Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The Benefits of Garlic, Cayenne and Apple Cider Vinegar for Your Flock



By Aussie Contributor, "chooks4life"

Garlic is high in sulfur which is toxic to the parasites that plague chickens as well as other animals. They physically cannot process it. It also speeds healing. The level of sulfur an animal can take is linked in large part to its size, and it takes a lot to overdose chickens. You'd need to be either force feeding it by drench, or feeding it to severely liver-damaged birds to harm them from it. When chickens have been on garlic for a while they can't become overrun by mites, lice, or worms as garlic permeates the flesh. It also helps fend off many diseases and harmful microorganisms as they too cannot tolerate levels of sulfur that are harmless to the birds.


The sulfonamide family of drugs was developed to mimic the medicinal qualities of naturally occurring sulfur compounds in herbs - particularly garlic. But these synthetic or other man-made/altered compounds are not as effective as the natural alternative (garlic), in part because the natural alternative already possesses the proper balance with the necessary enzymes to be properly digested. Thus, mono-gastric organisms can make full use of it. Also, garlic is "fluid" and never the same in natural form, so viruses and bad bacteria cannot become immune to it like they do to stabilized/ pharmaceutical grade antibiotics and sulfur compounds which do not change.

The main known antibiotic in garlic is Allicin and this is proven to kill food poisoning bacteria among others that man made antibiotics cannot kill. Unlike man made antibiotics, the natural alternatives do not kill good bacteria too, only the harmful types. Russians refer to garlic as “Russian penicillin” and worldwide it is in much usage. I can personally vouch for it having saved my life and I cannot count how many times it's saved the lives of my poultry; I have never had respiratory diseases among them and chicks fed garlic from day one never get coccidiosis nor the majority of other diseases chicks are prone to. This is especially important in those diseases which require buildup of bad bacteria in the gut to take hold, but are kept in check by healthy intestinal micro-fauna/flora. Keep in mind there are many types of garlic, many modern breeds also, and some are more potent than others. 

Link: What the National Institutes of Health says about Garlic



Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) helps maintain a correct PH which is crucial to preventing health issues, to healing everything from cancer to infections, and contains electrolytes, pro- and pre-biotics, vitamins, enzymes and minerals. The pectin in apples is one of the main heavy metal detoxifiers, relevant especially to mercury, lead and aluminum. 

Link: More on Apple Cider Vinegar.

 
Cayenne pepper - I will give a quick sample of how it works in some circumstances: some diseases that cayenne pepper is used to prevent involve worm cysts that are infected, (blackhead) and these are activated by the stomach acid once eaten. If cayenne is also eaten, it literally burns the now unprotected parasite and the protozoan disease that may have hitchhiked in there with it. It is also great for removing established adult tapeworm, as garlic takes longer as the sulfur has to build up to do its job, whereas cayenne burns the worms until they cannot feed and will evacuate the host to seek other “pastures.” 

Link: Human uses of Cayenne Pepper

Cheers! chooks4life

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90 comments:

  1. Interesting...what kind of dosage and how are each of these fed?

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    1. Up to a clove of garlic per bird per day is fine. As for the cayenne, if you know you have a problem with an internal parasite overload, you can do 1 tsp. per bird for up to a week (there are no hard and fast rules on the amount so I am generalizing here). For day-to-day use, I personally would do less than that - 1/4 tsp or less - to avoid long-term damage to the digestive tract.

      ACV can be given in the water - 1 tsp per quart or 1 Tbsp per gallon (also generalizing). Some just put a "glug" in per gallon.
      Leigh

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    2. I should also mention that you can free-feed garlic and the birds will eat as much as they like. You can also do this with cayenne by offering a separate feeder with cayenne on the food. Just do what works for you and for your chickens.

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    3. I put garlic powder like some you cook with in my chickens food.. Will that help so far i only seen one worm.. And my laying hen had the worm.. Should i still be eating the eggs?

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    4. Yes - you can use the garlic powder you find at the store... and it is generally still safe to eat eggs from a bird - even if she has some worms.
      Also try pumpkin, squash and cucumber seeds - they act as a natural de-wormer.

