FINCHforum

I searched the forum but could not find the mixing ratio to use for citric acid in the drinking water during quarantine and for yeast prevention. There were many mentions of citric acid but nothing about the mixing ratio. Can someone give me the powder to water mixing ratio please. Thanks

Don't recall reading about that - sorry.

I use the crystals and not the powder, but I mix one tsp. per galloon.
I use it in ALL my water every day.

Would this have the same effect as apple cider vinegar, making alkaline water more acidic? I have quite the alkaline water--8.5 I think--so that's one reason I like the apple cider vinegar added to the water.

Not sure.... Sally, but I have been told that the vinegar doesn't help with that I boil all my bird's water and add the citric acid to it also. I have been doing this for a long time. I stopped boiling at one point and noticed a difference in my birds .

I use water filtered thru a Britta filter. It probably isn't as good as boiling but it is easier for me. I use the same filtered water for their baths, since they drink out of their baths also.

I think that filtered water is most certainly better than tap water...
I am very paranoid about the tap water where we live. I only drink bottled water and boil all our bird's water.
Years ago we had a bacteria in our county water and everyone was told to boil (hospitals, schools, etc.) and somewhere , somehow I got some of the bad water and ended up in the hospital with a serious staff infection.

I have heard about apple cider vinegar being good but have never figured out how much to use. How much apple cider vinegar do you use when you put it in the water?
Thanks
Lori

The citric acid is used to lower the PH - it also prevents rancidity and bacteria growth.

The amount to use is determined on the individuals water source - some people have high ph and others already have a low PH water.

I typically use 1/4 tsp to one liter.

As for the vinegar (the mother) kind I use 1 tablespoon per gallon.

This is the ACV ratios that I use:
In drinking water I use 1 drop ACV per ounce of water.
For bath water 1.5 drops ACV per ounce of water.

ac12 wrote:I use water filtered thru a Britta filter. It probably isn't as good as boiling but it is easier for me. I use the same filtered water for their baths, since they drink out of their baths also.

I do that also. I have a filter on my kitchen faucet. I use sparkle only in the fountain because I don't change that water daily.

Speaking of fountains..... I have taken both of mine down and I am doing an experiement to see if I notice a difference in my aviary without them.
They raise the humidity fairly high and I have concerns about the gouldians getting a bacteria from them. I have tried vinegar, Sparkle, KD, and Vikron. I clean them DAILY, but have been warned by more than one person about the fountains making birds sick. So... I am doing a little experiemtn and removing them so I can find out for myself.

dfcauley wrote:Speaking of fountains..... I have taken both of mine down and I am doing an experiement to see if I notice a difference in my aviary without them.
They raise the humidity fairly high and I have concerns about the gouldians getting a bacteria from them. I have tried vinegar, Sparkle, KD, and Vikron. I clean them DAILY, but have been warned by more than one person about the fountains making birds sick. So... I am doing a little experiemtn and removing them so I can find out for myself.

Please keep us posted, I'd like to know that very much!

My aviary gets faily humid too with the fountain, but I found that the birds seem to like the sound of it. They are getting quiet when I turn it off for cleaning and start singing when I turn it back on...

I can imagine that you might have a problem with a fountain that gets dirty because it's located near food or under perches. Mine is in the middle of the aviary, raised up on a pedestal (so no dirt from the floor) and there are no perches over it (so it might get dirty when a bird flies over it and at the same time... you know.... ). I was envisioning a small pond or fountain on the ground originally, but I abandoned the idea because it seems hard to clean and would get too dirty.