Water saftey

[bbychickfrm]

Our water supply district has recently switched to chloramines to "clean" the water... I cannot afford a filter to reduce or eliminate this. Will it be a hazard to my chickens???

 

[cavemanrich]

What were they using before ??? I think If it is safe for human consumption, then it should be safe for your chickens.. Here is something you can do. Pour the water into open containers like pots , not bottles. Let it stand open for a day or so. The chlorine will escape. Stirring it occasionally would accelerate the chlorine escaping.

WISHING YOU BEST

 

[Pork Pie]

*2 above. Chlorine is important in drinking water as it kills bugs / bacteria that may crop up beyond the supply chain of water from source to your taps - including any nasties lurking in the chicken water vessels that are almost impossible to get rid of 100%. The level of chlorine in drinking water is minuscule and not worth worrying about (I used to work as a chemist in water treatment works, so i hope that adds a little credibility to what i have said).

As mentioned above, if Cl is a worry to you (for your chickens) do as suggested or maybe set up some rainwater collection system?

CT

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Letting water treated with chloramine sit will not cause the chlorine to dissipate. That's the reason muni water districts have gone to chloramine since it is more stable than chlorine and they don't have to over treat. The chlorine ammonia bond must be broken before the chlorine can gas off.

 

[dheltzel]

All of this is true. I will add that tropical fish are very adversely affected by chloramine because they can add so much more to the water without it smelling like bleach (because it does not directly off-gas as straight chlorine does). Fish are affected by chlorine because it damages the membranes on their gill. Air breathing animals (poultry and people) are not affected by chlorine (or chloramine) in the water, rather, we are affected by the gas in the air (do not sniff bleach on a regular basis, it can damage your lungs).

So the change will not affect you or your birds. In fact, it may help in that the water in their pans will stay bacteria free much longer. Some people even add bacteria fighting agents to their poultry water, and chlorine-based disinfectants are among the best for this.