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  2. Sound, healthy advice. But I wish references to scientific sources had been provided.

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    1. Ask and you shall receive! Links have been added to the blog post. :-)
      Leigh

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  3. Will the eggs have a slight garlic taste to them at times?

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    1. Nope - not at all. That is actually an old wives tail, and one that I think we've all heard sometime in our chicken-keeping careers, but no - the eggs won't taste any different.

      From what I have heard, the only flavor that might be passed to the egg is in birds that eat high quantities of fish meal or fish protein... but I don't know of anyone who has first-hand experience with that either.
      Leigh

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    2. LOL! That should be "old wives "tale." Didn't mean to insinuate there were old wives out there with tails.

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    3. Actually I have to disagree, I feed my girls raw garlic twice a day mixed with their food and it was my customers who notice the slight taste of garlic which I confirm later on. When I cut down to every other day the flavor went away. Also in order for garlic to work against mites/lice it needs to be fed raw on a daily basis. The active compound allicin only forms when garlic is crushed or cleaved when it is raw. If you cook it before crushing it, then it won’t have the same health effects. Same as if you only add a clove to the drinking water it has no effect other than flavor.

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  4. Better start growing peppers and garlic, I do make the vinegar and use it daily in most water containers. Thanks you!

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  5. What's the best way to give garlic to my girls, I seen people mention garlic powder in their food, minced garlic in the water and a few others. Also, what age should I start?

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    1. Garlic powder in the food is just fine, but you can also offer minced garlic in a separate dish so they may eat it free-choice. Chickens seem to know what they need and will eat accordingly. Unless you are treating sick birds, it is always a good idea to offer both fresh water and water with ACV... I personally wouldn't put anything other than ACV in the water.

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    2. You're welcome... and I forgot to mention that you can start the garlic right away with newly hatched chicks. Just make sure they have grit so they can digest it properly.

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  6. Check out the good Qualities Of Garlic for healthy diet,click on the link to view its details.

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  7. Thank you for all the great advice! We just brought home two 3 day old chicks. I'd like to get them off to a great start. Can I put a little ACV in their drinking water? How about cayenne? They were started on medicated feed at the feed store, which I stopped feeding. Also, my adult hens won't drink water with ACV or garlic in it, and since they free range with our ducks, keeping a separate water supply doesn't work. Can I do ACV water for a day or two with them locked in the run? Would that do any good?
    Thanks a bunch!

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  8. Oh yes! Are all of these ok for ducks as well?
    Thank you!

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    1. A bit of ACV in the drinking water is great for poultry and water fowl of all ages. Go ahead and put it in there now! Just make sure it is in a plastic or glass waterer as it can leach toxins from metals.

      As long as the Cayenne is a finely ground powder, it is fine to start that also. It's unlikely young chicks have any kind of internal parasite. Some feed cayenne one week out of every month with older chickens. Some do less and some do more. Do what works for you. :o)
      Leigh

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  9. I've been using LAB in the water instead of ACV, do you see a problem with that? I'm running about 2 tbls per gal. LAB is easy to ferment and my ACV is taking forever. Just wondering your thoughts.

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    1. The benefits of the LAB are wonderful! I, personally, would mix it in with some feed rather than water as they would be able to use it all rather than losing any of it in the water. That's just my personal preference.

      ACV is very different from LAB, however. The LAB is a lactic acid bacteria that produces lactic acid; the ACV is mainly acetic acid produced by acetobacter bacteria.

      There are some things that the ACV is good for the the LAB won't accomplish and vice-versa.

      So..if you're wanting the benefits of the ACV, keep on letting it brew and use it when its ready! (Or get a bottle of raw ACV and use it in the interim.)

      But definitely keep on using the LAB :)

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. I had switched from ACV to oxine, mostly because the waterers stay so much cleaner in the summer, what are your thoughts on Oxine? Be honest! If it is bad I want to know. Lots had said they liked it but I want your opinion. Thanks!

