Pickle juice?!

[The cheek coop]

I have a strange question. In my house we go through a LOT of pickles. I know there are many health benefits for humans drinking pickle juice. My question is, can chickens drink pickle juice and are there any health benefits for them?
Thanks for your input.

 

[nuthatched]

No, too salty. There's not a lot of health benefits for people either as it's a lot of salt.

 

[The cheek coop]

I too thought it was too salty. There was no info when I googled it, except for marinade. lol

 

[WingItRanch]

Definitely too salty for chickens but you can sub pickle juice for some recipes requiring vinegar. Like homemade salad dressing!

 

[Perris]

My question is, can chickens drink pickle juice and are there any health benefits for them?
Thanks for your input.

there is a simple way to test this (and any other novel food). Put some in a bowl and offer it to them. The bravest will sample it. If their instincts tell them it's OK - not too salty, not too acidic etc. - then they will consume some until their body tells them 'that's enough'. Less brave flock members may then try some and go through the same process. Even if all your birds are 'the same' breed, age, and sex, each bird's body and microbiome (and therefore their nutritional needs) are different; do not expect them all to want and behave the same. And some may sample and then give it a while - maybe a few days - to see if there are any ill effects before they try it again, so don't make snap decisions.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

@Perris offers great general advice above. Not all pickles are the same, either - huge difference between a shelf stable pickle and a fresh pickle that requires refrigeration. Differences in flavorings (onion, bay, garlic, coriander, dill, etc) are minor. Shelf stable pickles have been heat treated - and if that were the only difference, they would be mostly interchangeable - but heat treatment makes mushy, floppy pickles. Additional chemicals are usually added to help counteract that effect. Calcium Chloride commonly (but certainly not exclusively). More "natural" pickles often use things like grape leaves, whose tannins provide very similar effect.

But in the main, the other posters are also correct. Pickle brine is often quite salty, and not good for chickens in significant quantity. I would expect a few birds to try it (they explore the world with their beaks after all) then disregard it thereafter. It can also be a source of significant simple sugar, since many brines contain twice as much sugar (by weight) as salt.

I'm not seeing much potential upside, honestly.