Healthy Food to Feed Sick Chickens - Gold Coast Chickens Australia

Gold Coast Chickens Australia

Healthy Food to Feed Sick Chickens

The top 3 foods to include for sick chickens are cinnamon, star anise, olive oil and sometimes turmeric, on top of the standard garlic and apple cider vinegar. 

Cinnamon – Especially good for runny poo

Cinnamon helps to fight bacterial infections and is often used by farmers on livestock along with Oregano. Cinnamon can simply be sprinkled on top of food.

Garlic - disease prevention e.g. for worms, plus antimicrobial and antifungal.

A natural anticeptic and great for any illness or to prevent illness. Simply chop 1 or 2 cloves in half and add to the chickens water along with a splash of apple cider. Or you can chop up and mix into the chickens food raw or dried.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Great for chickens intestines and also treats thrush

Apple cider vinegar causes an alkaline effect in the animal which reduces the likelihood for illness and helps to fight existing illnesses by helping to support the immune system. It also helps in repelling ticks and lice when drank by the chickens. Add a splash to their water once a week for health benefits,when the chicken is already sick add a splash to their water to help boost their immune system.

Oregano – Great for killing bacteria

As mentioned above farmers use oregano on their livestock and it can also be used to help sick chickens or as a preventative. You can feed the oregano directly to your chickens or alternatively chop up some fresh oregano and put it in their water along with some garlic and apple cider vinegar. It is a great combination to place 1 or 2 cloves of garlic chopped in half and a splash of apple cider vinegar in your chickens water also.

Tumeric - disease prevention plus treatment of arthritis and liver disease.
Tumeric has many wonderful properties and can be used to treat many conditions in chickens. It is also used as a treatment for coccidiosis. Great for boosting the immune system, simply sprinkle a small amount (a pinch or two) into the chickens food (do not overdose) 

Olive Oil - Clears out intestines, lubricates
Olive oil is a great treatment for sick chickens to clean out their intestines and allow them to flush anything through which may be stuck. Simply feed 2 tablespoons to the chicken mixed in with their favourite treat and make sure they eat the lot. If not try another treat with the oil mixed in until you beleive they have consumed the 2 tablespoons.


SICK CHICKEN DIET

Feed every morning for three days or until it looks and acts better - up to 3 weeks.

This amount feeds one bird. Each serving consists of:

½ to 1 x cooked egg yolk… crumbled into mixture
1 teaspoon of cod liver oil
1 very small drizzle of honey
2 x tablespoons natural yoghurt - no sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats or Baby rice
1 dessertspoon of beef tin cat food (Not dog food)
A few grains of multi vitamin powder
2 tablespoons of grated apple

Mix together to make a crumbly mixture not runny, if you have to roll into pellets and force feed, and then gently massage the neck in a downward motion to get it down into the crop, then do it, the bird may be too weak to eat or have lost the desire to eat.

If not fully eaten with in 12 hours throw it out... make another one the next morning.. don't add to it.. clean out the dish it was in also before adding the new mixture.

Always have fresh clean water available at all time for the bird and good quality food. Also have her ordinary feed and fresh clean water available at all times. 

HEALTHY CHICKEN TREAT

Give this as a weekly treat to keep your birds healthy:

Bring milk to the brink of the boil and then add enough apple cider vinegar, while stirring, to force the milk to separate into white curds and clear whey. Add enough good quality multigrain bread to soak up the whey and cool before feeding out to your poultry. 


If you have any additional healthy chicken foods that have worked with your sick chickens please share in the comments below! Also if you do try our healthy chicken treats or foods please comment and let us know how and what worked for you in your own personal experience, the more we learn the healthier all of our chickens will be!