Probiotics

[conny]

Is it enough to give the chickens ACV in their water? Does that count as a probiotic? Or do you give them something else in addition like Big Ole Bird?
I have been reading threats about yogurt and I guess that the opinions are pretty much divided in half. Some say "go for it" some say "dairy is not good for the chickens". I need just something good for my girls to get their systems back up after a round of Duramycin. I have even considered Florestor, which my kids get for their tummies. Any info and recommendation here is welcome, thanks in advance. I am still new to the backyard chicken keeping (but sure love it!)

 

[pdirt]

Acv has some digestive health benefits, but it is not a probiotic. There is a recent thread about this. Keep giving them acv, but give them probiotics too. Yoghurt is excellent for this. Yoghurt is a fermented dairy product, meaning most of the lactose sugars have been broken down. Chickens can't digest the lactose in plain milk, but since there is very little lactose left in yoghurt, it's fine.

 

[conny]

Thanks for your reply! I read also about fermenting with the yogurt whey. I think I will try to mix the leftover pellets with that to ferment.
How much yogurt is enough? Do you mix it in their food? So far my hens look at it and then at me and then turn around and leave.

 

[pdirt]

Sure, the yoghurt whey can be great to kick start the fermentation. You don't need it, but it can help get the ferment going a little faster.

Yoghurt is pretty chock full of probiotics, so it doesn't take much. I'd say feed them as much as they want. Sure, you can mix it with their food...a little water can help make mixing it easier.

 

[conny]

Awesome. I will try that! Thank you so much!!

 

[My 3 chix]

My Silkie girls love plain organic greek yogurt all by itself. I spread it thin like peanut butter in a flat dish and they peck at it. When they were babies I dripped it mixed with their probiitic water on the wall of their enclosure and they'd peck at it. It saved one of my little sick ones
Careful though too much will cause diarrhea