water question???

[timco]

Hello All...

Our chicken's water is smelling worse & worse as the weather gets hotter. It is in the shade, under a over-hang with the feeder. We have a 3 gal hanging type that gravity feeds the water. Some feed gets in the water tray, and I am wondering if this is causing alge or some bacteria in the heat? The water looks fine in the waterer, but smells really bad. As mentioned, some feed does get into the water 'trough'. Our girls are eating 16% pullet mash still, and are about 19 weeks or so. We really love them. ( 2 RIR, 2 PBR, 2 EE)

Tim

 

[Nugget]

I bet you're right on... when our waterer gets food or a little poo in it, there's this sick sulferous smell when you open it up. The inside is anaerobic (no oxygen can get in) and allows the most foul smelling bacteria to grow. It means either you have to find a new way to hang it to keep stuff out of the trough, or you have to change it frequently.

BTDT

 

[Break an Egg]

you can also add some apple cider vinegar to the water, a table spoon for every gallon and it's supposed to keep the water from getting nasty.

 

[CUDA]

Ok, this is one of the most important things you can do to remedy this, and to keep your chickens healthy. First, change your water every day whether it needs it or not. Next, scrub your waterers once a week, preferably with a diluted bleach solution. If you do this, you won't have a smell, or the health problems that come with algae. Also, buy yourself a smaller waterer, as that is way too big for that small of an amount of birds, and will make you lazy about changing the water like you should....lol. Good luck!

 

[d.k]

* I would also move the feeder and the waterer a little farther apart if at all possible and drop the feeder slightly and raise the waterer slightly. Hopefully, then the food will fall to the ground instead of ending up in the water.

 

[Mahonri]

Here in the real heat. (It was 115 today), I have to clean and refill twice a day and scrub it good every Saturday.