Herbs in Bedding

[alabama girl]

Quote:
That actually is a great idea, back home we use dried lavender to ward off scorpions.

 

[Akane]

I have tons of mint plants around and threw some in. Problem is while the chicks and bedding smell like mint they ate some of it and ended up with very strong smelling droppings that did not smell anything like mint.

No more giving mint to chickens in the house. You could get around that by extracting the oils and soaking the shavings but then you have much the same problem as the oils in the pine shavings themselves. That is the strong smell causes respiratory issues and contact with some essential oils would not be good for them.

I'm not sure how useful herbs are for chickens but chickens are quite useful in an herb garden. I've been letting my 2 6week old chicks clear the annual patches in my herb garden. They mowed down a bunch of cilantro stems today and got rid of some grass that was sneaking into the rows. I seperated the whole garden into sections using removable fencing panels and kept most of the annuals and perennials in their own patches for that reason. My guinea pigs also help mow the grass paths between the plots.

 

[kmom246]

What if you dried the mint before putting it in with the bedding? Mine don't seem to like dried green things, just fresh ones. ... I have a lot of oregano and lemon balm. I may give that a try.

By the way, does dried lavender really deter scorpions? We have them here, and most of the year they are ok, but in the spring, they are everywhere. I keep the garden and run cleaned up so that there aren't any hiding places for them, but they do seem pretty creative about getting into things.

 

[perfect peepers]

I read that putting rosemary ( fresh or dried) in the nest box of a broody hen will help her feather oils and her babies all around health. I put some in my girls boxes even though they aren't broody and the coop smelled good for a day but then... well you know.

Also putting charcol in the coop helps clear their systems, ash gives them something to roll in and helps deter parasites.

 

[KrakenQueen]

As far as dog treats + rosemary, I'd be careful with that. Some dogs have ended up with bad toxicity reactions due to the chemical makeup in the oils, causing seizures and death. Just something to be aware of!


The idea of using dried herbs in the bedding doesn't sound like a bad idea. I guess depending on the herb and it's safety around birds, maybe some herbs would be good at repelling mites and such?

 

[Chainsawgrandma]

I have artemesia in my yard along with tons of lemon mint. I've read (chicken chick) where these are good pest deterrents if you use them in the bedding. I remember when I was a kid, my mother used to use "Rinse Away" dandruff shampoo and the smell of the shampoo was artemesia! If you google artemesia and lemon mint, they are a few of the many natural mosquito repellants. Our chickens like to eat the lemon mint, but not the artemesia. I think pungent herbs in general (sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano) are good repellants. There was a white flower when I lived in Alaska (for 35 years) that I used to rub on my arms as a mosquito repellant (much better than deet or off). The name escapes me, but it is a well known herbal remedy for bug repellant.

 

[bathologist]

I have put cypress mulch in the yard, it is inexpensive and untreated and coarse enough that it doesn't break down quickly. I use coarse ground pine or cedar shavings inside. I have a plastic liner under their roosting area that I can remove for cleaning. I now need to put in a dust bath box for bad weather, any suggestions for that and mice? I have a mouse condo under my coop. I'm afraid to try to poison them. bathologist

 

[Chainsawgrandma]

Have you seen the plastic bucket, filled with water, with a pop can on a spindle on top of the bucket opening. They take peanut butter and slather it around the pop can so the can is fairly well coated. When the mouse hops on the tin can, it falls into the bucket. It's on BYC website:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/747201/5-gallon-bucket-mouse-trap

And, by the way, that other wildflower I used to rub on my arm is called Yarrow. Very pungent.

I am going to be using a little plastic swimming pool ($5 or so) for the chickens dust bath. Should be easy enough to put inside the chicken house or make a little wishing well house type roof over it.

 

[Peter Bloor]

Hi,

We are herb growers and have had many requests for herbs that can be planted in and around the run. As a consequence, we have put to-gether a Herbal bedding mix to add to their bedding a handful of which will help deter lice etc. One of such mixes contains things like Wormwood, Rosemary, Bay leaf, Camphor laurel leaves, Stinking roger and Lemon balm. Depending on the season and availability. We have sold all that we have produced and have had favorable feedback.
This is our first entry so we hope it helps somebody out.

 

[3KillerBs]

I wouldn't use pennyroyal, though. It's toxic properties are why it's traditionally been used to deter bugs. I'd stick with the safer choices.

DH grows herbs. I told him that he wasn't allowed to grow pennyroyal. Even touching the plant and absorbing the oils through the skin can cause miscarriages.