them. I was concerned about leaving them if I traveled out of town, and he said if I used about a five-gallon self-waterer, they would be fine for about two weeks. I had eight older chicks at the time. (Now, of course, they’d gotten older and larger, and the weather has gotten warmer, but those things just went totally over my head.) Everyone here says water must be changed every day. Was the guy I bought totally out to lunch? Or is that okay to leave the waterer for a week or two on an occasional basis? Just not all the time?

I hate asking these questions. I feel like such an irresponsible idiot.

The other question I have goes back to the potential for leaching. I know what organic matter smells like when it decays, but this didn’t smell like that. What does corn feed smell like if you leave it in water for a week? Two weeks? Does it have the usual organic matter / decay smell? Or can it have a toxic smell, like Draino?

I initially posted on the thread for predators because I thought my dog got them, or maybe a fox or something. But someone suggested botulism, and when I looked it up online, the symptoms were exactly what happened to mine. It’s been warmer here, and it’s been raining and raining like crazy, so everything matched up perfectly. I’m not sure whether knowing made me feel better or worse. But it did give me a sense of control, that I can try again and not make the same mistakes. Plus, I know that my girls didn't suffer, and that's really important to me.

Thanks for the encouragement. Again, I hate asking these questions because it hurts and it's embarassing that I could have been so foolish (I've had cats and dogs, even cage birds, but never farm animals). But it's the only way I'll ensure that it doesn't happen again.

 

[Southernbelle]

I use the big plastic waterers from our farm store - they're pretty standard and I've never had one smell like that. They have a faint new-plastic smell at first, but nothing strong like you're describing after weeks of use. Honestly, it sounds like someone poisoned your chickens

Try filling it up and placing it in your basement or something, where no animals or people can get to it and see if it continues to smell that bad. If it does, then it was the waterer leaching chemicals. If not, someone was putting something bad in the water.

 

[Judy]

Agree with Southernbelle; first thing I thought of was poison. Also agree to fill the waterer and keep it in the house. Might also try putting some corn in it (or whatever you suspect) and see what it smells like.

It bothers me that the waterer smelled funny when you bought it. Made me wonder if something had been in it while at the store. Do you know the people there? Around here, feed store storage areas aren't exactly sealed and air conditioned; they are essentially outdoors, with a roof.

I'm sure you've already thought about a possible upset neighbor, and about something like molds or otherwise toxic stuff in their yard. Kids pulling a prank, maybe?

So sorry this happened to you. Do let us know if you figure anything out.