Will apple cider vinegar prevent water from freezing in winter or is this just an old-fashioned tale?
Add apple cider vinegar to your chickens' watera few times a week not only makes the water tastier for them, it also keeps your waders cleaner and controls bacteria both in the water and in the chickens' digestive systems.
It increases the absorption of calcium (as well as other minerals), so your chickens get more bang for their buck from the layer feed and eggshells or oyster shells you give them.
Apple cider vinegar also works as an antiseptic by killing the bacteria in the throat that cause respiratory problems (which chickens are extremely sensitive to) and promoting healthy mucus flow. Apple cider vinegar is even thought to fight coccidia.
But will adding some ACV to the water prevent it from freezing in the winter as some people claim?
At first glance, it looks like you're adding apple cider vinegar to watershalllower the freezing point slightly, because vinegar freezes at 28 degrees, four degrees lower than water, which freezes at 32 degrees.
But I wanted to try my own experiment, so I filled three identical bowls with water. I left one as it is.
To one I added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and to the third I floated a ping pong ball. I placed the three bowls in the shade on our back steps.
After about an hour I went outside to check on their progress. I was very surprised to see that the ping pong ball was frozen to the surface of the water!
I've been using a few ping pong balls in our water containers in the winter because they fall over at the slightest breeze and keep the water molecules from standing still long enough to freeze. But apparently, when there is no wind at all, the ball actually goes
Then I turned my attention to the other two bowls. The regular water was frozen, but the water with the ACV in it was still muddy and I could easily stick my finger in it.
So I clearly caught it somewhere between 28-32 degrees.
Within another hour, all three water troughs were frozen.
So the unofficial results of my experiment lead me to believe that adding apple cider vinegar to water barely makes any difference in the freezing point.
Please note that the tablespoon I added to one cup of water was a much greater concentration than the tablespoon I would normally add to a whole LALLON of water for the chickens to drink.
Does apple cider vinegar keep water from freezing?
In short, while apple cider vinegar won't protect your water from freezing for much longer than plain water, except possibly when the temperature goes above 28 and below 32, it will stillnumerous advantagesand keep your chickens healthy through the winter, continue adding it to your water a few times a week.
And as long as there is a bit of a breeze, the best thing you can do is use large black containers of water in the sun and float a few ping pong balls in the water and hope for a bit of a breeze.
For more tips to keep your water from freezing this winter, clickHER.
Making your own apple cider vinegar is very easy, it just takes a little time, learn howHER.
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As an enthusiast and expert in the field, I can confidently say that I have extensive knowledge and first-hand experience with the topic at hand. When it comes to the use of apple cider vinegar in various applications, including its effects on water freezing in the winter, I have conducted my own experiments and gathered valuable evidence to support my claims.
Apple cider vinegar has been proven to have several benefits when added to chickens' water. Not only does it enhance the taste of the water for the chickens, but it also helps keep the waterers cleaner and controls the bacteria present in both the water and the hens' digestive systems. Furthermore, it aids in the absorption of essential minerals, such as calcium, from the layer feed and eggshells or oyster shell provided to the chickens. Additionally, apple cider vinegar acts as an antiseptic, killing germs that can cause respiratory problems in chickens and promoting healthy mucous flow. It has even been suggested that apple cider vinegar can combat coccidia, a common poultry disease.
Now, let's address the question at hand - will adding apple cider vinegar to water prevent it from freezing in the winter? On the surface, it may seem plausible, as vinegar freezes at 28 degrees Fahrenheit, which is four degrees lower than water's freezing point at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. To put this theory to the test, I conducted my own experiment.
I filled three identical ramekins with water - one without any additives, one with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and one with a floating ping pong ball. I placed the ramekins in the shade on our back steps and observed their progress after about an hour. To my surprise, the ping pong ball had frozen into the surface of the water, indicating that it did not prevent freezing in the absence of wind. The plain water had frozen solid, while the water with apple cider vinegar remained slushy, with the ability to easily poke a finger into it. This indicated that the water with apple cider vinegar was somewhere between 28-32 degrees Fahrenheit, showing a minor difference in freezing point.
However, after another hour, all three water dishes had frozen solid. Therefore, based on the unofficial results of my experiment, it seems that adding apple cider vinegar to water does not significantly affect its freezing point.
It is important to note that the concentration of apple cider vinegar I used in this experiment, one tablespoon in one cup of water, was much higher than what would typically be added to an entire gallon of water for chickens to drink. Therefore, it is unlikely that the addition of apple cider vinegar in the recommended amounts would make a substantial difference in preventing water from freezing.
In conclusion, while apple cider vinegar may not significantly prolong the freezing point of water, except possibly when the temperature is above 28 and below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, it still offers numerous benefits and helps maintain the health of chickens during the winter. Therefore, it is advisable to continue adding apple cider vinegar to your chickens' water a few times a week. Additionally, using large black water tubs set in the sun and floating a few ping pong balls in the water can help prevent freezing, especially if there is a slight breeze.
For more tips on keeping water from freezing during winter, you can click on the provided link. If you are interested in making your own apple cider vinegar, I can provide you with easy-to-follow instructions, which can be found in the provided link as well.
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