Three questions

[WindingRoad]

#1. Should I alternate ACV water with clear water. One week on one week off?

#2. I'm getting two types of poop. Big round poops that look very normal, i.e. not runny or off color.
And them piles of smaller poops. Still look normal for color and not runny. Should I be concerned

#3 Anyone using the Sweet Heater?

Thanks for your answers.

 

[DobieLover]

#1. Should I alternate ACV water with clear water. One week on one week off?

#2. I'm getting two types of poop. Big round poops that look very normal, i.e. not runny or off color.
And them piles of smaller poops. Still look normal for color and not runny. Should I be concerned

#3 Anyone using the Sweet Heater?

Thanks for your answers.

1) I wouldn't bother at all with the ACV.

2) Post pictures, please!

3) Nope!

 

[WindingRoad]

1) I wouldn't bother at all with the ACV.

2) Post pictures, please!

3) Nope!

#1. They love the ACV water. I think they drink more. But if they don't need it.......

#2. You are asking for the world here. I can hardly take a pic let alone post. Instructions please I have an iPhone and a Mac.

#3. I wasn't thinking of using it for my birds. Although it was a da** cold winter. One of the coldest I've seen in a long time. I was thinking of using it here in my kitchen for my feet. My Rannai is around the corner. I didn't put it there the people who lived here before put it there. Thanks for getting back to me.

 

[Mrs. K]

I too, say, do not put ACV in their water, unless it is deep summer, and you do a big watering system, it does help keep the green algae down. But really fresh water daily is best for chickens. No birds find vinegar in the wild.

Poops are fine, unless you see worms in them.

Take a look at your chickens, are they bright eyed and active? If so, do not doctor them, just let them be chickens. Active chickens are in no danger. Lethargic, sniffling, sunken eyed chickens need to be removed from the flock immediately. And then you decide what to do with them away from the others.

Mrs K

 

[WindingRoad]

I too, say, do not put ACV in their water, unless it is deep summer, and you do a big watering system, it does help keep the green algae down. But really fresh water daily is best for chickens. No birds find vinegar in the wild.

Poops are fine, unless you see worms in them.

Take a look at your chickens, are they bright eyed and active? If so, do not doctor them, just let them be chickens. Active chickens are in no danger. Lethargic, sniffling, sunken eyed chickens need to be removed from the flock immediately. And then you decide what to do with them away from the others.

Mrs K

My chickens are very lively. Fly out of the coop in the morning and love to run around when I try to herd them back into the coop. Feet look good, no scales mites, no runny noses, eye bright, appetite good. I don't have a large waterer for winter. I put out a pint of water every couple of hours or sooner if it's freezing. They go right for the vinegar water but not so much clear water.

See my post above about the sweet heater. I'm even thinking of putting in radiant ceiling heat in my house.

I'm all for nature and natural chickens. I didn't heat my coop last winter and they did fine. Made sure crops were full at bedtime. Fed 20% protein, scratch and mealworms at bed time. Make them work (digesting food) to keep warm. Plus they all sleep in a pile at night to stay warm. I check under their wings to see if they are warm.

 

[aart]

#1. Should I alternate ACV water with clear water. One week on one week off?

#2. I'm getting two types of poop. Big round poops that look very normal, i.e. not runny or off color.
And them piles of smaller poops. Still look normal for color and not runny. Should I be concerned

#3 Anyone using the Sweet Heater?

Thanks for your answers.

1. The ACV is a bit of a fad IMO, might be beneficial if using the 'live' kind with the 'mother'..... but can also be detrimental to calcium absorption.

2. Do you have pullets not yet laying?
IME poops gain 3x in size when they start laying.
Good visual references for all kinds of poops,
just don't jump to any terrible conclusions too quickly:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/?topic=17568.0

3. Search on sweeter heater:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/55297811/?q=sweeter+heater&t=post&o=date&c[title_only]=1

 

[Ribh]

My breeder recommended ACV in the water as a preventative against worms ~ & she has the healthiest birds I've ever seen. I've just done my girls regular worming & everyone has healthy poop so if it works for you...

 

[WindingRoad]

My breeder recommended ACV in the water as a preventative against worms ~ & she has the healthiest birds I've ever seen. I've just done my girls regular worming & everyone has healthy poop so if it works for you...

How do you give it. Daily. I've been giving one week on one week off.

 

[Ribh]

I add a capfull to about 4 litres of water once a week. Mine has added garlic. I top up the water container [thus diluting the acv] until I change the water 3~4 days usually but any sooner than that I don't add the acv. I raised my water container so my birds can't kick as much muck into it. I do back of on it in super hot weather though & just give plain water.

 

[WindingRoad]

I add a capfull to about 4 litres of water once a week. Mine has added garlic. I top up the water container [thus diluting the acv] until I change the water 3~4 days usually but any sooner than that I don't add the acv. I raised my water container so my birds can't kick as much muck into it. I do back of on it in super hot weather though & just give plain water.

Thanks. I put out a pint of water every few hours. Usually give ACV for a week but a gallon won't last a week so I make another. Then fresh clear water the next week. It's cheap, they like it better so I'll probably just keep this schedule.