Backwashing the Pool and Chickens

[Demosthine]

Hello everyone.

I have a regular 10,000 gallon pool that needs backwashed occasionally, about once a month. Instead of having it dump in to my sewer drain, I want to start flood irrigating my backyard with it. Would the yard still be ok with it or would that be too much chlorine for the girls? I'm thinking it would be ok, since the city adds chlorine to the water supply anyway. I'm wondering how much different the levels are. Would the differences in pH or anything hurt them? I hear the grey water is absolutely awesome for gardens and lawns, but I'm new to this whole chicken thing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MuranoFarms]

By backwashing, do you mean when you clean the filter and all the chemicals come out? The earth, the chlorine, ph additives etc? I'm not sure, but I don't think that's considered grey water. Too much chemical.

I do know one thing for sure....the diatemaceous earth you put in the pool is not the same DE as we use on the chickens. Use a food grade DE for all living things. I would worry about the chickens getting into the pool DE. You wouldn't want to make them sick.

 

[Demosthine]

Yes, basically I mean flushing out the filter. Instead of pumping the water through the filter and back in to the pool, it pumps the water and what contaminants that the filter previously caught out in to the drain. That drain currently goes in to the sewer pipe, but I'd rather irrigate the yard.

We have a regular sand filter, not a DE filter, so that shouldn't matter. Theoretically, the chemicals are generally low when I backwash the filter. I do it once a month shortly before I add the chemicals. My chlorine levels usually don't register or are on the low end close to where my tap water levels are. I'm not sure how the pH compares, but I can check the tap water versus the pool on the full test strip today. I'll post the results up when I do. With all the crap they add to the tap water, I'm not sure it's any better than pool water. Chlorine, iron, flouride, etc. We have a reverse osmosis unit for our drinking and cooking water. About the only thing our tap water is used for is dishes, showering and our toilets.

 

[TenOC]

The chemicals may kill the grass in the yard, but I do not think the chickens will get enough to hurt them. When I changed the sand in my pool filter, I dumped the sand in the yard and the chickens scratched it level with the yard. No problems, I I could see.

 

[Angelicisi]

I know this is an old thread...but I tried searching and didn't find an answer.

Last weekend a tub of pool shock got spilled. We didn't find it til now - when I chased the chickens back to their yard. They were in the shade on the cement keeping cool. They had walked through the spilled shock to get there. They were brought back, given a rinse off, plenty of cool water and shade from the fig trees now :/ I do not know if they ingested any - all 4 seen normal, playing, drinking, dust baths, eating...

Anyone have any idea if I should skip eating eggs for any length of time? Maaaaan what a bad mistake. The girls seem fine. I hope I didn't poison them.