Good for your Hens Rosemary is a welcome addition to your chicken coop not only because of it's fresh woody fragrance, but it is also responsible for assisting with pain relief and enhancing respiratory health in your girls.
Surprisingly, rosemary is great to help relieve any pain your chickens may have. You can take some rosemary to make a salve. It can also be eaten fresh by your chickens and applied fresh directly to your chicken's wound.
Enjoy the natural scent of rosemary in your garden and coop by drying and hanging twigs inside your coops or generously sprinkling the clippings in nest boxes. This herb naturally repels insects and can also help in strengthening the respiratory health of your flock.
Uses: Rosemary is a great herb to grow for chickens. Hanging bunches in the coop can help repel flies. Steeping rosemary in some warm water and cooling it makes a great herbal tea for the flock too!
Like most aromatic herbs, thyme is an insect repellent and therefore a great addition to your chickens' nesting boxes. Thyme also aids in respiratory health and has antibiotic and antibacterial properties, so adding thyme to your chickens' diet is also extremely beneficial.
As with deer, however, there are plenty of herbs that can be incorporated into the landscape that chickens will avoid. These include: borage, calendula (pot marigold), catnip, chives, feverfew, lavender, marjoram, Mexican sage, peppermint and spearmint, rosemary, sage, salvias, St. John's wort, tansy and yarrow.
While planting herbs around the coop makes for lovely landscaping that chickens are not likely to eat, herbs such as mint, lavender, and rosemary do not repel flies, mites or lice simply by growing near a chicken coop.
Raw garlic may be used to boost the immune system of a droopy mature chicken by serving as an appetite stimulant. Add crushed garlic to the drinking water at the rate of four cloves per gallon, providing fresh garlic water daily.
She also notes there is “no safety data in pregnant or breast-feeding women or in children, so these groups should avoid its use.” Additionally, those with sensitive skin should be cautious when using rosemary water on their strands.
Antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs (blood thinners)
Rosemary may affect the blood's ability to clot. It could interfere with any blood-thinning drugs you are taking, including: Warfarin (Coumadin) Clopidogrel (Plavix)
Rosemary
Rosemary is one of the most popular culinary herbs used in chicken dishes. Both fresh and dried rosemary can be used to season chicken tenders to impart a distinctive flavor to them. The flavor varies from piney and woodsy to lemony and peppery. Fresh rosemary sprigs can even be a good choice for garnishing.
Parsley is the perfect addition to your chickens diet as it is rich in vitamins, promotes circulatory system development, and is a strong laying stimulant.
Good for your Hens
Chicken speak, Basil promotes mucus membrane and respiratory system health, so adding some crushed basil to your chicken feed will keep your chicks clucky, and their egg yolks a radiant orange.
Oregano for chickens is known to strengthen the immune system and is thought to help guard against common poultry illnesses such as salmonella, infectious bronchitis, avian flu and e-coli. My chickens love to eat fresh oregano right from the garden, and I dry the excess to mix into their daily feed through the winter.
A little bit of vinegar in their water can help reinforce that crucial strength. Digestion: ACV is often used to regulate pH levels in the body, which is excellent for bird digestion. Studies have also been done indicating that the probiotics found in fermented substances can help support gut health in humans.
To use it for healthy chickens, chicken owners can simply add about one tablespoon per gallon in a coop's waterer. Adding ACV is an easy addition to a flock's diet for good health and boosted immune systems. By adding ACV just once a week, chicken owners can support healthy chickens without breaking the bank.
Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar for Chickens:
Reduce intestinal and fecal odor. Apple Cider Vinegar is thought to support animals digestive system by providing probiotics (also known as “good bacteria”) Helps break down minerals and fats. Assists the animal to assimilate protein.
Regular doses of apple cider vinegar is one of the easiest ways to prevent your flock from becoming infested with worms, mites and lice. Essentially, if consumed in safe quantities regularly, apple cider vinegar will begin to seep through your chooks' skin and repel mites and other pests.
Several herbs purported to encourage laying and support the reproductive system include fennel, garlic, marigold, marjoram, nasturtium, parsley, red clover, and red raspberry leaves, so I like to mix them dried into my flock's daily layer feed.
Oregano is being added to poultry diets at commercial chicken farms to work as a natural antibiotic. Add some to your backyard chickens regiment for a happy, healthy flock.... naturally.