I'm definitely going to try this. I was told to put it in my chickens' feed to help keep mites away because they don't like garlic blood. Of course I won't rely on garlic powder completely to treat the mites -- I'll be using a treatment as well.Some of my personal experience:
I have used powdered garlic (NOT garlic salt) in the feed of my backyard flock for the past 3 years. It is mixed in with their Flock Raiser at the rate of about 1/4 teaspoon per 1 cup of feed.
Nothing about their eggs suggest that they are eating garlic that I can taste - no off flavor. The hens smell a little of garlic if you pick them up but that's okay. We would probably all smell of garlic if we sprinkled 1/4 teaspoon of powdered garlic on every cup of our food. Their coop also smells a little of garlic.
There used to be more on that Clemson University study on the internet. The only thing I find nowadays is that ScienceDaily article I cited above. Anyway, it convinced me to give garlic a try. However, at 1/4 teaspoon per cup of feed, they are getting NOWHERE NEAR as much garlic powder as Clemson fed their hens! The researchers were not studying the health effects of feeding garlic but I feel very comfortable with adding garlicat the rate I am using it.
Steve
You can use a little fresh garlic in their food or in their water, or put a little garlic powder in their food. Best to start them when they are chicks. And no, the eggs don’t taste like it.
