Chemicals in garden hose water I use for my chickens! Has anyone ever had this issue and did it hurt your chickens

[Rchlluke]

Hi,
so I am new to my own chicken flock (I was raised with chickens) and I have been watering them from the hose. The water has been foamy but I have been told that it is air in the line and just didn't think much of it until I recently looked it up. Turns out it is dangerous chemicals in the water. I fill up their water at night so there is no need to drain the hose to get cool water out. I have been filling it with the foamy water. I feel terrible because I had no idea that it was chemicals in this water. I have two laying hens and they have been on that water for about thee months,. they don't drink a ton of it because they usually go out and drink our neighbors water, but when they are kept in the coop on days I am gone all day they are definitely drinking the water. My question is has anyone experienced this? Will my chickens be okay? Are the eggs okay to consume, my family and I have been eating these eggs. I have some chicks that also drink the water daily, but they are not laying yet and have only been on the water for about a moth. I will be filling up water inside from now on but I am so stressed and i feel so bad for them. I also water my garden with the foamy water, and I am consuming the food from there but I have been told that that is likely okay. Please let me know if you think the eggs are okay and if my chickens will be okay! ( No children are consuming the eggs)

 

[TOMTE]

I doubt it's dangerous chemicals. Have your water tested if you're worried, but our hose water gets foamy too. It's just because of the air and water pressure in the hose.

If you leave the faucet on but have a nozzle that lets you turn off the water from there, the water in the hose has nowhere to go so it becomes foamy.

 

[Stravager]

What are the supposed chemicals? I would get the water tested to make sure, but if it's something like fluoride, chlorine, etc. then unless it's extremely high concentrations it should be pretty low risk.

 

[FrostRanger]

I give my birds hose water. Never had an issue. I agree, get testing if you're worried, but your birds are fine

 

[Rchlluke]

What are the supposed chemicals? I would get the water tested to make sure, but if it's something like fluoride, chlorine, etc. then unless it's extremely high concentrations it should be pretty low risk.

PVC chemicals leak from the hose when it gets hot. So hopefully it’s not enough to bother them but there’s not really a good way to test it.

 

[FrostRanger]

PVC chemicals leak from the hose when it gets hot. So hopefully it’s not enough to bother them but there’s not really a good way to test it.

If you're worried, just let the hose run a bit before filling the waterer, but I think they're fine

 

[nuthatched]

They'll be fine, just let the hose run a minute to flush through for fresh water.
Few dangerous chemicals are a dangerous as people think, and pretty common. The poison is in the dose.

 

[aimee750]

Just let the hose run for a little bit like others said. I and my children drink straight from the hose in the summer.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

"PVC" chemicals don't normally cause water to foam. If you are on a municipal water supply, you should have access to monthly water quality reports. Request them, review them, post them if you need help interpreting them.

If you do not have a potable water source from a municipality, you can get your water tested. and should.

if you are worried about your hose, buy a white pvc hose for RV potable water use. You can find them at the big box home improvement stores, wally-world, tractor supply, or your local farm store. A little more expensive than garden hoses, they also guarantee lead free fittings.

just saying "chemicals" is, frankly, useless.

Even naming the chemicals may be useless. Dosage matters.

and at the end of the day, your chickens won't live long. If its safe for you to drink, its not going to be a significant risk over their much shorter life spans.