Discover how using ACV benefits your chickens in a variety of different ways. Chicken owners that use Apple Cider Vinegar are providing a healthy environment for their chickens and in turn tend to have happier, healthier, more productive chickens. They show this by providing more eggs for the table!
- ACV Benefits: What are the benefits of apple cider vinegar?
- ACV Benefits: The following are 12 benefits of using ACV "with the mother" in and around your chicken coop.
- 1. Decreases harmful bacteria in your chickens gut.
- 2. ACV Benefits: Boosts your chickens immune system.
- 3. ACV Benefits: Increases calcium absorption.
- 4. ACV Benefits: Keeps harmful bacteria from developing in their chicken waterers.
- 5. ACV Benefits: Use apple cider vinegar around your chicken coop. It's a natural chicken coop cleaner!
- 6. Use it as a deodorizer for your chicken coop and hen boxes.
- 7. Great soak for your chickens feet, especially if they have any cuts, scratches or suffering from bumblefoot.
- 8. Improves your chickens respiration.
- 9. Helps prevent sour crop.
- 10. Makes a great mist bath for your chickens.
- 11. Clean your chicken egg incubator.
- 12. Increases Egg Production
ACV Benefits: What are the benefits of apple cider vinegar?
Over the centuries apple cider vinegar, or ACV, has been used both therapeutically and medicinally. This article address the benefits of unfiltered, organic, raw and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar.
What does apple cider vinegar with the mother mean?
Apple cider vinegar “With the Mother” means that it is raw, unfiltered, organic and unpasteurized. This is what gives it its murky, cloudy appearance. Brands that have been pasteurized and filtered have a clearer appearance.
The most popular brand of ACV is made by Bragg. This is considered one of the top brands because it is “with the mother.” It is also a little more expensive than the filtered brands, but the health benefits are believed to be in the brands “with the mother.”
ACV Benefits: The following are 12 benefits of using ACV “with the mother” in and around your chicken coop.
1. Decreases harmful bacteria in your chickens gut.
The apple cider vinegar helps to kill harmful bacteria in your chickens gut. It helps by regulating both the good and the bad bacteria within your chickens gut.
Add a little ACV to your chickens water. Most chickens enjoy the taste of it and it will encourage them to drink more water.
A little apple cider vinegar will also lower the acidity in your chickens crop, helping to decrease the likelihood of your chickens developing salmonella.
Does apple cider vinegar kill worms in chickens?
Yes! Apple cider vinegar acts as a mild antibiotic and antiseptic. By giving your chickens a little ACV in their water it deters worms from making a home within their gut. This is not 100% guaranteed method of deworming, so many chicken owners still use other methods such as Diatomaceous Earth or garlic.
The ratio of apple cider vinegar to water is 1 Tablespoon ACV to 1 gallon of water. Don’t put this in your chickens water all of the time. Once a month for about one week is sufficient.
2. ACV Benefits: Boosts your chickens immune system.
ACV contains healthy bacteria, filled with prebiotics, that help to boost your chickens immune system.
How much apple cider vinegar do I add to my chickens water?
A little bit of ACV in your chickens water, once a month for 7 days, will help ward off pathogens of coccidiosis, E-coli and staphylococcus aureus. 1 TBS ACV for each 1 gallon of water is the proper ratio.
3. ACV Benefits: Increases calcium absorption.
Have you noticed that you are having more eggs breaking in the nesting boxes or cracking when you do your daily egg collection? Try adding ACV to their water.
How does ACV improve egg shell strength?
Apple cider vinegar increases calcium absorption, thus increasing the strength of the egg shells. This along with making sure your hens are provided with oyster shell is sure to make for stronger egg shells.
4. ACV Benefits: Keeps harmful bacteria from developing in their chicken waterers.
Can you put apple cider vinegar in chickens water?
Yes! By adding ACV to their chicken waterer, it will also help to prevent algae and bacteria from growing in it.
Only add it to plastic waterers. Metal and galvanized waterers will rust if you add apple cider vinegar to them.
WARNING: Do not use apple cider vinegar in the watering containers if your chicken is taking any prescribed antibiotics as they can interact with each other, decreasing the effectiveness.
