Do chickens drink water? Everything you need to know.

Chickens need water just as much as humans. Without it, the consequences are potentially fatal.

This research-based guide explains how much chickens drink, when they drink, and the best way to keep fresh water available throughout the year.

Just like humans, chickens are able to last much longer without food than without liquid.

When do chickens drink water?

There are plenty of calculations online telling you exactly how much water each chicken needs.⁽²⁾. Free ranging flocks, for example, are more active than hens kept in a small run, so will need more water.

But rather than trying to calculate exact amounts, just make sure your chickens always have access to clean, fresh drinking water during daylight hours.

They do not need water to be provided once they have roosted.

How much do chickens drink?

Don't ration water or try to calculate how much. Healthy chickens drink little and often and take whatever they need.

Chickens drink...

• to satisfy thirst
• to help soften food before it enters the digestive system
• to regulate their body temperature on a hot day.

If you don't provide water, they will find it anywhere they can – as you can see from the photo of Lulu the Red Star, below.

Can chickens drink warm water?

Yes, but chickens generally prefer cool, fresh water to warm water, especially in hot weather.

Research^{(e.g. 3, 4)} has found that drinking water around 13°C (55°F) encourages chickens to drink more readily than very warm water.. 

A healthy chicken has a body temperature between 40ºC and 41.5ºC (105ºF and 107ºC), so cool water helps it lose heat more efficiently.

But you'll be glad to know you don't need to be paranoid about getting the water to exactly the right temperature.

Just make sure it's cool and fresh.

Can chickens have ice water?

Yes, but it's better to chill the water than fill it with ice.

Studies have shown that drinking chilled (not iced) water in very high temperatures improves feed intake, egg production, shell quality and the ability to withstand heat stress⁽⁵⁾.

But chickens won't eat ice! The best way to make sure your chickens' water is "chilled" is by adding blocks of ice to their usual drinking water morning and afternoon, and allowing it to melt slowly.

Reserve this for very hot weather. On most days, cool, fresh drinking water is all your chickens need.

Try offering some healthy frozen treats too. They can help add nutrition as well as hydration.

See my step-by-step guide to making frozen chicken treats.

Keeping water cool and plentiful in summer.

During hot weather, keeping fresh, cool water available is one of the most important things you can do for your flock.

As temperatures rise, chickens naturally drink much more in order to regulate their body temperature.

Studies suggest water consumption can increase by around 7% for every 1°F (0.6°C) rise in temperature.^{(5, 7)}.

There's no need to calculate percentages or measure exactly how much your chickens are drinking. Use common sense and keep an eye on your flock.

Simply providing fresh, cool water is one of the simplest and best ways to help them cope with hot weather.

Practical summer hydration tips.

• Make sure you have different waterers placed at various points around your run. Don't make your flock have to travel too far to reach them!

• Always place waterers in the shade to help keep the liquid cool, and refresh the water at least twice a day.

• Freeze blocks of water in a plastic container each evening. In the morning, place the blocks of ice into the waterers. As it melts, it will keep the water cool.

• Offer water-rich frozen treats such as watermelon and grapes, and remember that frozen treat recipe.

• If your chickens are showing signs of heat stress, electrolytes can help replace minerals lost through dehydration.

• Avoid using apple cider vinegar in water during hot weather. It raises the chickens' temperature, which is the opposite of helping dehydration.

Do chickens drink warm water in winter?

No, chickens generally prefer cool, not warm, water⁽⁶⁾. The important thing isn't to warm the water but to stop it freezing.

Keeping drinking water available during freezing weather is one of the biggest challenges of winter chicken keeping. Fortunately, there are several simple ways to prevent waterers from freezing.

Here are some simple tips.

• Don't put water inside the coop, even in freezing weather. Humidity is a real issue in colder months and can cause frostbite.

• If you have electricity in or near your run, consider buying a heated waterer. 

• Choose a thermostatically controlled heated waterer like this one, which only kicks in when temperatures drop below freezing. This two gallon container has three different drinking points and will cope with up to 13 chickens.

• The water is kept unfrozen but not warmed.

• If you don't have electricity, you'll need to do it the old-fashioned way: check the waterers regularly and replace frozen with fresh.

• Alfalfa tea: for extra energy in the winter, soak a handful of alfalfa leaves in a bucket of hot water for twenty minutes. Strain, allow to cool and offer to your flock in standard waterers.
• Offer it occasionally as a winter treat rather than replacing your flock's normal fresh drinking water.

Can chickens drink salt water?

No. Chickens should never be given salt water to drink.

Chickens are very sensitive to excessive salt. Drinking salt water can quickly lead to salt poisoning, which is a serious and potentially fatal condition.

So if you've read advice on the internet to put salt in your flock's water in the winter to stop it freezing, don't do it.

Preventing frozen water is never worth risking your chickens' lives.

Do chickens drink rain water?

They can, and do.

The important thing is make sure rainwater is kept clean. It should be kept free from toxins like green algae, rotting matter such as leaves, and contaminants like droppings, particularly droppings from rodents.

Contaminated water can spread serious diseases, so keeping drinking water clean is just as important as making sure it's always available.

To avoid it, make sure any water containers are sterilised every two weeks. 

If possible, choose a plant based sterilising solution that's suitable for poultry equipment rather than household bleach.

Should chickens drink anything else?

Fresh, clean water is all healthy chickens need.

Although some studies have looked at goats' milk, chickens drinking goats' milk, there's no good reason to offer milk to your flock. Chickens are lactose intolerant, so fresh water remains the safest and healthiest choice.

Save the milk for your family!

Related pages you may find useful.

Sources.

1. Parkinson, T. L.: The chemical composition of eggs. Pub. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 1966.

2. Gardiner, E. E. and Hunt, J. R.: Water Consumption of Meat Type Chickens. Pub. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 1984.

3. Carter, T. A., and Sneed, R. E.: Drinking water quality for poultry. Pub. North Carolina State University, Department of Poultry Science, 1987.

4. Waggoner, R. et al: Water Quality and Poultry Performance. Pub. American Veterinary Medical Association, 1984. 

5. Gutierrez, W., et al: Effects of Chilled Drinking Water on Performance of Laying Hens during Constant High Ambient Temperature. Pub. Journal of Animal Sciences, 2009.

6. Degen, A., and Kam, M.: Roosters Prefer Cool Drinking Water in Both Summer and Winter. Pub. Journal of Applied Poultry Research, 1998.

7. Fairchild, B. D.: Poultry Drinking Water Primer. Pub. University of Georgia, 2015.

8. Ross, P.A., and Hurnik, J.F.: Drinking behaviour of broiler chicks. Pub. Applied Animal Ethology, 1983.