Gatorade For Chickens? (Are You Cluckin' Mad?)

Knock, knock.

“Who’s there?”

Oh, it’s just your favorite info-packed chicken newsletter here to brighten up your Sunday morning: BFL’s Daily Dozen.

Better let them in!

Let’s see what treats we’ve got in store for you today:

• Gatorade For Chickens – Are You Cluckin’ Mad?

• Sunbathing Chickens

• ***WANTED: ALL CHICKENS***

• Memes To Share Around The Flock

Why People Give Gatorade To Chickens

Gatorade’s cleverly marketed: an electrolyte sports drink for instant and effective rehydration.

Now we know most chickens have a pretty busy and active lifestyle, but I don’t think they’re thinking how they can get their beaks on a Gatorade!

So why are so many chicken owners mixing Gatorade with their chicken’s water?

Well, it’s all in an attempt to provide their chooks with extra hydration on those particularly hot days, making use of the high electrolyte content of Gatorade.

After all, it has been shown that electrolytes can have a positive impact on many functions of a chicken, especially those chooks suffering from heat stress (through increased water intake).

Of course, they didn’t use Gatorade in these studies though – which is why we recommend using specific poultry-grade electrolytes, or a natural, homemade electrolyte mix instead!

A Healthier Alternative

Although the general consensus is that small, highly diluted amounts of Gatorade are generally safe for your chickens, we know there are certainly healthier options.

Instead of Gatorade, it is much healthier and convenient to keep a big, homemade electrolyte mix in powder form, ready to mix in with your chicken’s waterers for those extra hot days.

Here’s our homemade electrolyte mix for rapid hen hydration:

1. 10 teaspoons of raw sugar

2. 1 teaspoon of salt

3. 1 teaspoon of baking powder

This mix will last you four doses, 3 teaspoons mixed in with around half a gallon of water each time.

If it’s not THAT hot outside, it’s best to just offer your chooks fresh, clean, cool water.

Sunbathing Chickens? (Sun’s Out, Bun’s Out)

Have you ever experienced that mini heart attack you get when you see your chickens sprawled motionless on the ground only to find out they were sunbathing?

If you know, you know.

For those chickens who don’t mind the heat (or when it’s not sweltering outside), sunbathing seems to be quite the popular pastime for chickens

Here are some examples, including one of our Silkies, Nene, who nearly sent me to the ER when I saw her!

Don’t worry, most chickens are covered enough to completely avoid getting sunburnt, so it’s a rather innocent hobby should they have access to shade and fresh water when they need it!

***WANTED: ALL CHICKENS***

At BFL we want to show off our community’s chickens! After all, these loveable fluffy-butts are why we are here in the first place, right?

So we would love to see yours.

No, let me rephrase that. We NEED to see yours.

Simply reply to this email, provide a decent picture of your beloved chook, their name, and something that makes them special and you could have your chicken featured for the whole community to see!

(By sending us your pictures you consent to us using them in the email, of course).

Memes To Share Around The Flock

Toodles For Now

Thanks for welcoming BFL’s Daily Dozen Newsletter into your Sunday routine!

Whether you think we’ve delivered the perfect poached egg or if it was too scrambled, we would love to know!

Send us an email letting us know your thoughts and something we could have done better!

(Remember to send some chick pics too)

Stay cool and perhaps keep the Gatorade to yourself from now on!

Blake,
BFL’s Daily Dozen