Pardon My Ignorance, But ....

[BigBlueHen53]

There’s an Instagram account called mr. beakers and it’s a silkie roo that apparently had neurological issues and constant wry neck. I guess they give him b complex which helps keep his neck in check, but they just started using CBD oil. I don’t know the exact results it’s had on him. But they said that they have seen improvement with him and believe it’s really helped.

He probably still has wry neck but now he's just real mellow about it doesn't really care. Ya know?

 

[Folly's place]

x2! Or the owners are so 'happy' they can't tell the difference...
Mary

 

[Henriettamom919]

I'm just a little suspicious of anything that claims to cure everything from warts to cancer to baldness with no scientific backing whatsoever. It does clean my windows pretty well, but I consider it a cleaning solution like Clorox or ammonia and would never dream of ingesting any of those, nor of pouring any of them in my animals' water dishes. Although I would use some of them to sanitize said water dishes....

But I am open to being persuaded. I could be wrong and am willing, as I've said, to consider scientific evidence in favor of the popular belief that ACV is a potent cure-all and useful in the care, maintenance and feeding of chickens.

Totally off topic but I have a pullet the same age and coloring as your avatar baby

 

[Henriettamom919]

He probably still has wry neck but now he's just real mellow about it doesn't really care. Ya know?

 

[Willowspirit]

???

Kidding you because of your quote about the mothers.

 

[Mosey2003]

In my opinion, ACV does *nothing* worthwhile for a chicken. It doesn't kill or prevent parasites, it doesn't treat coccidiosis, it doesn't really treat anything. I won't use it.

 

[igorsMistress]

Haven't you heard? The new cure all is CBD oil. I'm surprised I haven't seen it being used in chickens yet.

Generally if there's scientific data than drug companies will start selling it themselves in some form or other no matter the product. I'm not sure how ACV became a thing, both for chickens and humans.

CBD has been mentioned here. In a thread about herbs. Along with a daily dose of colloidal silver.

 

[Blooie]

I used it at first.....thought I was supposed to use it to have a healthy flock. So for a year I faithfully did the mixing and the watering with it. Then one day I opened the cabinet and realized that the I hadn’t actually bought the new bottle that I thought I’d bought. And I kept forgetting to get more. Know what happened to my flock without it? Absolutely nothing. Not a darned thing. Even after a couple of years without it they were still healthy, content, laying well, with glossy feathers and bright eyes! And I actually think the egg shells were a little stronger without it, although I would be hard pressed to prove that.

Folks say that using it prevents algae and bacteria from forming in the water. Perhaps it does. But chicken keeping is work, real work, and I owe my birds the little time it takes to make sure that I wash out their waterers. Who’d want to drink water out of a pitcher that contained vinegar to prevent microscopic critters from taking over when washing that pitcher put regularly and refilling it with clean, fresh water is much more appealing - and sanitary? I don’t believe in miracles in a bag or bottle. It just takes a few minutes to clean out their 5 gallon bucket and refill it. The water that was still in the bucket goes on the flowers. Win, win.

Oh, I know, “studies show” yada yada. In my 68 years on this planet, I’ve learned a few things, one of which is that no matter which side of an issue or discussion folks are on, they can always find a study, a publication, a report, or a paper to bolster their positions. It’s especially easy now....just Google something and then click on only the links that support a side, quote or link the study, post it, and it gets repeated over and over again until it seems to be Gospel. I’ll stick to my personal experiences and let other folks do the clicking! My time on this earth is rapidly drawing to a close, and I’ve better things to do than click and pontificate!

 

[CSAchook]

.... I don't get the ACV thing. I see where a lot of folks add Apple Cider Vinegar to their chickens' water, at least on occasion, for various health reasons. Here's why I'm puzzled. My kids and I have done experiments where we put eggs in tumblers containing water and ACV in various solutions, or just straight ACV, or lemon juice/water solutions, and the ACV always dissolved the shells. (The lemon juice did not, at least not to the same extent.) The stronger the solution (i.e., the less water), the more quickly the shell dissolved.

On one occasion we got a shell-less, or rubbery egg from one of our hens. That egg was exactly like the egg we got after soaking it in an ACV solution. I believe it was a 50% solution and we left it overnight.

When folks ask why their hen laid a shell-less egg, the answer is usually that the hen isn't getting enough calcium. Apparently, from our experiments, the vinegar dissolves the calcium.

So it doesn't make sense to me to give ACV to my hens if I want them to lay good, sturdy eggs with plenty of calcium and strong shells.

Can anybody give me any actual clinical evidence to justify giving chickens ACV? Have any actual studies been done showing that it is beneficial in any way, other than just personal testimonials?

I do not mean to come across as a cynic or a skeptic. I am just a sincere seeker after truth, and our experiments have made me curious. Thank you.

There actually is quite a robust, peer-reviewed literature of the effects of acidified drinking water in general, and vinegar specifically, on poultry health, productivity etc.

Results of the studies I read varied. Some found no effect at all. Others found a variety of benefits including lower rates of coccidiosis; faster and/or higher weight gain in meat birds; decreases in harmful gut micro-organisms including Salmonella, and increased production in laying flocks. Very few of the articles I read (and I wasn't cherry picking!) found negative effects of vinegar water, especially in lower concentrations. And the couple of studies I found on laying hens and egg quality found no changes in egg shell or other egg characteristics when vinegar water was provided, which to me makes sense. Yes, acid dissolves calcium, but egg production and digestion are handled by separate systems—they only meet up at the end .

Of course Blooie had some very good points about "miracle cures" and the importance of hard work. Cleanliness, good food, proper housing etc will make a much bigger difference in flock health than any water additive. And you can certainly raise healthy productive birds without ACV. But personally I am still giving ACV a try

Anyway, since you asked, I thought I would share what I know

Article examples:
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-736X2011000200001

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29399720

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1828051X.2018.1424570

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/anonymou...it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=19950756&p=AONE&sw=w

https://arccjournals.com/journal/indian-journal-of-animal-research/B-768

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ens_orallychallenged_with_Salmonella_Pullorum

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-635X2003000300005

 

[My Pretty Pekins]

I used it at first.....thought I was supposed to use it to have a healthy flock. So for a year I faithfully did the mixing and the watering with it. Then one day I opened the cabinet and realized that the I hadn’t actually bought the new bottle that I thought I’d bought. And I kept forgetting to get more. Know what happened to my flock without it? Absolutely nothing. Not a darned thing. Even after a couple of years without it they were still healthy, content, laying well, with glossy feathers and bright eyes! And I actually think the egg shells were a little stronger without it, although I would be hard pressed to prove that.

SO TRUE!!