Feeding chickens is generally not difficult. Many of the leftover food scraps from meals that you don't finish off make great treats for your birds. Fortunately, because they are omnivores, chickens can eat a variety of foods that people do. In the same vein, chickens often do not do well on meals that are bad for people. What about garlic, though? Is this herb hazardous, poisonous, or even dangerous to feed to your flock?
One of the most popular traditional remedies and condiments in the world is garlic. However, some people and animals, including rabbits, moles, and chickens, avoid it despite its tasty taste and health benefits. Does it mean your birds aren't allowed to consume garlic?
Can Chickens Eat Garlic?
Yes, chickens can eat garlic. They must include garlic in their diet. The natural antibacterial properties of garlic support your hens' immune system in protecting them from diseases and ailments that affect birds.
Although your chickens can consume garlic, it would be beneficial to first expose them to its strong aroma. If not, they will simply peck it and then go on. That is not what we want to happen. For their best health, we want them to consume it.
You might need to add a tiny bit of garlic to your chickens' food until they grow used to it if they begin to ignore the garlic. Or, you might add the crushed garlic to the water you give your chickens. However, be cautious when giving garlic to your hens because it contains thiosulphate, which if ingested in excess will kill your chickens' red blood cells.
What Components Makeup Garlic?
The primary ingredients of garlic include water, sugars, proteins, nutritional fiber, and fat. A clove of garlic also has nutritional benefits in the form of pantothenic acid, which aids in the oxidation of fats and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins B, C, manganese, phosphorus, thiamin, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Due to its antibacterial properties, garlic has been utilized in traditional medicine for ages in several regions of Asia, Africa, and Europe. Garlic is now utilized to treat several ailments, including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. According to some accounts, garlic is also used to prevent some cancers, including breast, prostate, and lung cancer, to mention a few.
Is Garlic Dangerous for Chickens?
Garlic is safe for chickens even though it is typically associated with onions. Given the composition of the garlic as indicated above, your hens shouldn't have any problems eating it.
The majority of farmers who feed their hens garlic to boost their immune systems have demonstrated this. However, there is a specific component in garlic that the chicken may be fatally allergic to.
What are the Benefits of Garlic in Chickens?
Anti-pathogens - In addition to its ability to fight off bacteria, fungus, and viruses, garlic also possesses various anti-pathogen qualities. Your chickens can achieve peak health if you combine this with the antioxidants, Vitamin B, and Vitamin C found in garlic.
Appetite Stimulator: Garlic can be added to food to assist chickens regain their appetite when they are ill and have lost it. It is well known that garlic can increase appetite.
Antiseptic - For many years, people have used garlic as a medicine. Crushed garlic can be applied to a cut that your chicken sustains while running around to halt the bleeding and hasten healing.
Immune system booster – Despite its unpleasant scent, garlic is a herb noted for being nutrient-rich. This means that giving your chicken regular doses of meal or water infused with garlic will help them become healthier overall.
How Much Garlic Should I Feed My Chickens?
Remember that moderation is the key when deciding how much garlic to give your flock. Garlic should only ever be used fresh and raw.
When giving garlic to your hens, keep the following advice in mind:
- Four cloves per gallon or one clove every litre of water.
- One clove, or half a clove, to four pints or one litre of oil.
- Twice weekly, add one clove to the dish, either crushed or finely chopped.
How Can I Feed Chickens Garlic?
If your hens are accustomed to the taste of garlic, you can give them two cloves chopped up into tiny pieces in a separate bowl from your flock's regular feed. However, you should never give your chickens cooked garlic. One chopped clove of garlic can be added to their food if your hens have never eaten it before.
It is advisable to feed crushed garlic within 24 hours because the benefits start to diminish after that. You may also feed garlic to your chickens by dissolving it in their food or oil. Here's how to do this:
Feeding garlic to water: Crush one clove and add it to each litre of the person's drinking water. You can do this twice weekly, but if your birds are weak, you can continue giving them garlic until they recover.
Garlic in oil: Due to the risk of botulism, always use two to three cloves of garlic that have been soaked in one litre of oil for around six hours. Some of this oil can be applied to the feed for your flock.
Additionally, you can add dried garlic powder to the food your hens eat. On Amazon, this is a reliable, cost-effective brand to purchase. The rate at which your chickens lay eggs can be increased, along with the quality and weight of the eggs, with just 1% of powder added to their meal.
By thinly slicing garlic and roasting it for about two hours at a very low temperature, you can manufacture your own powdered garlic.
When the slices have cooled, you may store them in a glass jar and grind them into a fine powder to use when needed by using a pestle and mortar.
Does Garlic Eliminate Chicken Worms?
If you do find worms in your chicken's faeces, this indicates that they have established a colony and that you should stop giving them garlic.
For your bird, you must administer a wormer. Garlic may have a similar effect on worms as it does on red mites, but it's important to use other methods in addition to garlic if you want to prevent worm infestations.
Conclusion:
If you do discover worms in your chicken's droppings, this means that a colony has grown and you need to cease giving them garlic. You need to give your bird a wormer. If you want to prevent worm infestations, you need employ additional ways in addition to garlic, which may have a similar effect on worms as it does on red mites.