5. ACV Benefits: Use apple cider vinegar around your chicken coop. It’s a natural chicken coop cleaner!
Don’t like using harsh chemicals when cleaning? Apple Cider Vinegar is a natural cleaner that is harmless to both you and your chickens. Put some in a spray bottle and spray it on areas of your coop that have a lot of grime. It can help to loosen the gunk buildup in your coop, making it easy to wipe clean.
It is also great to use for cleaning the mineral buildups on your chicken waterers. Spray a little bit on and use a scrub brush to remove the stains. For a little tougher to remove stains, add a little bit of baking soda. The baking soda acts as an abrasive to help remove the mineral deposits.
6. Use it as a deodorizer for your chicken coop and hen boxes.
Using it in your chicken coop is not only good for cleaning, but it will also help to leave your chicken coop smelling a lot better too. It will help to eliminate the “fowl” odors in your coop without the use of harmful chemicals.
ACV is an excellent chicken coop deodorizer. Add equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water to a spray bottle and spray it around your chicken coop, hen boxes and areas that your chickens frequent.
Don’t think that this is just for the chicken coop. It can also be used within your home too!
7. Great soak for your chickens feet, especially if they have any cuts, scratches or suffering from bumblefoot.
With all the feces and mud, chicken coops are breeding grounds for bacteria. Chickens can get little cuts and scrapes on their feet and sometimes even develop “bumblefoot.”
Bumblefoot can occur when a chicken gets a cut on their foot and bacteria is introduced into the cut, forming an abscess that covers with a scab.
If you notice any cuts or scrapes on your chickens feet, try placing them in a few inches of lukewarm water with apple cider vinegar added at a 1:1 ratio. Let their feet soak in it for a few minutes to loosen any debris and help to clean their wounds.
8. Improves your chickens respiration.
ACV contains potassium which helps to thin mucus secretions. When secretions thin out they are easier to pass, freeing the airway.
9. Helps prevent sour crop.
The crop is the first part of your chickens digestive system. It is a small, muscular pouch located between your chickens beak and stomach.
When your chicken eats, its food is temporarily stored here. Saliva helps to break it down before moving on to your chickens stomach.
Sometimes, the crop does not fully empty. When this happens, the food can begin to ferment and cause bacteria to grow, causing “sour crop.”
By adding a little apple cider vinegar to your chickens water, it will help to kill the harmful bacteria and regulate pH in your chickens whole digestive system.
10. Makes a great mist bath for your chickens.
Fill a spray bottle with water and ACV and routinely mist their feathers. Mix at a 1:1 ratio. Your chickens will benefit with this in many ways!
- Adds a beautiful shine to their feathers.
- Kills harmful bacteria.
- Neutralizes any bad odors on your chicken.
11. Clean your chicken egg incubator.
If you have ever incubated chicken eggs, you know how dirty your incubator is after a hatching. It is a breeding ground for bacteria and it is important to get it sanitized before you put it into storage and definitely before you use it again in the future.
First, clean the incubator out with warm soapy water, making sure not to get any of the electronics wet. Then put apple cider vinegar, undiluted, onto a cloth and wipe down the entire surface of your incubator. Take special precautions cleaning around any of your electronics.
You want to make sure that you get your incubator really clean prior to storage. Doing a final wipe down prior to storage will kill any bacteria and stop it from breeding when not in use. If you are planning on storing your incubator for awhile, it is always best to do another wipe down with ACV prior to using again.
12. Increases Egg Production
Adding apple cider vinegar will not directly increase your chickens egg production, but indirectly will in the following ways:
- Boosting their immune system- a healthy chicken is less likely to suffer from disease and ailments. When a chicken is ill, it’s egg production drops. Healthy chicken=more eggs!
- Using ACV to clean out and deodorize your chickens nesting boxes helps to keep your chickens laying eggs. If a hen has a messy or smelly nesting box, she is likely to stop laying.
Summary: I bet you never thought there were so many ways you can use apple cider vinegar in and around your chicken coop! By providing a clean and healthy environment for your chickens, you not only will be giving them a better life, but will also make them happier and healthier. The way they will show this to you is by providing more eggs for your table!
