Apple Cider Vinegar?

[pdirt]

Apple cider vinegar isn't really a probiotic, but it does have some digestive health benefits. Here is the best concise description I've come across so far:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/508833-is-apple-cider-vinegar-a-probiotic/#page=1


I generally put 1-3 tablespoons per gallon of water about once a week. I don't give them ACV 24/7 as excessive use can cause problems with potassium absorption.


Lactic acid bacteria (LABs) are the actual probiotics, which can be found in large quantities in foods like yogurt, raw sauerkraut or kombucha. There are a small amount of LABs in raw ACV, but not really enough to matter much.

Huh. Well what do you know? Everyone always told me it was probiotic. Still healthy anyway I think.

Yes, I agree, it is healthy stuff. If you haven't read the link I posted yet, it talks about how the pectin in ACV helps make the probiotic bacteria be able to do their job better. That was news to me... Learn something everyday!

 

[thechickfam]

Yes, I agree, it is healthy stuff. If you haven't read the link I posted yet, it talks about how the pectin in ACV helps make the probiotic bacteria be able to do their job better. That was news to me... Learn something everyday!

I just read it and found it very informative. Thank you!

 

[pdirt]

Apple Cider vinegar or acidic acid is touted as killing mold and other single celled organisms like yeast, especially when these single celled organisms occur or live in a jar of sour kraut or cucumber pickles.  But some people swear that Apple Cider vinegar helps food ferment when the facts say otherwise.  Which is it?  The only benefit i think vinegar has is that it may extend the time between changing the water in your birds' drinking fountains because vinegar in fact kills the stuff that makes your chickens' water turn green.    

Vinegar is produced when wine or beer is exposed to oxygen.  The name vinegar means spoiled wine.  I suggest that you steep a raw egg in a coffee cup full of vinegar for 24 hours and see the effect that vinegar has on eggshells.

Then do whichever you think is best.

Too much vinegar in fermenting feed can have a negative effect on the probiotic bacteria. You don't want to dump in 4 cups of vinegar into a 5 gallon bucket of feed you plan to ferment. But a little vinegar, perhaps 1/4c, will lower the pH. This will make it more hospitable for the fermenting yeasts and probiotics by making it less hospitable for unhealthy bacteria such as e. Coli, salmonella and c. Botulinum. This is to give the probiotics a heads start, and they will lower the pH even more by producing lactic acid. I forget at which pH it becomes basically impossible for the "bad" bacteria to survive, but I think it's around 5.0. Fermented feed with a sour smell will have a pH of 4.5 or lower. Moreover, as the probiotic multiply they also contribute to the decimation of the so called bad bacteria by literally attacking and consuming them.

The egg in a cup of vinegar is a neat party trick!

 

[sunflour]

I have seen info on ACV and varied recommendations, but the one I trust the most is 1 TBS per gallon of water - the main benefit is prevention of algae/slime in the water. IMO use it sparingly and rinse their water fount daily and really clean it weekly.
Chickens are milk/lactose products intolerant, too much yogurt gives them the runs, go light on that as well.

 

[pdirt]

Chickens are milk/lactose products intolerant, too much yogurt gives them the runs, go light on that as well.

True, unfermented milk is full of lactose and will cause loose stools in chickens. Fermented milk, such as yoAndy or kefir have most of the lactose sugars broken down during the fermentation processes and won't cause runny stools.

 

[sunflour]

True, unfermented milk is full of lactose and will cause loose stools in chickens. Fermented milk, such as yoAndy or kefir have most of the lactose sugars broken down during the fermentation processes and won't cause runny stools.

Thanks for the info. My hens will be so happy to try yogurt!

 

[sezua]

I use a new product called "big ol bird" I love it and it's super easy! I also don't have to worry about the negative effects of giving them dairy. I only use ACV in the water during cooler months and only a few days a week in the first part of the day. Always switch to fresh water second half of the day..I think it's healthier for them.

 

[DigMyChicks]

I use ACV every day in their water since they were little...2 T per gallon. So far they have been healthy but not sure if it's the vinegar or pure luck.