Activated Charcoal

[Nay]

I came across this article on feeding charcoal to chickens: https://www.hobbyfarms.com/charcoal-for-chickens/
They find that it lowers ammonia in the coop and promotes health. Activated charcoal powder can easily be found on the internet and at health food stores. Has anyone tried it?

 

[azygous]

Not recommended for daily diet of chickens. Activated charcoal can slow down the digestive and bowel processes. It can interfere with nutrient absorption and block some of them due to its ability to bind with some elements.

And you may have a problem adjusting to the sight of coal black chicken poop.

 

[Nay]

Not recommended for daily diet of chickens. Activated charcoal can slow down the digestive and bowel processes. It can interfere with nutrient absorption and block some of them due to its ability to bind with some elements.

And you may have a problem adjusting to the sight of coal black chicken poop.

Thank you, that's really helpful!
Would it be helpful in case of a specific emergency? Ie would it be useful to have it on hand?

 

[azygous]

I. myself, do keep it on hand for emergencies. If I fear a chicken has ingested a poisonous mushroom or a poisonous berry, I would give a capsule to the chicken.

 

[TwoCrows]

When my first flock contracted MS (Mycoplasma Synoviea) the flock could be found in the garden EVERY day hunting for the wood stove charcoal that I dumped in there one year for the soil. OMG it drove me nuts to find them in there eating SO much charcoal! They ate it like a starving chicken on treats and I couldn't keep them from flying over the fence! Chickens somehow know what they need to survive, it did help dry up their diarrhea oddly enough and absorb toxins from the bacteria. When I finally got a handle on the MS, the charcoal was no longer interesting to them.

All this being said, charcoal is used for cases of toxicity in poultry and in cases of intestinal issues, it may come in handy.

 

[Soy Milano]

No no, activated charcoal is given for some cases of toxicity. I have no earthly clue why anyone in their right mind would recommend you put that down in your run. Here is info on what activated charcoal is beneficial for - http://www.poultrydvm.com/drugs/activated-charcoal

 

[centrarchid]

For some reason chickens here go out of there way to consume the charcoal left from incompletely burning wood. It is not ground or powdered.

I have also mixed biochar into chicken feed without I'll effects for as long as 2 weeks.

There are studies out of Australia where biochar fed to cattle.

 

[DiYMama540]

Interesting...reading through the links!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I’ve seen mention of bio char both in chicken feed and bedding - in the bedding to reduce odor (especially ammonia).

For egg layers I could see black getting on the eggs, tracked into nesting boxes on their feet.

I have no personal experience at scale beyond putting some clean wood ash with a tiny bit of char left in it in the run for them to scratch at and dust bathe.

 

[Juther]

I put a half charcoal-ed log into my egg house last year. It just stays in the corner and they peck it whenever they need it. I wouldn't suggest adding it to their feed or forcing them to eat it, unless they ingested a known poison.