⠀ How much Apple Cider Vinegar?

[shortgrass]

I've read many different things ACV is supposed to do. Mostly it seems to be a tonic that one might use once a week not everyday water. If you yourself take ACV for health would you add it to every glass of water you drink? I used ACV for the hottest days of summer but then just switched to the vitamin-electrolyte powder one gets for chicks. The feed store in my new location doesn't sell that in the small yeast size packets so bought an 8oz packet that cost $4.29 and will last years. Used for any post stress/injury, hottest days of summer (replenishing cold water several times a day too) and for first few days of hatched/shipped chicks.  

Raw ACV is a probiotic, aiding digestion and adding critical microbes to the gut flora, much like yogurt for humans Here's a link to further details...

http://www.fermented-foods.com/tags/prebiotics

And it will alter the ph of the water keeping algae and unhealthy bacteria from colonizing in the water.

Good stuff, ACV; I ferment my feed, and they get their microbes from that, so I only use the ACV in summer, when my waterers can get slimy. It tastes good too lol, so it can encourage them to drink more and stay hydrated if they're ill.

 

[Beadie eye]

Hi Shortgrass & Egghead Jnr,
1 TBSPN per drinker it is. I agree with your comment about not all the time Egghead and I propose to use it as and when.

Thanks

 

[farmerbrowne]

Can you make acv still if you freeze the peels and cores? I don't eat enough if them at once to make any

 

[shortgrass]

Can you make acv still if you freeze the peels and cores? I don't eat enough if them at once to make any

I don't see why not; they are still apples, after all

It might actually HELP a bit, as freezing might ripen and brown them faster...

 

[DrPatrickBiggs]

There are many discussions as to whether or not adding apple cider vinegar to your birds’ diets is beneficial or not. It is a wives’ tale that has spread for quite a while and there is no proven benefit for laying hens. While there may be some potential benefits such as lowering salmonella bacteria in the crop before collecting for meat, it isn’t necessarily a benefit for backyard flock raisers.

If you choose to add vinegar or any other acidic supplement to your birds’ diets, be careful to not over-do it. We recommend not to add more than a ¼ teaspoon per waterer per week, as fresh water will be best for your birds.

 

[blackwpk]

I have also heard somewhere on here that the ACV is very good for when they are molting as they lack protein when they molt. I put a teaspoon in my gallon plastic waterer and they love it and seem to benefit from it, their feathers are shiny and healthy, as well as them!

 

[Jensownzoo]

If you choose to add vinegar or any other acidic supplement to your birds’ diets, be careful to not over-do it. We recommend not to add more than a ¼ teaspoon per waterer per week, as fresh water will be best for your birds.

Does this recommendation assume water with a neutral pH and no buffers? I know from trying to adjust the pH of my (hard) tap water for a fishtank that I could probably dump a half-gallon of vinegar into my waterer and not bring the pH into the acidic range.

 

[MorganC]

ACV has many benefits, you just won't see Purina talking about it.
I myself have used it for nearly everything and in different amounts. Most recently I used it as a 1 to 3 ratio, so one parts ACV and 3 parts water.
Keep in mind the type of water you are using as ACV works best in well water or distilled simply because city water can have soooo much chlorine in it that it can take up to 5 times more ACV in the water for it to neutralize the chlorine and then get to your birds.
The most common use for ACV is for maintenance a couple days out of each month just to keep the flock healthy.