Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

[FarmerGirl101]

Hello! So I was wondering what were the benefits of ACV for chickens, I do use some with my wet feed but I don't know the benefits. Should I keep using it or is it useless? I do use it with the mother and it is organic.

 

[FathertoFeathers]

I use it as a probiotic or as a emergency medicine. It works wonders for me.

 

[Conan]

There are a lot of strong opinions on the matter. I have read nothing scientific suggesting that it will help your chickens in any way. However, that doesn't mean it will harm them either.
Just don't count on it being a miracle cure for parasites or any other health conditions that your birds may encounter.

 

[Folly's place]

Love it in cooking!
Mary

 

[Tesumph]

Funny, I was considering writing a research article on this.
There ARE actually studies done that show that acidifiers in poultry drinking water can reduce the overall parasite load in a chicken. It’s pretty standard in large scale meat bird production.
But this is not regular old vinegar bought from the grocery store, and these studies are all done on mass broiler populations, not backyard chicken flocks that we generally expect to live for much longer.

A small amount can help reduce algae growth. Personally, I’ll be sticking to clean, fresh water daily. I don’t have the conditions to be concerned with coccidiosis, and if I see worms in stool then I’ll buy a real dewormer.

So it’s not a total hoax, but it’s not a miracle liquid either.
Everyone has their own anecdotes; I highly recommend doing the research and weighing the pros and cons for your own personal flock and maintenance routine.

 

[Stockpilejoy]

My "Chicken Health For Dummies" ebook under the home remedies appendix list vinegar as supportive care for diarrhea or thrush and in another chapter says that organic poultry farmers have a difficult time fighting coccidiosis and use vinegar in drinking water with some success in treatment and prevention of coccidiosis. I've never used it for coccidiosis prevention or treatment but have added ACV to water occasionally during cold weather following giving my flock probiotics since AVC is a known prebiotic and prebiotics help boost probiotic. Now days I am skimpy on dosage and only add 1 Tbl AVC to gallon water for a day. I definitely don't want to over do it since I've also read that AVC will acidify chicken’s water and can decrease calcium intake from their food. Edit: Added Screenshot from ebook below.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

Funny, I was considering writing a research article on this.
There ARE actually studies done that show that acidifiers in poultry drinking water can reduce the overall parasite load in a chicken. It’s pretty standard in large scale meat bird production.
But this is not regular old vinegar bought from the grocery store, and these studies are all done on mass broiler populations, not backyard chicken flocks that we generally expect to live for much longer.

A small amount can help reduce algae growth. Personally, I’ll be sticking to clean, fresh water daily. I don’t have the conditions to be concerned with coccidiosis, and if I see worms in stool then I’ll buy a real dewormer.

So it’s not a total hoax, but it’s not a miracle liquid either.
Everyone has their own anecdotes; I highly recommend doing the research and weighing the pros and cons for your own personal flock and maintenance routine.

Very well said!

 

[Acre4Me]

You should always offer plain water in addition to any altered water (ACV, electrolyte, probiotic, medicated, etc).

I’ve found that my birds drink less water with ACV, than when plain water is offered.

Vinegar can interfere with calcium, but not sure at what level it becomes a problem when adding to water. Kid’s science activities often include putting a chicken bone in vinegar or hard boiled egg in vinegar to get bendable bone or soft eggshell because the vinegar is interacting with the calcium. Of course, that is full strength vinegar, not diluted in a gallon of water.

Lastly, let’s be honest...backyard chickens are digging in the dirt, eating bugs, poop, worms and other delicacies. Can’t imagine the tiny amount of mother present in a TBSP of ACV diluted in a gallon of water is going to push the gut flora strongly in any direction when in competition with so many other environmental microbe contributions.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Kiki]

I've read how it can interfere with calcium absorbtion.

I do not use it.

 

[chickens really]

Well in my opinion it's all hype and fresh water and balanced feed is all that's needed.
Proper management of the flocks we have is all that's required.