# Homemade Electrolyte Solution



## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Got this recipe from Tonia on the MO Ozarks Goat Group. 

*Homemade Electrolytes*A half gallon of hot water
2-6 Tablespoons of Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses
1-2 Tablespoons of Either Sea Salt, Epsom Salt, Baking Soda or Table Salt.
1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar


Mix well and drench or let them drink it. Most of mine love this stuff unlike the electrolytes you buy..


When I looked on the back of the electrolytes bag at ingredients the main ingredients were Sugars, Sodium/salts and Potassium along with vitamin and minerals..


Molasses is a sugar with Vitamins and Minerals


Of course the salts are hopefully self explanatory..


Apple Cider Vinegar contains potassium..


This is much cheaper than those tiny bags of electrolytes and usually you have these ingredients on hand.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

We started using this with ALL the animals today (including 2 week old chicks) and everyone has really perked up - even in this oppressive heat.


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## andabigmac (Jan 10, 2011)

Excellent! Thank you! Do you put it in the rabbits' bottles instead of water or do you have a separate bottle? I've been going out to squirt my bunnies every hour to cool them off. I covered their cages with a cheap tarp, you know the ones that don't work well for keeping water out. I stapled the sides up to make the tarp like a big bowl. I filled the tarp with water and it slowly drips down. The bunnies look so much happier. So far not much has been wasted through evaporation so maybe this will work and I wont have to go out there so often.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I just put about 1/8 of a cup in with their regular water in the bottles (the bottles are about 1 liter). To keep the bottles cool, we've been bringing them in to the house, and alternating with water bowls.

We misted the buns this afternoon, and they seem to be happier. Found a nasty lesion on one of the doe's necks... Have to bring her in to treat, but have to wait for Nick b/c this will be a two-person job.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Oh... in order to keep this Goat Related:

I put about a quart into the goats' five gallon water buckets and filled the rest with cold water. WOW! They sucked it right down!


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## Tabgirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Thank you SO much for sharing this!! It's definitely going into my 'goat files'.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Much cheaper than the packets at feed store, thanks Pony!!


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

The recipe for Homemade Electrolyte water I was given here a few years ago(can't remember by who now) is:
1 Liter warm water
2 TBSP. Honey or sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

My goats Love it & suck it right down too.

Pony, Hope you don't mind me posting this with your recipe but thought maybe folks might like both recipes in case they don't have 1 ingredient or the other from the recipes.


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## Tallabred (May 23, 2008)

I like both recipes. On is a wet mix and the other a dry mix.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thanks Pony. I'm adding that recipie to my notes....must say it sounds almost like what I, myself, drink during the hot summers.


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

I just mixed up a few batches and took it down to the whole crew. I even put some in our cooler-it's cool in the barn but we are still working up a serious sweat out there today. Goodness it's hot!


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Backfourty said:


> The recipe for Homemade Electrolyte water I was given here a few years ago(can't remember by who now) is:
> 1 Liter warm water
> 2 TBSP. Honey or sugar
> 1/4 tsp. salt
> ...


I'm one of those missing the ingredients so this is great Katie!


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## weisemaries (Apr 13, 2011)

Thanks so much! Used this today and my doe loved it. The 3 month old wether had some in a bottle, I couldn't get him to drink it from a bucket. It perked him up a bit.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Backfourty said:


> The recipe for Homemade Electrolyte water I was given here a few years ago(can't remember by who now) is:
> 1 Liter warm water
> 2 TBSP. Honey or sugar
> 1/4 tsp. salt
> ...


I think it's great! Like you said, not everyone has all the ingredients on hand.

Word of caution: Don't use baking soda with the original recipe. Baking soda + vinegar = MESS!


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

Electrolyte water is good for everything this time of year too when it's so unbearably Hot everywhere, even your poultry & rabbits can use some electrolytes. Not just for when a goat is feeling a bit off of after kidding.


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## nez8888 (Jan 18, 2021)

Pony said:


> Got this recipe from Tonia on the MO Ozarks Goat Group.
> 
> *Homemade Electrolytes*A half gallon of hot water
> 2-6 Tablespoons of Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses
> ...





BackfourtyMI. said:


> The recipe for Homemade Electrolyte water I was given here a few years ago(can't remember by who now) is:
> 1 Liter warm water
> 2 TBSP. Honey or sugar
> 1/4 tsp. salt
> ...








hey there does it work on sheep too??


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Yup. And humans. Same basic biology.


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## Orifote (Dec 28, 2020)

that is right


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