Natural Remedies...

[Nyna]

Hello all, I wasn't sure were to put this post, but I suppose it can go under cures... Well, I am so interested in natural remedies and supplements for my chickens. I have learned so much from this site! I add Organic ACV to their waterer and feed them pumpkin seed and buttermilk for worms, DE for mites, I still want to pick up some orange oil- I am just wondering if there are other things out there that other people have tried? What about like supplements to make their feathers look nice or things like that? We have great health food stores here and I am itching to buy something for my girls to try! Is there any thing to add to their dust bathers they really like? I was reading some time back about ashes? I dunno, this stuff is just all very interesting to me!

 

[SandraChick]

I would add sunflower seeds--has lots of good stuff that helps with egg laying, feathers, etc. (with the hull-no salt--I get the bird feeder kind aka BOSS)

The WOOD ashes is an old time thing. It helps with external parasites...you have to make sure nothing but wood was burned though.

I add DE to the favorite dusting areas....

Garlic to the waterer....keeps the slime down, has natural antibiotic properties.

I have mixed feelings about ACV full time....I do garlic and ACV every once in a while. Some people add ACV once a week.

I use orange oil on all my wooden surfaces in the coop

Natural remedies are great, but you'll find there are few if any set rules. Do your research (here is a good place), decide what's best for your flock and keep an eye out, oh ...don't try too many things at once!

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, and don't forget the plain live culture yogurt for their gut flora/digestion and calcium! Mine love it and served ice cold, it's cooling in the summer, too. Wood ashes from the fireplace, not charcoal from the grill, are great to put in dustbathing areas to kill lice and mites. Tobacco leaves lining the nestboxes are good to keep creepy crawlies out of there, too.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Speckled Hen already listed my favorite -- live-culture yogurt.

But I'd also have to say dandelion greens. I had a really sick duck once. We spent $400 on her at the vet, only to find she had anemia. Dandelion greens are a great source of iron, so in addition to her meds and after they ran out, I gave her those regularly. Dandelion greens contain a lot of vitamins and minerals that other foods are deficient in.

 

[CUDA]

There is a new article on my blog addressing organic alternatives to medicating your chickens, you can check it out HERE . Good luck!

 

[MakNat]

Kelp is good. I found a recipe the other week. Cooked oatmeal with a little ACV, iodized salt ( just a pinch ) minced garlic, olive oil and honey all mixed into a mash. I've tried it just a few days. Dunno, sounds good to me and I must say they LOVE it... I'm all about all natural too!!!
The ACV and garlic help with parasites I suppose and the oil would help digestion...

 

[mylilchix]

I added some garlic and ACV to my cickens water today and they LOVE it!!! Every time I check on them they're all at the waterer. lol I'll have to try that oatmeal mash, I think they'll love that too!!

Sonja

 

[trishok8]

My girls take the pattern off the plate if I serve them Oatmeal, they love it.

 

[beautifulbirds]

Hi there, just LOVE the oatmeal recipe but I wouldn't touch the iodised salt, I'd use rock salt instead and just a pinch. Apparently a bit of rock salt offered in their pen as a free choice item is better than if you cook with it (particularly ALL the time) as they can get liver disease (purple crop) and up and die on you; so I am very careful about salt and never add it to anything I cook. Just a thought... Cheers all.

 

[mylilchix]

MakNat, thank you sooo much for the oatmeal recipe. I made this morning for my flock (I used sea salt instead of table salt) and the went nuts!! I have happy girls and boy this morning!!! Hopefully, we'll see lots of eggies today.

Sonja