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    1. While ACV does help keep waterers cleaner, ingesting ACV has many benefits for chickens. ACV helps keep pH levels in the chickens digestive tract inhospitable for cocci and parasites. I don't know if the same holds true for Oxine as I don't know very much about it. It sounds like a good, organic cleaner and fungicide, but I don't know if it has the same benefits as ACV when ingested.
      Leigh

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    2. I love OXINE diluted in water for dipping my eggs before putting them in the bator.Kills any bacteria on the shell.I also put it in the water in the bator,You can use it in vaporizer in the coop for respatory problems.Good to have on hand to spray the coop with after a good clean out

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  11. I know ACV is apple cider vinegar, but have never heard of LAB. What is this? Thanks in advance.

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    1. Luckily for us, Sue just answered this same question over on the Fermented Feed article. She wrote:

      "LAB is just short for Lactic Acid Bacteria. This is the same type of bacteria that you find in "pro-biotics", yogurt, etc., that are so good for helping build our immune system. LABs are wonderful in our (and our chicken's) digestive system.

      The way they work is to digest sugars/carbs and they excrete Lactic Acid. In a situation like deep litter, the lactic acid helps lower pH (raise acid levels) and keeps other "bad" bacteria under control by lowering their population in the acidic environment that's created. This happens in your compost as well. The LABs, along with other "decomposers", digest and break down the items into a very healthy soil.

      LABs are also the bacteria that create fermented pickles, sauerkraut, and the like. As they do their work, the lactic acid increases which gives those pickles and sauerkraut that tangy, sour flavor. The lactic acid is the preservative that keeps the fermented items healthy and safe to eat. In fact, fermented items are considered more safe than heat canned items because of this process.

      Hope that helps and that it wasn't TMI!"

      (Thank you, Sue, for this great explanation!)
      Leigh

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    2. I have been dealing with a severe strain of Fungal for "1" YR.! I won't go into all I have tried but I recently went back to try Garlic again. It seemed to be helping but not kicking it. The 2 I have left have a sm. nodule in the bottom R. of Crop. Over the year it has increased in size/decreased. It is Finally somewhat soft but what seems to FINALLY be working is I had to use Garlic with Sm. Amts of Acetyl Cysteine & Reduced Glutathione. I also just bought some Lactose Free Kefir. They DIDN'T like the Greek Yogurt & I presume because it had more sugar per volume. My ONLY Question is will the Garlic kill of the Kefir bacteria? In MY situation The ACV actually made things worse & they Refuse to drink the mix.
      Any Thoughts? I want them out of my Bathroom!

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    3. Check out THIS article on natural ways to get rid of sour crop - and let us know how it goes!!
      Leigh

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  12. if i intend to use acv on my chickens , what is the dosage recommended

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    1. Roughly 1 Tablespoon per gallon / 1 tsp per qt.
      Leigh

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  13. My chicken water is in a old cement sink in their run, can I just add ACV to that water...

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  14. I see all of this is safe for chickens and ducks... But what about white midget turkeys?

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  15. Yes - they are safe for all poultry.
    :-)
    Leigh

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  16. What do you recommend for leg mites? My roosters legs are swollen and slightly reddened.

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    1. I meant rooster's, as I only have one. Tx

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    2. Check out this article - just scroll down to the leg mite section:
      Crying Fowl? It Might be Mites!
      Good luck and let us know how it goes!
      Leigh

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  17. Use vaseline, or paw paw cream all over the legs to suffocate the mites.

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  18. My chicken's coop is covered in mites and my chicken. How do I get rid of them???

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    1. There are quite a few articles on getting rid of mites. Check out the following link to the Health section of our Article Index - scroll down to "External Parasites" and you'll find all the information you need! CLICK HERE.

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  19. Can minced garlic in olive oil be occasionally fed?

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    1. Again I am really new at this. You people mean to tell me that chickens eat garlic in their rawest form, as well as hot cayenne pepper Thank you If you eat them one day do you need any spices?

