What's wrong with iron???

[buckabucka]

Chicks arrive in 3 or 4 days

These are our first chickens.
I bought some Durvet brand vitamins and electrolytes and planned to add a weak solution to the chicks' water. I've read on here that many people use Durvet or polyvisol (WITHOUT iron).

While the Durvet packet does not mention iron in the "guaranteed analysis", the ingredient list does include ferrous sulfate. Isn't that iron? Can I assume that it is a small, harmless amount of iron, since other people have used it with success? I want to give them a boost after shipping, but the "without iron" mantra has me nervous.

I appreciate any feedback!

Robin

 

[gritsar]

I would assume that it's because the amount of iron in baby vitamins (poly-vi-sol) is way more than the amount in a supplement formulated esp. for chicks.

 

[buckabucka]

Thanks! That would make sense. I was not even aware of what poly-vi-sol was (no babies here). Hopefully, the Durvet will be fine.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Ferrous Sulfate (FeSO4) has iron, but it is not all iron.

Looking online, Durvet vitamins have a concentration of 2,000 ppm of iron. ppm (parts per million) is equivalent to 2000 mg/kg if a solid and 2000 mg/L if a liquid.

1 cc - 1 mL

Poly-vi-Sol with Iron has 50 mg of iron per mL...or 50,000 mg/L (50 mg * 1000 to equal 1 L of solution) or 50,000 ppm.

So, you would have to add 25 cc's of Durvet to equal the quantity of iron in just 1 cc of Poly-vi-Sol.

 

[Laurajean]

This may sound rather strange, but I have friends who skip the week of iron pills (the off color placebos) in their birth control pills because it constipates them. My doctor says many women skip the iron pills for that reason also.

SO, just a stab in the dark here, but maybe the chicks could get constipated from too much iron too? And with pasty butt already being an issue for chicks, maybe this could add to the problem.

Just a guess though, I honestly don't know.