Rain water system

[BackyardKYchickens]

I just finished building my rain catch system to water my chickens....question, what keeps the water from getting contaminated or whatever could go wrong with water setting in a barrel?

 

[Debbie292d]

We use RV water freshener in our 5-gallon DYI nipple bucket as before that, the water would get green stringy things on top after a couple of weeks. This bucket lasts about a month and now it's never slimy and never anything growing in it.

We use 1/2 teaspoon, but you'd have to do the math for yours.

 

[Ridgeback825]

My tank is buried underground and I haven't had an issue in a year. Most of the issues come from light and heat growing thing you don't want. You could always dose the barrel monthly with chlorine like most municipal water plants, but avoiding the conditions that harbor bacterial and other life in the tank is the only true solution. My chickens think the duck pond water is a delicacy and it's the nastiest water around in hours from being changed.

Nathan

 

[Ridgeback825]

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Sediment filtration on the inlet, and protecting the storage tank from UV (and flying insects who might use it to deposit eggs) will solve almost all your rainwater catch concerns.

 

[EddieSalita]

A small ozone generator run occasionally is a viable, affordable, simple and potentially safer alternative to chlorination if one is so inclined.
Same effect as uv essentially. But as a gas rather than light.

 

[liz450sl]

We use RV water freshener in our 5-gallon DYI nipple bucket as before that, the water would get green stringy things on top after a couple of weeks. This bucket lasts about a month and now it's never slimy and never anything growing in it.

We use 1/2 teaspoon, but you'd have to do the math for yours.



View attachment 3846034

You know that's just bleach, right? I had to dig on the internet for the MSDS sheet & the ingredient is - Sodium hypochlorite = bleach