There’s two times when you might need to get your hands on some electrolytes for your chickens
One is in the summer when it’s extra hot out ?
The other time is if you think you’ve got a dehydrated chicken
Chickens can overheat, get heat stress, and even die since they can’t sweat
Should you use Gatorade? ?
Gatorade has too much salt and sugar for the chickens
Instead I would recommend getting unflavored Pedialyte
Chickens are okay until about 85 degrees ?
Anything above that, they tend to begin to have trouble
So you should always have some kind of electrolytes on hand
If you go to the tack shop, they have powder in packets that you can buy
If you want to make something yourself, then there are quite a few electrolyte recipes online
How do you give them these electrolytes once you’ve got the mix? ?
Whether you’ve made it yourself or you’ve got a store-bought one…
If it’s just hot outside… ?
You can give it to them in their treats
If you’re giving them ice blocks to help keep them cold, you can put the electrolytes in it
They’ll pick at the ice and they will drink the water as it melts
If you saw my post about giving them tea, you can put electrolytes in the tea
If they’re severely dehydrated… ?
Then bring her inside in a cage
Give her electrolyte water until she’s back to normal
The cooler air inside will also help her recover
A general electrolyte recipe is:
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1 gallon water
Dissolve the baking soda, salt and sugar in the water.
Remember … Be The Organic U – Feed Your Soul
#BeTheOrganicU #organic #homestead #sustainability #agriculture #coops #farming #gardening #chickens #backyard #eggs #farmlife #homesteading #permaculture
