Official BYC Poll: Do you use electrolytes in your chickens' water during the summer?

[NorthwoodsChick]

Very rarely on scorching summer days if the chickens look stressed. Water is always best, imo.
I process a lot of fruits and veggies throughout summer. A handful of fresh sliced strawberries or raspberries frozen in a block of ice is a great cool boredom buster — the girls especially enjoy frozen watermelon chunks (seedless)

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

What electrolytes will they get from pecking at the dirt like they do ?

I figure it yields them something besides pebbles for their crop.

dirt would contain some trace elements but electrolytes would come from whatever vegetation they eat- I’m sure some bug bits contain a fraction of electrolytes but mostly protein.

 

[LBL]

I give them canned corn. Sometimes I can only get un-salted corn.

Do you think they're better with regular (salted) corn, or un-salted corn ?

I think that in general what they need is protection from the heat.

I will go out on a limb and say they have something in common with humans - 2 degrees makes a BIG difference to them, when it's hot.

I would like to do more than run a sprinkler on the roof of the coop (which is actually the garage.)

It gets super-hot with the sun bearing down all day, and there is no insulation to the inside of the garage. How hot can the inside surface of a piece of plywood, sitting in the sun, get ?

More long term, I would like to add a layer of shade for the roof.

Like a tree, but man-made. For example, ANOTHER layer of plywood suspended a foot above the coop roof, with ventilation, so that the inside surface of the roof, in the coop, is that much cooler.

 

[Penpal]

Okay, so I've gotten five HaHa's. Yes, mud puddles have electrolytes. Soil has electrolytes in it. But, I'm glad I gave you a chuckle.

 

[igorsMistress]

I use the water to make wet feed for my crew every few days. This is less wasteful than making a gallon that will just get hot by midday and go to waste. They really enjoy the wet feed and this way I know they’re all getting it.

I make blocks of ice to put in a large kiddie pool each day and mud puddles as well.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Well first let’s look at what an electrolyte even is. An electrolyte is any mineral that has an electrical charge if it is dissolved in bodily fluid. Minerals such as potassium, magnesium and sodium are all considered electrolytes. Chickens do not sweat which is true, but that does not mean that they do not lose electrolytes. Chickens can lose electrolytes when they have what is called heat stress. Heat stress is when a chickens internal temperature starts to reach fatal levels. According to the University of Minnesota’s Agricultural Extension Office this can happen when poultry is exposed to temperatures 100F+ in dry heat or temperatures lower than 100F, but have high humidity. Humidity plays a role in inducing heat stress because it actually prevents heat from escaping a chickens lungs causing their internal temperature to increase. Whether you dose or not is up to you. The recommended amount of time for electrolytes is not to dose more than 3 days at a time generally. I personally dose when it get 100F+ or 90F+ with high humidity. https://extension.umn.edu/poultry-care-and-management/preventing-heat-stress-poultry

 

[LBL]

Well first let’s look at what an electrolyte even is. An electrolyte is any mineral that has an electrical charge if it is dissolved in bodily fluid. Minerals such as potassium, magnesium and sodium are all considered electrolytes. Chickens do not sweat which is true, but that does not mean that they do not lose electrolytes. Chickens can lose electrolytes when they have what is called heat stress. Heat stress is when a chickens internal temperature starts to reach fatal levels. According to the University of Minnesota’s Agricultural Extension Office this can happen when poultry is exposed to temperatures 100F+ in dry heat or temperatures lower than 100F, but have high humidity. Humidity plays a role in inducing heat stress because it actually prevents heat from escaping a chickens lungs causing their internal temperature to increase. Whether you dose or not is up to you. The recommended amount of time for electrolytes is not to dose more than 3 days at a time generally. I personally dose when it get 100F+ or 90F+ with high humidity. https://extension.umn.edu/poultry-care-and-management/preventing-heat-stress-poultry

Do they benefit from micro nutrients like Selenium ?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Do they benefit from micro nutrients like Selenium ?

Yes selenium is an essential trace element for chickens, but you also have to be careful because too much can cause toxicity. One thing you have to consider is how high your natural soil selenium levels are especially if you allow your chickens to forage. I live where selenium soil levels are very high so I have to watch how much selenium any of my animals on my farm get. Here is a good read: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6756489/
Also a selenium level map for the US:

https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2017/5118/sir20175118_element.php?el=34

 

[LBL]

Yes selenium is an essential trace element for chickens, but you also have to be careful because too much can cause toxicity. One thing you have to consider is how high your natural soil selenium levels are especially if you allow your chickens to forage. I live where selenium soil levels are very high so I have to watch how much selenium any of my animals on my farm get. Here is a good read: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6756489/
Also a selenium level map for the US:
View attachment 3862534
https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2017/5118/sir20175118_element.php?el=34

It's very interesting how the Micro-nutrients are part of Nutrition.

Not sure why but I bought non-iodized salt and used that for about 3 months. I recall a minor difference in mental cognition & energy levels. And went back to iodized salt.

Also interesting is how the cells moderate intake of metals.

Human cells block Zinc at the cell wall. If you want Zinc inside your cells - to help fight a Virus for example - you take a companion molecule called an "ionophore" (smuggler molecule) that escorts the Zinc atom past the cell wall.

Too much Zinc is not a good thing and can result in Neurotoxicity (like lead but less problematic).

Chickens are smart. They eat the Zinc (sunflower seed kernel, one example) and the ionophore (seed wrapper/ shell) at the same time.

 

[getaclue]

We have very hot, humid, summers. I've been known to add a bit of Gatorade to their water on those extreme days.