pool water and chickens?

[cybrchick]

Our chickens free range. They usually hang around the house including the pool area and eat bugs and weeds (and I think frogs bc we have found a couple frog carcasses *gag*). Today we came home and they were in the pool area (its a wood fence and they either go thru the femce slats or over the fence). Hubby went to shoo them and they were DRINKING outta the pool! Their coop was maybe 20 feet away w a clean water supply. So they arent out of water. (We use a bucket that drained to a pvc pipe w nipples they push up to drink. The bucket is closed so it doesnt get contaminated w their food, dirt, poo. And its hooked up to a hose from the pumphouse so it keeps the water level full). Its a chlorine pool. Can this hurt them??? I figure if city backyard chickens can drink tapwater which is chlorinated, then they should be ok. We didnt add chlorine todat or shock it, so it wasnt over chlorinated. Just curious.

 

[Judy]

I don't know about drinking chlorinated water, but chickens will drown if in water over theri heads for very long. They seem to float and even swim for a while, then their feathers get waterlogged and they sink.

 

[jak2002003]

Its not going to kill them, but its not exactly healthy either.

My dog always drinks from my pool (and its salt water). I can not stop her......even though we have a natural pond in the garden, he dog water bowl on the porch and in the kitchen, and even puddles from the rain........she always goes to the pool if she gets the chance. She is nearly 6 years old now and its not harmed her.

If you pool has steep sides the chicken may drown if they fall in. Also having chicken poop around the pool is not healthy or nice for humans.

Maybe if you just chase them off, or give them a fright every time they go to the pool they will learn not to go there.

 

[cybrchick]

Thats what I'm hoping! I dont like them in the pool area. I do worry about them falling in.

 

[AlpineButterfly]

I worried about my chickens around our pool, so their run is just along the planter:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6439281/chicken-house/

 

[cybrchick]

Thats nice! Our chickens have about 300 sq foot of pen space but 4 acres ro free range. Gonna start keeping them penned til the late afternoon bc they are close to laying. But eventually they will have all day to roam. We have to redo eventually our pool fencing anyway bc we have a baby and its not childproofed. Maybe have to chicken proof it too! ;-)

 

[jak2002003]

Maybe you can give them each some floating rubber rings or air bands ........... and they might like a cocktail to drink while they are lazing in the water