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    2. Joseph - LOL! Wouldn't it be great if we could "pre-season" our chicken dinner? These herbs and spices are really good for your chickens and since their tongues are different from ours, they can't taste the spice from peppers.

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  20. Love the article!! Can the minced bottle form of garlic be used as it's not fresh as such. Also, can I use the dried minced garlic I can buy by the kilo at the produce store? As that way u can put into a little self feeder for the girls to eat when they want...? With the pepper, does it need to be mixed with food or can I also put it into a little self feeder for the ladies to eat as they will?

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    1. Bottled and dry garlic is certainly better than no garlic at all. =) The bottled is probably more potent and I would lean toward that if you can't get fresh garlic.
      As for mixing or keeping it separate, try both and see what your ladies like! Perhaps mix some in the food and then offer more in a free-choice setting. Let us know what they do!
      Leigh

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    2. I love this ...thank you all so much.

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  21. Gosh you are really knowledgeable Leigh. Its great. I've had chickens now for about three years. Just dealing with mites now-noticeD because everytime I put my head in their house I felt they were all over me. Do mites fly? Come to think of it our dog is being treated for scratching,licking, chewing.I wonder if its mites.If so how would I teat her?
    Thanks
    Graham-New Zealand

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    1. Graham - I thought I replied the day you posted this, but apparently my response didn't post. I'm sorry!
      The best all natural way is to rub them down thoroughly with wood ash. We don't recommend any chemicals what so ever.
      Here's a link you will be interested in: All-Natural Way to Rid Chickens of Lice and Mites

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  22. Can you give chickens to much garlic or do they know when to stop eating it. After reading this I gave some in olive oil to my chickens and they gobbled it up so fast, almost fighting over it. I want to give it to them daily, is that ok?

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    1. You can safely give your chickens all the garlic they will eat. :-)

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  23. My 28 days broiler are dying suddenly with one leg up,flattening down and they have rottling breathing swollen eye.Did they died bcozoff high blood pressure .What is natural prevention?plz.

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    1. Rattling when they breathe and swollen eyes are signs of respiratory infection. If you are located in any of the danger zones for the Avian Flu, you MUST take some of these birds to a state lab (or call your local Ag extension) to get testing right away!

      If you are not in the flyway zone for AI, you can try to treat naturally with herbs or you can get a broad-spectrum antibiotic like Tylan if your losses are growing too quickly. Of course this will mean your birds will not be a source of organic meat, sadly.
      Sorry for your troubles!

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    2. Tnx 4 the reply.Which herbs could be the best to treat respiratory infection?

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  24. Late to the party, as usual, but just wanted to comment on the eggs taking on the taste of fish- oh boy is that true! We gave our girls the scraps from canning tuna and it was completely apparent when we fried them up the next few days (the eggs, not the girls!). Such wonderful information on this site, thank you!

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  25. Please can I give them garlic in their water

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    1. Yes - but it is good to also offer them regular water without anything added. They will choose the water they like best according to their needs.

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  26. does a mixture of ACV + cayenne pepper + cinnamon + honey + water on empty stomach reduces Uric acid level in body ? please suggest

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  27. does a mixture of ACV + cayenne pepper + cinnamon + honey + water on empty stomach reduces Uric acid level in body ? please suggest

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  28. Can chicks that are 10 days old have Cayenne Pepper? How much do you add to food? I have a new set of 6 chicks and found a worm in poop.

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  29. I use whole seed food and I soak it for 2-8 hours. Can I add garlic, ACV and cayenne to the food while it is soaking? I found a worm in a chicken poop. I currently have 41 birds. I fed them a lot of pumpkin seeds and used garlic water in their food. But want to keep the flock healthy.

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  30. Great contributions! I've learnt quite a lot after loosing 20 of my turkeys to various diseases. Thank you very much for sharing.

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  31. My chicks will NOT eat garlic. They actually scream at me when I offer it to them, lol! They now recoil from anything smelling like garlic :-( how do I get them to be okay with eating it?!?!? It's such a good thing to have in the arsenal... if you can get them to consume it, lol!

