Herbs for Healthy Chickens
These are some local herbs, roots and spices that can be used by an organic poultry keeper or farmers.
Some Herbs and their Uses in Organic Poultry Health:
Garlic
This is one of the most important herbs to keep healthy chickens if you intend to venture into Organic Poultry Farming. The interesting thing about garlic (Allium sativum) is that it does not just do one thing; it is a master of many healing acts. Garlic is known for its antibacterial, antiparasitic, antiviral, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory properties and more.
Tagiri Plant
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If you have ever heard about tagiri (Adenopus breviflorus), people will tell you that it’s an irreplaceable magical bulb. I feel like cheating nature in praise when I call it one of the herbs for healthy chickens. This is because tagiri plant is able to ward off even viral diseases. It practically replaces vaccines and boosts your chickens’ immune system.
Bitter Leaf
If you must raise broilers in an organic way, you cannot have bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) extract. This is because, among other things, bitter leave extract does great work in preventing and controlling coccidiosis.
Ginger
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) for poultry often goes side by side with garlic to effect the terrific properties of any disease agent. This root plant not only makes its way into the human dishes but has become one of the chickens’ favorites too.
Read also: 5 herbs to increase egg production in chickens
Scent Leaf / Basil
Interestingly, scent leaf or basil (Ocimum gratissimum) controls diarrhea both in humans and chickens. It is one of the herbs you can use for your chickens to ensure their intestinal health. Some people even combine bitter leaves and scent leaves to treat coccidiosis
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera gel (Aloe barbadensis) is a game-changer when it comes to boosting the immunity of your healthy chicken. This plant is also a go-to herb in combating some viral disease of poultry. You should give it a try.
All these and loads of other herbs and spices are being put into use by farmers across the globe. But the question now is, how do you use each of them? What is the right dosage for each, when can you use them, and for how long can you use them? Gladly, some professionals have dedicated their time to document all these, and you will be climbing on their shoulders if you can get their resources.
And just before you begin to experiment on your own, please know that some of these herbs for chicken health are dangerous to certain birds. Some of them cannot be combined or mixed together if you don’t want to cull your chickens. For example, it is said that Tagiri extract is dangerous to pullets of 14 weeks and above. This is one of the reasons to work with the documentation from those who have been practicing.
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