Prevention of COCCIDIOSIS and other poultry diseases in chicks~ ACV.

[BeulahBreezes]

Thanks! I just bought out 1st bottle of Braggs yesterday...for hubby and I. I am now going to share it with our chicks.......I'll make another bottle for the chicks from your 'recipe'......mush appreciate your info!!! ~Beulah

 

[whisperinghopef]

Very interesting. So where do I buy bragg's? Does like walmart have it? So to make your own the easy way if I understand it correctly I put some of the braggs (how much?) into regular ACV and set it in a cool dark place and when you see it swirl it will be ready to use on our chickens?

Thanks for answering my questions.

 

[Beekissed]

It doesn't have to be Bragg's brand and some folks are picking up mother vinegar at Krogers and Walmart now..which is great! The dark place doesn't have to be cool and will do better if it is warm or room temp. Yeast likes warm and dark to grow. Make sure you leave the lid off the bottle to allow for any gas to escape.

Check back when you get it all done and let others know what you found, how you did it, and how it all turned out?

 

[off-grid hen]

Got my first gallon of orphan ACV with a few glugs of Bragg's in the pantry. I guess I should go take the lid off now... or, I could leave it and it'll pop off on its own.

 

[Beekissed]

You could...if you don't mind the walls of your pantry smelling like ACV.

 

[off-grid hen]

I'm always up for a science experiment! I hypothesize that since the lid isn't on too tight, that the building pressure will allow it to slowly push off til just the edge pops up and releases the pressure, rather than exploding... oh, heck. I'll go take it off.

 

[Daisy8s]

Oh my...just read about taking the lid off and immediately went to do that on the bottle of regular ACV I seeded with mother three days ago. The plastic was stretched hard and looked ready to burst! I opened it facing away from me just in case. All is well now. I'd had the bottle sitting on my dryer (my mash is fermenting in a bucket in my laundry room sink) so you can imagine how warm it's been getting the past few days. I've now moved it to my dark pantry so it'll have dark but not so much heat. (isn't this an example of a little bit of knowledge being more dangerous than none at all!)

On another note. Years ago I read a biography of Laura Ingalls with excerpts by her daughter, Rose. Rose quoted an informational talk Laura gave at a Grange meeting to educate other Ozark farmwives about how to successfully raise chickens. She said her secret to keeping them laying in winter was giving them a nice, warm mash every morning that she mixed up in her kitchen. I've always wondered what was in that mash--now I suspect there could have been some vinegar in it. In the biography it was noted that Laura was selected to do the talk because she was known as having the healthiest flock around.

We do know from reading her stories that she was an incredibly observant person and I could see her picking up good husbandry habits from those around her and using them to raise her own flock. The biography also said that due to Almanzo's illness he could not do much of a cash crop and often Laura's egg money was their only income (beyond what they grew/raised on the farm).

(Note: of course now we know that laying is tied to length of day...but I'm sure good husbandry was a part of why her flock layed so well overall.)

 

[Beekissed]

I am sure as well. Not every chicken lays through the winter, most lay a little, and a few lay every day, regardless of lighting. It has more to do with breed, health, and immune system function than it does with light, IMO.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I am sure as well. Not every chicken lays through the winter, most lay a little, and a few lay every day, regardless of lighting. It has more to do with breed, health, and immune system function than it does with light, IMO.

On this subject -
Do you know - or is there a list somewhere - that lists the breeds that are more likely and less likely to lay during the winter?

I have avoided the sex links and opted for the heritage breeds (RIR, Rocks) so I'm suspecting I shouldn't expect a lot during the winter.

 

[Beekissed]

Actually, those are great breeds for winter laying. Black Australorps are my very tried and true winter layers. And they lay for years upon years! My oldest BA was 7 and still laying strong. I have a 6 yr old New Hampshire that is laying daily right through molt and poor nutritional status...all my other New Hamps laid through the winter as well. They might not lay daily through winter but this is something I account for and allow...every other day in slow down times is fine~and for the very old birds, every other day is fine in peak laying season. That's enough for an oldster. In peak season, everyone has to be a layer and the younger birds have to lay daily then.