FINCHforum

I know that some liquid vitamins can cause growth of various microbes when added to drinking water that is not changed often enough. But is there any reason not to add calcium drops -- along with apple-cider vinegar -- to drinking water when it is only changed every other day?

I have a friend planning to check on my birds every 2 days while I'm away for almost 2 weeks, and want to ensure the hen receives enough calcium as she is preparing to enter breeding stage, since she will not have access to her usual eggfood while I'm away.

I'm thinking about 8 drops each of Calcium Plus and ACV in each of the two 8-oz waterers....along with 10 drops of each added to their bath water (a 10-oz bath which they often drink from). Does this sound about right? Or would I be better off using Rob Marshall's KD Water Cleanser instead of the ACV?

Any reason I can't add both the calcium drops and ACV then keep the treated water refrigerated and easily accessible for 2 weeks, to simplify things for my sitter?

I can't answer your question about the ACV and calcium in water, but you could put a dish of crushed egg shells in the cage while you're away, just to be sure she has that extra calcium available if she needs it.

Thanks for reply. Yes, I always ensure they have 24/7 access to crushed eggshell, as well as oystershell and cuttlebone, so they will definitely have all of that as usual. She's probably got all the calcium she will need while I'm away, but I'm thinking a bit extra may help with egg production when the time comes. I just hope that by trying to prevent a potential problem, I'm not creating an even bigger one.

When my birds are laying that is exactly what I do.
1/2 dosage of liquid calcium, to prevent over dosing. I think it was 1/8 teaspoon per 2 oz of water.
Then 1 drop of ACV per 1 oz of water.

Great, thanks AC.....good to know this is tried and proven. How far ahead do you mix it -- daily? Weekly?

Anyone know the shelf life of water treated with ACV and/or calcium? Would it keep in the refrigerator for up to 12 days? And will it keep for 2 days at a time in the birds' drinking tubes? I'd really like to be able to mix the ACV and calcium into the water before I leave, so the sitter will have premixed water rather than having to dose it all himself. Am trying to make it as simple as possible for him, so he won't hesitate to accept again in future when needed.

I mix mine when I change their water tube (each day)
1/8 teaspoon of liquid calcium
2 drops of ACV
2 oz of water

BTW I do the 1/2 dosage of liquid calcium so I don't overdose them on calcium. If they need more calcium, they have a dish of crushed egg shells.

Once they finish laying eggs, I cut back the liquid calcium to I think 2 days calcium then 2 days plain water, then repeat the cycle. At this point they don't need the calcium to help prevent egg binding, but to replenish calcium in their body.