Why do you guys give your chickens apple cider vinegar?

[northernlights]

Hello I have been giving my chickens Pure Apple Cider Vinegar is that same as Raw Apple Cider Vinegar & if not where do you get the Raw Apple Cider Vinegar? I have Muscovy ducklings.. I think that they should have some also?? Yes or No

 

[DigMyChicks]

Hi! I use Heinz unfiltered all natural apple cider vinegar (with the mother) raw-unpasteurized. It's a quart bottle and I get it at Walmart. The cost is like $4.25...I don't know if it's the same as yours. I use 2 tablespoons per gallon in a plastic waterer.

 

[chickydo]

Maybe a dumb question but what does apple cider vinegar "with mother" in it mean????

 

[Beekissed]

Maybe a dumb question but what does apple cider vinegar "with mother" in it mean????

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_of_vinegar

http://www.livestrong.com/article/299937-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-mother-of-vinegar/

 

[chickydo]

Thank you!

 

[mich9510]

I use the chicken water nipples and a 5 gal bucket. I just installed the new system yesterday (upgrading from the inverted fountain type - no more mud and poop in the water! Yeah!). I plan to start with the regular ACV that you can buy at the store, mainly for slime/algae control as we are beginning to enter our hot months (though from what I've read here and in a few other threads, it still has some benefits for the chooks, but not as good as the raw ACV with mother). I was thinking a lighter dose, such as 1/2  tbs per gallon. Would a lighter dose such as this be OK to keep in the bucket on a continual basis?

Eventually I think I'd like to try making some ACV down the road. I do have some health food stores around here that sell Bragg's. Some folks suggested even being able to take the mother from Bragg's, add it to the cheaper ACV, and then be able to reuse the mother from there. How is this working out for the folks that have tried it? 

On a human use ACV note, I like making a hot tea with Bragg's and honey (and a little colloidal silver if I'm really under the weather). To me it tastes just like a hot apple cider! Tasty!  

I made ACV this fall and it was super easy! I just got a food grade 5 gallon bucket and dumped all of my apple cider leftovers (pulp, skin, etc.) And covered with water. Then I covered the bucket with a dish towel and let it sit. After a few weeks I tasted it and it was very alcoholic tasting. So I covered it up and waited a few more weeks. After that it tasted like vinegar so I strained it and bottled it up in half gallon mason jars. I ended up with about 4 gallons total. It sure beats buying it at the store!

 

[South OH Chicks]

My chickens get water with acv in it daily, since they were hatched.

 

[Folly's place]

Then again, many of us have never added vinegar of any type to our flock's water supply, and the birds do just fine without. Mary

 

[OKVet]

At what age do you start giving ACV to chicks, and what would the dosage be for them? Thanks

 

[barred2rock]

Hello I have been giving my chickens Pure Apple Cider Vinegar is that same as Raw  Apple Cider Vinegar & if not where do you get the Raw  Apple Cider Vinegar? I have Muscovy ducklings.. I think that they should have some also?? Yes or No

You can get raw ACV with mother at Walmart for about $5 a bottle or at Costco for $6 for two bottles. No need to spend more at a health food store. It's the same stuff regardless. Just make sure you buy it in glass bottles not plastic.

I don't see why you couldn't give it to your ducks. It's even good for people & dogs.

Then again, many of us have never added vinegar of any type to our flock's water supply, and the birds do just fine without.  Mary

Of course they can do just fine without it. But they can do just better with it.