Question about red mold forming in waterer in the summer?

[Lulu-Dixon]

I always keep a spray bottle of diluted bleach by my well house. When time to refill the waterers I spray them all down thoroughly and let them sit for a few minutes while I'm working on other chores. Rinse well and refill. If you have a new waterer it will last a long time like this without having to scrub hardly ever.
Works for me and I'm in the south where it's hot and muggy. I add a touch of ACV to their water so that probably also helps.

 

[Reiki Rooster]

I use this one and love it!! Chickens can’t poop on it and it’s so easy to clean, just hangs outside their pen with the cups inside through the wire

 

[SheaLoner]

You can if you like take a clear glass jar of your water and leave it out in the sun for a few days. That will let you see better what exactly is growing in your water. I know my well water when enclosed in a bottle past 12 hrs starts to grow enough I can taste it. So my waterers get emptied daily.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This is a picture of the new one, but ours doesn't have legs. The other one is the one with the black top. It's a bit more opaque.

This is the waterer I use, for comparison... you can see how opaque it is, as it's not only dark but pretty thick plastic (thicker than a typical bucket):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/premier-1-heated-poultry-waterer.11903/

Previously I had a PVC waterer with vertical nipple (so also opaque) so something like that can also keep light out.

 

[Smiling Angel]

I always keep a spray bottle of diluted bleach by my well house. When time to refill the waterers I spray them all down thoroughly and let them sit for a few minutes while I'm working on other chores. Rinse well and refill. If you have a new waterer it will last a long time like this without having to scrub hardly ever.
Works for me and I'm in the south where it's hot and muggy. I add a touch of ACV to their water so that probably also helps.

Thanks! I was never sure if using even diluted bleach was safe. It probably works even faster than white vinegar.

 

[Sheepheart]

Sounds like algae not mold, not to much to do about it. Just change water more often and rub down the inside of the waterer with a clean rag,sponge or anything else of the sort. If you had a large tank like for live stock you can get a few algae eating fresh water fish to put in(and gold fish if you have a problem with mosquito larvae) but they probably won’t fair well in chicken waterers ^^’

 

[Byrd gal]

I too have well water. I put a cap full of bleach in the waterers let it sit for 10 minutes scrub them down and rinse twice a week and fill with fresh daily. Well water is a pain more work than city water for sure!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

You can if you like take a clear glass jar of your water and leave it out in the sun for a few days. That will let you see better what exactly is growing in your water. I know my well water when enclosed in a bottle past 12 hrs starts to grow enough I can taste it. So my waterers get emptied daily.

I'm curious what type of filtration you use for your well. I have horrible iron levels so use a 2 stage tangent system, one with 10/5 micron sediment filter and the other with 5/0.1micron capable of eliminating all bacteria. The system is set up on the main water line after the pressure tank. I haven't noticed any biofilms so far, but your post gets me thinking I should test more often.

 

[yakitori]

a bit of algae wont harm chickens, will keep your water clean too. Bacteria on the other hand is nasty and should be removed asap.

 

[Butchers Wife]

Greetings! We’ve been keeping chickens since 2013. Once our flock began to grow, we purchased a six gallon plastic waterer for our eleven girls for the summer. Whenever I go to add water, I have to take the thing apart and clean the red mold out of it. Is there anything that can be done to eliminate this mold? When I take the waterer out to clean, I only use white vinegar and water. Is there anything that can be done to keep this mold from forming? This problem seems to get worse in the extreme heat of our New Jersey summers.

Just today, we purchased a different type of plastic waterer which is easier to take apart and clean, and also to refill. Not sure if this will make any difference, though. Also wondering if using a metal waterer would be better; we use that one in the winter on top of a heater to keep the water from freezing. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Try adding a cap full or a splash of vinegar every time you refill the waterer. I have water hoses in each of my pens for everyday refills and a garden hose centrally located among all my pens for cleaning anything that needs it. I keep a toilet bowl brush on a hook near the garden hose so I can scrub out the nasty. I think all birds spit and dribble into their water every time they take a sip. Especially chicks. Their waterers are always messed with their feed. And water should be kept in the shade as much as possible.