Liam Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hi all Just a quickie which I am struggling to get to understand at the moment.. hope someone can help! 1) What is apple cider vinegar for exactly? Is it for general health or something specific? 2) Can I just buy the stuff in the supermarket, or is the stuff they sell for animal use different at all? 3) How much in their water, and how often? Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjules Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 ACV is fab stuff, it keeps their gut acidic so worms are less likely to be able to survive. It is antibacterial, anti-fungal and I've just used it to treat Yum-yum's sour crop. I don't understand what the difference is but the stuff you can buy for horses or chickens is what you need. The dose I use is 1%, if you use too much the chooks won't drink it. Some people only use it once a week, or one week a month, but since Yum-yum's problem I think I'll use it all the time as it helps breakdown the vegetation sitting in the crop. As you can tell, I'm a big fan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeasideChick Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Apple Cider Vinegar was recommended to me by the lady I bought my chooks from. One of my hens had rather runny poo and so she suggested it. She said to get ACV from a place where you buy horse feeds .... the stuff you buy in the supermarket is filtered and so most of the goodness has gone. However, she said that organic, unfiltered (from some health food shops) was OK to use also. She told me to use it at a rate of 25ml per litre of water. I was told it is really good to keep their tummies in good working order and she told me to use it for 10-14 days. They still have the odd sloppy poo (sorry!) but apparently this is normal .... especially whilst their tummies are adjusting to new foods (and green stuff!!). Hope this helps!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hi Liam, I buy the NAF brand (Natural Animal Feeds) Apple Cider Vinegar in my local horse supplies shop. I pay £6.25 for 2 Ltrs. This is what it looks like: http://www.naf-uk.com/downloads/applevinegar.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 It is the rough cloudy unrefined sort that you want, often sold for horses. It has general health boosting properties, mainly in keeping the gut healthy and slightly acidic and therefore hostile to parasites. It also helps ward off colds and seems to make their feathers glossy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbey Road Girl Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 It's supposed to be good for people as well. A good all round health improver. Vinegar is one of those really marvelous products. I intend to give it to my chooks and have a swig myself. There are more benefits to hen keeping than the eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwichick Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Something I learned today is that ACV lowers the pH of the drinking water which can prevent pathogens like salmonella and e.coli from growing as they like a more alkaline environment. I've started adding a few drops when I have a drink of water. It's quite tasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Thanks for the responses everyone... sounds like good stuff! I`ll be off to get some today then. Starting to build up quite a stock of assorted supplements now... at least we know they're well looked after and the eggs (when I get some....!!) will be top quality! Cheers Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxBaz Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Being a bit dumb here, but reading that you use 25ml per litre or 1% in drinking water means nothing to me with a Cube Glug. I have absolutely no idea what the Glug holds - obviously I could measure how many litres it is and then work it out, but being ultra lazy can anybody tell me how much to put in a full Glug - the one with the nipples that weighs an absolute ton when it is full! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 It holds 10 pints (approx 4 litres) according to the website. I just put a dollop in....not scientific at all. If I say that a 2 litre bottle has lasted over a year....ou get the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxBaz Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 As sure as "eggs is eggs" I KNEW that Super Egluntine would have the answers!!!!! Hope all well with you - thanks for this. Used Flytes of Fancy (as you suggested) for a whole host of supplies such as the vinegar, mite powder etc, and now just working out how often/when to give it. There are lots of threads about all this, so will refer to those - it was just the Apple Cider Vinegar that I couldn't figure out. Cathy PS Think today MIGHT be my first 3-egg day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...