# Alternative antibiotic for chickens?



## PrepN4Good

Okay, not sure if this is a chicken-health question or an herbal-remedy question...

An acquaintance forwarded to me an article from Natural News (I think) that recommends giving your chickens "oregano oil extract" rather than antibiotics in their water. (The hatchery I originally used advised a 2 week course of antibiotics before even putting chicks on the ground outside.)

Anyhoo...has anyone ever heard of this, or done it?

To further confuse the issue, I read on another herbal site that Oil of Oregano should NOT be taken internally (for humans, anyway).


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## *Andi

Oregano is very potent antibiotic but I would not give it to my chickens, nor would I give them a 2 week course of antibiotics ... (but that is just me)

I add dry garlic to the feed once a month and I give a little acv in their water at the same time. Other than that I treat a bird when needed. 

Squash and pumpkins are natural dewormers, I try to add one or both a few times a month.

Hope this helps ...


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## cowboyhermit

The hatchery we typically deal with is not all that progressive, they really push the vaccines and cornish giants but they had info on how to raise chickens organically. When we used to raise cornish giants we did use antibiotics, sometimes you can get by with an electrolyte mixture to boost their feeble immune system, also much of the feed is medicated as well by default.
Free range poultry with a good balanced diet and a healthy environment/coop should not need antibiotics IMHO.


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## PrepN4Good

I was a complete chicken newbie at the time, so just did what the hatchery said to do. This year I'm going to a different hatchery that seems to have a more organic mindset. 

*Andi - any reason why you wouldn't give oregano to chickens, if they appeared to need an antibiotic...?


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## lilmissy0740

PrepN4Good said:


> Okay, not sure if this is a chicken-health question or an herbal-remedy question...
> 
> An acquaintance forwarded to me an article from Natural News (I think) that recommends giving your chickens "oregano oil extract" rather than antibiotics in their water. (The hatchery I originally used advised a 2 week course of antibiotics before even putting chicks on the ground outside.)
> 
> Anyhoo...has anyone ever heard of this, or done it?
> 
> To further confuse the issue, I read on another herbal site that Oil of Oregano should NOT be taken internally (for humans, anyway).


I also seen that article about the o.oil. I have taken this myself, but have not gave it to my chickens. I dust their food, coops and outside under the tree where they bath with DE. Sometimes I add organic acv to their water, when I remember. I do not give antibiotics to my chickens. My thoughts on that is, why go through all the work for your family to eat healthy and you are giving the animals the same thing they give them when you buy this product in the grocery store.


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## *Andi

PrepN4Good said:


> *Andi - any reason why you wouldn't give oregano to chickens, if they appeared to need an antibiotic...?


The main reason is because it is a mucous-membrane irritant. (the lining of the digestive, repiratory, reproductive, and urinary tracts and skin)

I've read where people have taken diluted amounts in capsules/tablets but ingesting a drop of it will likey burn your mouth and most will be absorbed there never reaching the digestive tract.

Again ~ this is IMO ...


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## oldvet

I know this is a serious thread and I do not intend to insult anyone, but I just couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the title "Alternative Antibiotic For Chickens".


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## PrepN4Good

oldvet said:


> I know this is a serious thread and I do not intend to insult anyone, but I just couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the title "Alternative Antibiotic For Chickens".


Ha! No insult taken, oldvet. Seriously, I sat here awhile wondering how to name this subject. 

Well, sounds like no one is much gung-ho on oregano (hey, that rhymes!), so I guess I won't look into it any further. Thanks much for all your replies!


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## cnsper

In all my years of raising chickens, I have never given them anything but feed and water. Look what has happened to the effectiveness of penicillin over the years. Just giving them stuff because will cause your flock to develop a resistance to the cure.

Personally, I have never had to treat a chicken for anything but cranial detachment.


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## LincTex

I google searched: "Alternative to antibiotics for chickens" and came up with some good links. I copied and pasted all into a word document and came up with 30 pgs worth.


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## *Andi

As a sidenote:

Some oils comes with precautions and Oregano is one of them. Not to be used during pregnancy. Not to be used on children under 18. Can cause skin irritations, so best used in a diffuser. Do not use in a bath


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## cybergranny

We give our rabbits, dogs, cat and chickens colloidal silver or acv when and if they need it which they most never do. Oil of oregano is in our stash for infection, especially in the mouth. For the rest of the body, a drop or two under the tongue is the proper administration per the md that developed P-73 oil of oregano. Can't remember his name. It burns like H...ll. We have used it for years. You're suppose to ease into using it as well if you have high BP.


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## PrepN4Good

Unfortunately, none of my chickens were long-lived, and not because they ended up in the stew-pot, so apparently the 2 week antiobotic course did them little good in the end. 

BTW, everything I read about oil of oregano said you needed special equipment to make it (unlike other essential oils)...any comments?


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## *Andi

PrepN4Good said:


> BTW, everything I read about oil of oregano said you needed special equipment to make it (unlike other essential oils)...any comments?


I've never looked into making oil of oregano so I'm not sure which way they do it. (they have a few different ways for different herbs)~ distillation, enfleurage, solvent & etc.

I did watch a few youtubes that my class had posted ... but when it comes down to it, the amount of plant matter needed to make a small amount of oil is unreal. (So you may want to check youtube.)


