Softened well water

[saramah]

Hello, I have well water that is lightly softened with salt. I have been told today that allowing chicks to drink "softened water" will kill them. Is this true? I can't seem to find anything to support or contradict this. Wanted to check before my chicks arrive! We normally run our drinking water through a Berkey water filter and had planned to do the same for the chicks. I can get water out before the softener right from the well if it is an issue. I'd appreciate any suggestions for this newbie, thank you!

 

[paddock36]

We had a softener and our hens never showed any ill effects from drinking the water.

 

[song of joy]

We have a water softener and neither our chicks nor our hens have shown any ill effects from it.

 

[wpy3]

2 years on softened water, from chicks yo full grown with no problems at all. Do be aware that they can get salt poisoning if they were to get into some water softener salt or any salt for that matter.

 

[The Lazy L]

Common Plumbers practice is for the outside faucets to be plumped into the water supply BEFORE the water softener.

So just because you have a water softener doesn't necessarily mean their water is soften.

 

[RonP]

I have well water and a softener.

So do millions of others.

For most healthy people, the amount of added sodium in the softened water poses no health problems.

However, for people who are hypertensive (have high blood pressure) and must live on a low-sodium diet or a sodium-restricted diet, the sodium in the softened water can be hazardous to people's health.

I have never had a chicken or chick suffer from the low levels of added sodium, nor have I ever heard of such.

Poultry Water Quality Assurance Program (http://www.intec-america.com/resources/Biofilm.asp) says no problem with softened water.