Why do you guys give your chickens apple cider vinegar?

[Bart1]

health food store

 

[ClareScifi]

So if you give your chickens the filtered type of ACV from any grocery store, rather than the type like Bragg's, that has the Mother in it, are you just wasting your time and money? Does the filtered stuff do chickens any good at all?

 

[Beekissed]

It still has the vitamins and minerals in it...and still good for that and for electrolyte replacement.

 

[ClareScifi]

Good to know, Beekissed. I guess I haven't been wasting my time and money, after all. :>)

Do you know whether common plain yogurt has any value? Or do you need to buy a certain fancy kind with acidophilus, for it to benefit the chickens?

 

[Beekissed]

Here's one you might find informative:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...osis-and-other-poultry-diseases-in-chicks-acv

And this study about fermented feeds (ACV has the same benefits due to having the same beneficial bacterias grown in the fermentation process):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19373724


Quote:
And this one:

http://www.pjbs.org/ijps/fin640.pdf

 

[MissChristy]

I'm not sure if anyone still needs this, but I buy our Unfiltered Organic Apple Cider Vinegar at Vitacost.com. I don't have a huge flock, just an urban backyard flock. They only sell the 16 oz bottles. I use the Dynamic Health brand, which is $1.99 right now, but they do sell Bragg's (which I've also used) and I think it's around $2.50 for the 16 oz. We get our virgin coconut oil and vitamins there too, so it makes sense for us since they have free shipping over $49. *PS, I am not affiliated with this company, I just really like them

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Does it need to be unfiltered?

 

[ignatz]

Is it something I should be doing?

No, it is *NOT* something you "should" be doing. There is absolutely zero proof *anywhere* that giving this to your birds will be of significant 'help' of any kind. Think about it...500+ years ago, were the romans, jews, greeks, etc giving 'apple cider vinegar' to their birds, or anything else for that matter? No, and looky, looky...the chicken has survived and is still a chicken and doing just fine. It *will* take a few extra dollars from your wallet though, and *that* you *will* notice a difference in.

 

[gale65]

How do we know they weren't giving something similar to their birds 500 years ago? And if their chickens even thrived back then? Either way, I've found that it cuts down drastically on the amount of algae in the waterer and helps to keep the minerals in our very hard well water from clogging up the waterers. If it helps the chickens too, then great. If not, there's still the algae and hard water benefits.

 

[Jakoda]

I give it daily because I do have hard well water, and it was a suggestion I read on this forumwhere I have found INVALUABLE advice)...My chicks will be two weeks old monday, and not one pasty butt, and they are wild little devils So while some may say it serves no benefit, I havent seen any negatives so will continue to use it