Gray water and chickens

[hyenas]

When I first moved to where I am now the kitchen sink drain hose emptied right out into the middle of the chicken pen. When I noticed I moved the hose to outside the pen. I was worried about the chickens getting sick from the dishsoap (Dawn Pure, and the only chemical I put down the sink). And because they'd scratch in it and get wet in freezing weather.

But now there's a nasty place in my yard which has food bits, and draws flies. I want to put it back in the pen so the chickens can scratch through it and have a cool wet spot during the summer.

Will dish soap hurt the chickens? They have clean water available, but I know they'll drink anything.

ETA: The kitchen sink water is rather clean. My household is vegetarian so meat and grease aren't a problem.

[JLMissouri]

My place is similar, the toilet goes to the septic and everything else is grey water that goes out to the pasture. It doesn't empty into the chicken coop, but I have free range birds. I use Dawn and Cascade dish detergent. I pick biodegradable laundry detergent. My chickens hang out in that area frequently. I am sure there are lots of food scraps in that area, and the chickens know it. I have not had any problems, and consider it a good thing.

I plan on digging a holding pond to use the grey water for more controlled irrigation. But I have already planned to allow a shallow ditch area going into the pond from the outlet pipe for chickens to pick through. I would use fish but the chlorine they have switched to kills them.

[hyenas]

Thanks for the reply. I would have done it already, but I just had to ask to make certain I wasn't going to wake up to dead chickens.

[o&itw]

Dig a pit, fill it with gravel, let the gray water drain about a foot deep into that.

Or, think of something like this: http://www.omick.net/graywater/graywater.htm

where you can use it as irrigation water.

[Piper_Scout]

At our old place the kitchen sink and washing machine drained out to the edge of the pasture and our chickens were free range so they were always out there drinking and eating flies.. We used Dawn dish soap and Ecos laundry detergent. The only problem we ever had was the ducks making a giant mud puddle :P

[DEKE01]

Dawn is used to clean oil spills off wild ducks, otters, etc. So as long as they have a source of fresh water to drink, I wouldn't worry about it.

[sammyd]

Our sink empties to a spot behind the house. The chickens will hang out there a lot. Never been a problem.