Water

Many people don’t include information about water in their information about keeping chickens – because it is, well, just water isn’t it? Well, in fact there is much to be said about drinking water for chickens and it is absolutely essential for their well being.

Here are the main things you need to know about water:

Dirty Water

Dirty Water or Bacteria Soup?

Water needs to be fresh: if you leave it in the container for a few days at a time, it will start to go stagnant and turn green.

Now I hear you say that chickens can drink out of a muddy puddle and it does them no harm? That water is usually fresh rain water and the mud will certainly not harm them – but water kept in plastic containers that has turned green should be thought of as “bacteria soup” because it’s full of bacteria that can harm them.

Green drinking water is a sure way to be asking for trouble with diseases and should be avoided.

Changing their water daily or every-other day is easy enough and if you rinse the container out, you can use a small washing up brush around the lip and inside to remove any build-up of anything nasty.

A chicken’s body is constantly challenged by bacteria that cause diseases in their environment. Their body will build up an immunity (known as acquired immunity), however giving them large doses of “bacteria soup” will risk them becoming ill so please change water daily or at least every other day!

When you change their water, watch them rush over and take a drink – they do appreciate clean drinking water!

Carrying Chicken Water ContainersWater needs to be kept in the shade during very hot weather: Chickens can handle the cold very well, they fluff up their feathers to trap air which insulates their body, however they can’t handle the heat very well. Chickens can’t sweat, they can only pant to lose heat through the air they breathe out and drink water to cool themselves down. During very hot weather, it is best to place their (fresh!) water in a shaded position (and after reading about shelter for chickens under the ‘Getting Started’ menu, you will of course be providing them with adequate shade).

Water containers left in the sunlight can soon heat up the water inside to a high temperature which means chickens can’t lose as much heat by drinking so please, keep their water in the shade during hot weather and if you can, give them some fresh, cool water when it’s hot.

Water containers

Water containers for chickens come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit your needs. Some are galvanised and will last a very long time but the majority are plastic.

Galvanised Containers:

  • Last a life time, withstands Knocks
  • Withstands frost
  • Cannot be used to give Apple Cider Vinegar since the acid corrodes the galvanising
  • Doesn’t show you how much is left in the container.

Plastic Containers:

  • Can be used to give Apple Cider Vinegar in the water
  • Shows you how much water is left
  • Will only last a couple of years – bases crack, locking bits snap off or handles break, colours fade in the sun.
  • Will crack if you drop or knock it when full.

There is a full range of water containers for sale on this page at Amazon.

60 Comments

    • I would go for a 3 or 4Kg feeder and at least a 2 litre drinker. Their water ideally needs changing every day / every other day.

  1. If you want to shelter your chickens’ water from the sun then I’d recommend a double-layered roof standing on four legs. The two roofs are separated by a gap of a few inches and, if you’re also building the shelter to give the chickens a place to shelter from rain, they can be of different materials: only the top one needs to be watertight. To provide the best year-round shelter the roof should slope south (or north if you’re in the southern hemisphere) towards the sun at about the same degree as your latitude, although at non-median latitudes that won’t be as good for rain as it is for the sun. The top layer of roofing absorbs a portion of non-reflected sunlight and radiates it down as infra-red towards the second layer, which in turn reflects some of it back up and only radiates a fraction down into the shelter. The roof gap draws air up from its lower end as the roof materials heat up, cooling the structure overall.

  2. Is it safe for chickens to only drink from a small pond, even in the summer? This particlular pond has a small wet wheather spring that runs into; however, during the dry season, this spring stops, and allows the pond to get stagnate; the only side of such pond is low where the small stream runs into it; thank you.

    • It’s very hard to say, and to judge the water quality. They do need fresh water to maintain health, and personally, I would always ensure there is a container of fresh water available for them but if they chose to drink from the pond, then see how it goes. If the pond water looks / smells poor quality, I would discourage it.
      It is advisable to ensure they can’t fall in to the pond too (if it has steep sides).

  3. Thanks! Very good and usefull website. I am thinking of getting chckens myself and I’m wondering… What should I do in winter if its get very cold and the water will be freezing all the time? Can chicken eat ice/snow? Do I need to constantly change the water to have it ice free?

    • Yes, you can either change it a couple of times per day or you can put the water inside their coop which may help, or you can buy a heat pad to stop it freezing.

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