Using natural remedies for your sick poultry will save you a lot of expenses and avoid side-effects that may be caused by prescriptions. With these natural solutions, you can gain maximum profits from your flock and see that they remain in good health. This will benefit you and your family, as dairy products from these chickens and ducks will be highly nutritious.
10 Natural Remedies For Your Sick Poultry
Keeping your flock healthy has plenty of benefits. Asides from the ones mentioned above, healthy chickens are essential for fine, high-quality eggs. Also, agile birds are natural predators to bugs, so your costs of buying insecticides will be reduced. That’s a “one-stone: two-birds” deal for you.
Ducks & chickens are susceptible to common poultry diseases, particularly Coccidiosis, which is the highest cause of deaths among chicks & ducklings.
Fortunately, you can care for your flock without spending a lot with these natural remedies (that are as effective as prescribed orthodox drugs).
Black Pepper
Black pepper is rich in vitamins & nutrients and serves as an antioxidant, antibacterial & anti-inflammatory agent. Additionally, it increases the absorption of nutrients from foods and flushes toxins regularly.
Lastly, chicks are prone to respiratory issues. This can be prevented by mixing their feed or drinkable water with pinches of black pepper.
Cayenne Pepper
Worm diseases are common in flock, and they are known to negatively affect the poultry’s ability to reproduce. Thankfully, cayenne pepper is a great remedy for worm issues. You should maximize the healing potential of this plant by regularly adding to duck or chicken feed.
Adding half-a-teaspoon cayenne pepper to your duck feed is an effective natural way to get the worms out. This is because the plant easily burns parasites in the digestive system.
Oregano
Oregano is a natural antibiotic fed to ducks or chickens in fresh, dry, or essential oil form. The plant can help to prevent E. coli, Coccidiosis, bronchitis, avian flu, and blackhead. When dried, oregano can be added to water or feed or just sprinkled in coop or brooder as a snack. By putting some extra oregano oil, you’re boosting the immune system of your chicks.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory herb that boasts antioxidant, antibacterial & anti-infectious qualities. It is also useful in preventing neurological diseases.
A compound in the herb helps to improve the flow of blood to the wattles, combs & feet to avoid frostbite. Cinnamon is also useful in the prevention of respiratory, coughing, congestion, and infection problems.
Turmeric
Turmeric is a spice well-known for its anti-inflammatory and antibiotic qualities. It helps treat several illnesses, particularly bumblefoot, which is a bacterial condition of swelling & redness on the foot of birds and animals. Should your ducks or chickens suffer this condition, turmeric is highly capable of helping.
Also, some chicks are not able to hold their heads up appropriately. Such chicks can be helped by putting a pinch of turmeric into their water or feed. A hen will also have an enhanced immune system if fed turmeric regularly.
Salt
Just like us, chickens & ducks are to avoid eating too much salt. Still, it should be kept close in case of emergencies. In summer, salt can be crucial in treating flock suffering heat exhaustion, as it makes an excellent DIY electrolyte for ducks & chickens.
To ease heat exhaustion using salt, mix 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, 1½ teaspoon sugar & 1/8 teaspoon salt in a cup of water. Pour the mixture into the water of the exhausted flock. To cool them down, serve their favorite treat in a frozen form.
Garlic
Garlic is not only able to bolster the immune & respiratory systems but also for its usefulness in repelling lice, mites, ticks & bugs who may be interested in establishing a parasitic relationship with your flock. Also, garlic is a natural wormer, and by regularly adding to feed, it causes the manure of your flock to stink more manageably.
You simply drop a full clove of garlic in water to be taken by your flock. Note that they are not to eat the garlic. Alternatively, you can get a garlic powder supplement to add to their feed.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Out of the entire flock, chickens have the hardest time absorbing calcium when the weather is warm. If this isn’t attended to, they may develop laying issues, negatively affecting eggshells’ hardness.
A teaspoon of ACV to the water of your flock twice a week in summer will improve the absorption of calcium from foods.
Add a teaspoon of the vinegar to the water twice a week during the warm weather months to boost calcium absorption.
Ginger
If one of your chickens does not have the appetite to eat, ginger may spark the desire to eat. It is also useful in relieving stomach upset, easing congestion, and greatly boosting the immune system. Ginger is also a potent anti-viral & anti-inflammatory agent.
By adding a tiny pinch of dried, ground ginger to feed, you’re feeding them with a beneficial supplement. If this is done regularly, your flock may lay larger eggs than normal.
Respiratory Tea
To ease congestion or respiratory issues, serve this healthy tea to sick members of your flock. Thankfully, they love this delicious treat, so you don’t have to coax or force them to take the “medicine”.
To make this tea, boil 3 cups of oregano or Astragalus root in 7 cups of water for 4–5 minutes. Turn off the stove and add ½ teaspoon each of chamomile, peppermint oil, cinnamon, turmeric, lavender, and cayenne or black pepper. Leave the tea for about 10 minutes, then strain and serve in water.
Concluding The Natural Remedies for Your Sick Poultry
The natural remedies for your sick poultry mentioned above, as previously said, will save you money and rid your birds of toxic side-effects. They are all easy to get and require no special preparation. It is advisable to optimize these offerings of mother Earth.