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## cowboyhermit

PrepN4Good, I hope that experience didn't turn you off chickens totally. We had bad experiences too, I remember from when I was younger and we raised lots of birds with conventional methods. Farming in general and livestock in particular make sure that you realize that "stuff" happens.


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## LincTex

Haven't lost a chicken yet to sickness, but damn them predators....


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## PrepN4Good

cowboyhermit said:


> PrepN4Good, I hope that experience didn't turn you off chickens totally. We had bad experiences too, I remember from when I was younger and we raised lots of birds with conventional methods. Farming in general and livestock in particular make sure that you realize that "stuff" happens.


Well, it was a discouraging experience, to be sure (despite understanding the old farm adage, "Sometimes chickens die"), but I thought I would give it another try. I'd just like to have some good remedies available.

LincTex - no predators, my chickens lived in the Fort Knox of coops.


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## LincTex

Mine live in Fort Knox - at night. Ihave to close the door behind them. The predators usually hunt only at night, but are really getting BRAVE!!! They are hunting earlier in the evening, later in the morning, and are not as afraid of people anymore. My wife was visiting with a friend in the front yard, and a damn raccoon started stalking my 19 month old baby girl! ARRRGH! Yes, I killed it.


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## Pixelphoto

My question is why are you wasting antibiotics on chickens????
I have chickens and I let natural selection of survival of the fittest cull them out. If a chicken is so sick it needs antibiotics then its to sick to keep and it goes on the burn pile.
I only want to breed the strongest healthiest chickens for my flock. I dont want to breed sick or chickens with bad immune systems that need antibiotics to survive. They pass these traits on to their young ones. Also antibiotics should be used for humans not chickens. Better to save a human life than a chicken.
And when you give your birds or other animals antibiotics you are building stronger strains of the diseases unknowingly. Strong strains of antibiotic resistant ecoli, salmonella, staph, mrsa, and more. Please dont medicate your animals like this. We think we are doing the right thing but animals have more diseases these days than they used to back in my grandparents days because of the breeding and drug regiments we have put them on.
If you have a sick animal and you think its safe to eat then by all means dont waste the meat. But if you have any doubt it goes in the burn pile to kill and remove that animal.
Just my two cents worth.


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## LincTex

Pixelphoto said:


> My question is why are you wasting antibiotics on chickens???? Please don't medicate your animals like this.


You *completely* missed the target.

Go back and read from the beginning....


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## Diane

I would give the Oil a try. I used to take it. I have to warn you though, once they smell the water they may not want to drink it!!! I don't know how the garlic, as mentioned above, will work. I know that garlic is harmful to dogs over time. I do know that they use 10% garlic juice in water and spray chicken vents to help rid them of lice. I would look online.


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## captionsnow

I don't give my chickens antibiotics, but I do worm them with dietomacious earth, and I give it to my horses as well. Humans also use it. A half cup to a gallon of feed all shaken together, coats the feed really well, and they eat it without problems. As for horses, it's about the same. I coat my black oil sunflower seeds in it, and use that as part of their small grain bucket. I won't explain how it works, but it does. You can look it up on the web. You can also use DE to rid chickens of mites by dusting them. I know this doesn't address the antibiotic issue, but a healthy body inside and out makes for no need for antibiotics. When I went to my feed store to by a bag of DE the owner asked right away, "worming your chickens?" So it's a know wormer. And since this is a survival forum I'll tell you another thing it does. Put a cup in each bag of rise, oats, pellet feet, just anything you need to keep the bugs out of, and give it a mix. It kills the eggs, worms and larvae, bugs by scratching them and they dehydrate. DE is really interesting when you get into how and why it works.

"Give a man a loaded gun and he'll feed himself for a life time." - R.W. Williams


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## Pixelphoto

You are correct I have missed the target and did as you requested and read from page 1 the original post.
I see it was for baby chickens not big chickens. Which again I still must not get it because I would ask why are you giving just born chickens then antibiotics?



LincTex said:


> You *completely* missed the target.
> 
> Go back and read from the beginning....


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## cree77

All the years of raising chickens and I never gave them any drugs or shots.. Free range and a lot of table scraps (veggie) for feed.. Once a month I would mix a mushy mash of some burger, bread, echanecia, garlic and vitamins... I had 50 chickens and never a sick one.


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## LincTex

Pixelphoto said:


> Which again I still must not get it because I would ask why are you giving chickens antibiotics?


You missed it again. 

NO ONE here is giving their chickens antibiotics!!!! We are discussing *"alternatives"* to antibiotics!

As in: what herbal substances work well to help heal sick chickens naturally?

Does that make sense?


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## Pixelphoto

Thanks for the clarification


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## Tank_Girl

Here in Australia it is an old bushie tradition to plant wormwood bushes at the entrance of the coop into the run so the chickens brush against it when they go to roost or lay eggs or go out to the run.

The brushing against is said to deter lice and the chickens eat a few leaves every now and again to medicate themselves against worms.

I have a lot of respect for old bush lore and our ancestors did these sorts of things for a reason.


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## Pixelphoto

Still wouldnt waste my time on a sick chicken though. Herbal remedies or not.
A sick chicken is a dead chicken.


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