Oregano in water

[Morrison1020]

Great question, thanks for asking! I would recommend anywhere from 2-4 teaspoons of oregano oil per gallon of water.

I just did some research on this, what I found was It’s one drop per gallon of water. Or you can emerge a tooth pick in the oil to soak it up then remove and put it in a spray bottle and spritz over feed.

 

[sueiris]

Here's an article from the NYTimes on the Bell and Evans farm use of Oregano.

They use a Dutch product called By-O-Reg in conjunction with strict sanitation (which in itself would go a long way to reducing parasites and bacteria).

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/science/chicken-farms-try-oregano-as-antibiotic-substitute.html

Unfortunately that still doesn't tell us how much is too much or too little to be effective but safe, however, it does point us to the product By-O-Reg which can tell us how much dosage is in it.

You can see By-O-Reg at the company site here: http://www.byoreg.com/english_poultry.php and how it answers volatility and standardization questions of Oregano here:
http://www.byoreg.com/our_product.php

Obviously they are trying to sell their product, but the stated target number for efficacy was 5% carvacrol (the active ingredient in Oregano). It also mentions the problems with rapid oxidization due to emulsion or reaction with things in contact with it.c

LofMc

can you get this product in the US?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

can you get this product in the US?

I've never seen it in the US. However, most feed stores contain some sort of Oregano product now. Again, strict sanitation and field rotation goes a long way first.

 

[Hermits Garden]

I grow a lot of oregano--started my herb garden last year for the chicks coming this year. I'll plant some in and around their run, as well, and let them eat what they want of it.

 

[George2342]

Unfortunately, I think a lot of it may be as the standardization is simply not present. How much crevacrol you are actually getting in the Oregano oil you purchase and how long that may actually be present once exposed to air is the question. Trying to drop it into water would likely be ineffective as it first would not mix, then it would oxidize, let alone simply react to ambient sunlight, let alone guarantee any degree of concentration for each bird, I should think.

Right now, unfortunately, while I am enamored with the idea of herbal remedies as pests are building resistance to the current products, and the FDA continues to make life hard for anyone who wants to sell eggs to actually treat birds, I consider Oregano interesting to investigate. However, until better proof is done, beyond those trying to sell the product, I simply feel I am using very expensive herbs to baste chickens.

LofMc

I use oregano tincture I make myself. It will mix in water. I use about 1 teaspoon per gallon of water along with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar when I change there water. It took about a 1 1/2 weeks to work. Chickens are doing great. Look on line to make your own Oregano tincture.

 

[Becky Pate]

Great question, thanks for asking! I would recommend anywhere from 2-4 teaspoons of oregano oil per gallon of water.

It's 4 drops per gallon is what I have read

 

[Becky Pate]

If I just give them fresh Oregano greens, how much per chicken should I give them and how often?

You would have to give them 1/2 cup a day each of the fresh leaves to equal 4 drops per gallon of the oil. I would recommend only getting the organic oregano essential oil. I mix either ACV in the water too or Probiotics.