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    1. I'm afraid there is no way to MAKE them eat it. Just continue to offer it in a separate dish away from their food. They will know if they need it or not.

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  32. Can I mix garlic and ACV in the same water and give my chicks at day old?

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    1. Yes, you can! Just go easy on the garlic until they get used to the taste.

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  33. Are cucumber seeds, various melon seeds, sweet potatoes, etc. Beneficial "medically" like say pumpkin seeds are said to work chickens...? Any other suggestions appreciated!

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    1. Various gourd seeds like cucumber, squash and pumpkin ARE beneficial to chickens. I am not sure about sweet potatoes.
      :-)

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  34. I have used my grandma recipe for her chickens all my life. So now your telling she right.
    Cayenne pepper in feed at all times by once a month.
    Apple cider vinegar in water all summer
    1 cap
    Once a month fresh garlic and fresh hot peppers
    Grind up and fed to chickens 3 days.
    I use a food processor.
    Any old spice dumped in feed.
    This is what she did all her life.
    And this is what I do.
    Cause I'm a monkey see monkey do person.

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  35. I have new chicks & turkey poults. What should be my dosage of garlic powder and cayenne in their feeders? How much ACV in the waterers? Is this every day or once a week or....?

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    1. About 1 Tbsp of ACC per gallon of water. For now you can just use a sprinkle of cayenne on the food and free-feed fresh garlic... or just go with a sprinkle of that too.

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  36. Kevin, You said that your grandma put cayenne pepper in the feed everyday? Or just once a month?

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  37. I think we have a gape worm issue. At least judging from the symptoms. Will garlic and cayenne get rid of these? If so, how long do I use the cayenne. I am giving a couple of teaspoons for 13 chickens each night mixed in there fermented scratch. We've also been having a battle with mites. Driving me nuts and worrying the daylights out of me. I really don't want to use chemicals.

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    1. Cayenne and garlic certainly won't make the gape worm issue worse... but if you are still seeing symptoms after a week or so, you may have to try something else.

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  38. Hi... I have a mama turkey and her 2 babies (babies are about 2 weeks old) as well as 3 other turkeys and we recently had treated 2 of the other turkeys that live in a seperate pen from mama and babies but chickens from both pens co- mingle. The 2 turkeys from other pen finished treatment for blackhead around 2 weeks ago ( treated with metronitizole, baytril and safeguard) and had their 10 day follow up dose of safeguard... Those are better now (thankfully ... After having already lost 1 of our newer hens). Unfortunately we believe the mama of the 2 baby turks might have blackhead. We would like to use the cayenne pepper to treat if we can but I'm not sure how much is safe to use in the feed and water for mama and baby turks. Any help would be much appreciated.

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    1. Cayenne Pepper is best used to prevent blackhead... but I have had some success using it to treat chickens with the disease.
      I treated a turkey with it after she became symptomatic. The cayenne did stop the blackhead, but unfortunately the turkey already had liver damage. We put her out of her misery a few weeks later when it became apparent she was never going to recover fully.

      There is no certain dosage... but I mixed a large amount with molasses and mixed that into the food. Molasses also provides many vitamins that are helpful for recovering birds.
      Best of luck!

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  39. Can I use cayenne pepper for Pullet

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  40. How many teaspoon of cayenne pepper should I put in their feed

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    1. There is no magic amount really, and it also depends how much you are feeding. Try starting with 1 tsp. over a day's worth of feed.

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  41. Can I add a mixture of garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper and turmeric in my bird's water. If yes, what dosage should be fine. Thanks

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    1. Generally apple cider vinegar is good in the water. The garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper are best added to the food since they are not as water soluble as ACV is.

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  42. can you givefresh cayenne pepper grinded soaked water

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  43. Yes! You can absolutely give fresh cayenne pepper, with or without water.

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  44. Can this organics be giving at all ages and can it be giving to layers and broilers. Is there side effect incase of over dose.thanks.

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  45. Can I give acv to the day old chicks and when to stop giving them acv?

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