apple cider vinegar

[Beekissed]

A simple Google search can yield all the info you could possibly process about ACV usage for health.

 

[frostbite]

Methinks I just got pointed to the exit!

Have a good night, all! May all your chickens be happy and healthy and safe.

 

[3chimama]

I never measure either, just poor some in!
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[Nematocyst]

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Yeah, ACV seems to be one of those things that has a lot of claims made for it, but I've never actually seen any evidence for most of them. I've never really understood why it's so popular for farm animals.

 

[wyododge]

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Here you go ...

http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/

It is not anti bacterial. ACV actually has beneficial bacteria. Many believe that the bacteria will seed the digestive tract. The vinegar does not harm them as they grow in an acidic environment. Algae on the other hand do not, or at least the algae 'spores' don't. I don't know if the bacteria in the ACV eats the algae spores or not. What I do know is that there is in fact less slime in the buckets, and the chickens love it. Actually I do to, the wife cooks a lot with ACV.

It doesn't matter if it is organic, its just almost impossible to find ACV with mother in it that is not organic. More of a victim of circumstance than anything really.

I'm gonna take it in the back of the head for this one, but here it goes. When you take a table spoon of apple cider vinegar, you will feel a burn in your stomach, and throat, but the acidity in your stomach will actually decrease because your bodies response to the new acidic environment, halts the production of acid, naturally. A table spoon of AVC is one of the best heart burn remedies out there. Burns like heck for a second, but the heart burn is GONE!!!

Store bough vinegar does not have the 'mother' in it which is where all the goodies are. Although a tablespoon of plain ol clear vinegar will cure heartburn as well...

 

[frostbite]

So I googled.

Before I share my findings, let me assure you that my intention is not to advocate for organic vs. non organic chicken management. However, I am trained in the sciences, and I prefer to understand what I'm doing based on more than anecdotal reports and customs. I also believe that science alone can't give me all the answers, especially since science is so poorly understood by the general public, and particularly the media, and it is often poorly done by the scientific community and poorly reported. But I do have a curiosity about these things, and some formal education in evaluating research, and I have a desire to include cost/benefit analysis in my decisions. (That's the bit that keeps me from installing solar panels on my coop.)

I just don't want anyone to take offense at me. I'm trying to learn here.

Interestingly, when I googled "chicken health apple cider vinegar" I got more recipes for cooking chicken using ACV than articles about keeping chickens alive with ACV, so the jury is out on whether vinegar is good or bad for chickens, depending on whether the googler is feeling hungry or not. I even found one article that advocating feeding fresh cooked chicken to cockatiels to increase the protein in their diet. Who knew???

Also, I found a link to my own response to being directed to Google, post number 22 on this thread. Pretty funny.

I only found two research based articles:

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/afspoultry-files/pubs/Natural_remedies.pdf

From the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, cooperative extension: "Apple cider vinegar is rich in the vitamins, minerals and trace elements found in apples, especially potassium. In chickens it has been shown to lower the pH in the digestive tract which will make an environment less welcoming to pathogens reducing common infections and increasing resistance to disease. Typical inclusion levels are 1/8 – 1/4 of a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to every 110 ml of water (or 4.5 - 8.5 teaspoons per gallon). This level of inclusion will also discourage algae growth. It should be given for 2-3 days at a time."

The article does not specify organic vinegar, and the inclusions described in the article would not be removed by filtering, although some of them might be removed by distillation. I only use distilled vinegar for cleaning anyway.

http://www.rd1.com/lifestyle/poultry-articles/apple-cider-vinegar-garlic-and-poultry
This more detailed article referenced and described a study done by the University of Arkansas which documented the affect ACV on increased acidity in the crop and it's projected effectiveness in reducing bacteria load in the crop, along with their recommendations. The mechanism of this effect would also not seem to be affected by whether the ACV was filtered or not, since the effects are all related to pH.

I read some of Dr. Jarvis excerpts; I'd have to read more, and learn more about him and his actual research. Trying to find more on that. He sounds like he's hawking a product. If he's actually done peer reviewed comparative research between different types of vinegar, I'll be very interested. Unfortunately, many of the articles advocating ACV were indeed trying to sell product, and did not give any supporting references for their claims.

Most of the other articles that advocated organic products used only the "It has long been known" argument. For most of the past thousand years only organic products have been available, so it would be true that ACV can be helpful, and I'll probably use it, and it would also seem to be true that unfiltered vinegar would be the kind of ACV most commonly used over the years and known to be effective. What doesn't seem to be researched is the comparison between unaltered vinegar and processed vinegar. I would love to see some controlled studies on this issue. I might try the good old grocery store vinegar because of cost and convenience. Every trip to a different store in a different part of town to find a more elusive product burns more expensive fossil fuel and adds to pollution. The more stuff I need that I can get in one place, the better off the environment is. And shipping charges to Alaska, when I find companies that are willing to ship to Alaska, are often more than the cost of the product, so ordering online is not always a reasonable option.

 

[cravenchx]

Hey, if it keeps the slime out of the waterer.....
then it works for me and my chickens!

 

[Country Chick]

I have heard that if you use ACV while breeding. It some how will give you more girls than boys. Has anyone else heard of this or witness it?

 

[frostbite]

Apologies to Dr. Jarvis. It occurs to me that describing his writing style as "hawking a product" is insulting, especially using any form of the word "hawk" in a chicken forum.

I too sound like I'm "hawking a product" from time to time, when I'm advocating for Celebrate Recovery, or bragging about my children. The artificial enthusiasm generated by a pitch man and the real enthusiasm generated by sincere belief and confidence are sometimes hard to distinguish, and I'm sure Dr. Jarvis' enthusiasm is sincere, and his observations over time have merit and deserve consideration.

So if you are around, Dr. Jarvis, please accept my apologies for my unfortunate wording.

 

[Beekissed]

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I certainly have more hens than roos with my hatches and it really worked well on my meat rabbits, yielding more does than bucks. One article I read about a sheep farmer that started using it for the health and wool quality of his sheep also found 85% ewe lambs the first year and this has followed in all the years he has used ACV in their water, particularly at breeding time.

My own two sheep had 3 ewes and one ram this past year after having ACV drenches during breeding season.