Old timer at the feed store said to put baking soda in my chicken water during heat waves

I laughed it off at first, thinking it was some old wives tale. But after last July when we hit 3 days straight of 95 degree weather here in Kansas, I gave it a shot. I mixed about 1 tablespoon per gallon into their waterer and honestly my hens perked right up. They were panting less and actually eating more during the cooler evening hours. Two of my older girls had been looking really rough the day before I tried it. Now I keep a box of Arm & Hammer in the coop shed during summer months. Has anyone else tried this or got another trick for keeping birds cool when the temps spike?

2 comments

2 Comments

derek_ramirez1mo ago

Hell no, I gotta disagree with you on this one. Honestly, I tried that baking soda trick a few summers back and it did absolutely nothing for my flock. They were still panting like crazy even with that stuff in the water, and one of my younger hens ended up with some weird digestive issue that I'm pretty sure was tied to messing with the pH of their water. Tbh, I think folks put too much stock in these old timey remedies when the real answer is just good old shade and airflow. Ngl, a box fan pointed at the coop run and frozen water bottles in their pans has done way more for my birds than any baking soda ever did.

derek_bell1mo ago

Fair enough, you might've just saved me a few sick birds this summer.