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7 Natural Ways to Boost Your Chicken’s Immune System

chicken's immune system

During the winter months, we all suffer from the winter blahs to some degree.

Chickens, too, can get ‘low.’

After all, there is little fresh green food available, limited exercise, and short daylight.

So what can you do to help boost your chicken’s immune system and get them feeling ‘peppy’ for the spring season ahead?

We have come up with 7 natural ways to help your hens beat the winter blues and get into top shape for the egg-laying and chick-rearing season!

7 Natural Ways to Boost Your Chickens Immune System

What is the Chicken’s Immune System?

immune boosters for poultry

We often talk about having a good immune system, but what is it, and how does it work?

The immune system is not well understood, even in humans; basically, it is the mechanism that fights off illness, disease, and infection.

That is a huge job since micro-organisms are constantly all around our chickens and us!

Many of these organisms are harmless, but some are pathogenic (disease-causing), and these are the ones our immune system fights.

For a chicken to effectively fight these organisms, the immune system must be in great shape and have everything it needs to be effective.

Those things are vitamins, minerals, good nutrition, low stressors, and sufficient rest.

There is no quick-fix or a single item that will fix everything – be skeptical of such claims. Your flock needs many things to aid the immune system.

Many other things govern the immune response also – genetic factors, age, gut health, inflammatory conditions, or poor environment.

We cannot change some of those things, but we can certainly help with good, beneficial food and supplements.

This time of year is a great time to check each hen for any health problems and treat them accordingly.

Ensuring your girls have a low-stress environment is important, so try to keep things mellow and routine around the coop.

Chickens love routine.

Anything new can be stressful for them – unless it’s edible!

Rest, too, is essential. At this time of year, it may seem like all they do is eat or sleep, but that’s ok.

They have a busy year ahead of them. Once the egg-laying and chick-rearing season startup, those hens will have plenty to do, and it will take its’ toll on their bodies.

Chickens Immune System

Chicken’s Immune System Booster 1: Garlic

Garlic is a powerful aid to the immune system. It is also antimicrobial, repels parasites, and is said to deter intestinal worms while stimulating the immune system.

You can add 4 cloves of crushed garlic to a gallon of drinking water. If your birds aren’t used to garlic, make sure they are drinking enough water – add another drinker of ordinary water if needed.

Do not use garlic in a metal drinker – garlic will corrode it.
You should change out the cloves every 2-3 days and replace them with fresh cloves.

You can also use fresh garlic powder if you have it on hand. As with most things, too much can be a bad thing – garlic can cause Heinz anemia which causes weakness in chickens.

Chicken’s Immune System Booster 2: Herbs

How I Use Herbs in My Coop and Why You Should Too Blog CoverMany herbs are recommended to aid in chickens’ health and digestion. In fact, some commercial chicken concerns have started adding oregano and cinnamon oil to their birds’ diet.

  • Oregano – is the clear favorite for a healthful boost. It boosts the immune system and helps guard against certain infections such as salmonella, infectious bronchitis, avian influenza, and E. coli.
  • Cinnamon – is a great all-rounder. It has antibacterial properties, reduces inflammation, and is an antioxidant.
  • Turmeric – has great antibiotic and anti-infective benefits.
  • Ginger – is another anti-infective, anti-viral herb that boosts the immune system.
  • Parsley – rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K plus numerous trace elements, it is said to stimulate egg-laying.

The list can be extensive, but the herbs above are the most popular.

Although chickens don’t have a great sense of smell, they do possess one.

So sprinkling fresh herbs such as lavender in the coop and especially the nest boxes might put them in a calm and happy frame of mind.

Chicken’s Immune System Booster 3: Fruit

Frozen Fruit For ChickensMany fruits are healthy for your chicken: melons, watermelons, grapes, bananas, and berries being the most frequently offered.

Citrus fruit is one of those items that the jury hasn’t decided on. Many folks say their flock loves citrus (not lemons), yet others will tell you it’s bad for them but no details on what happens if they eat it.

Here are some of the fruits you can feed your chickens to boost their immune system:

  • Bananas – contain vitamins B6 and B12, plus magnesium, potassium, fiber, and protein. If like me, you don’t like eating bruised bananas, the girls will help you out!
  • Blueberries – Berries, too, are packed full of healthful nutrients. Vitamins and trace elements such as selenium and phosphorus abound. They aid in digestion and contain antioxidants. I love to watch the girls race after frozen blueberries…it gives them to exercise too.
  • Strawberries – another superfood for your ladies. Full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and a powerful immune booster, plus the girls truly love them!
  • Raspberries, blackberries – the hens enjoy all. If you have a bramble patch, you will find a few intrepid hens in there eating all the berries they can find.

Make sure also to read what not to feed your chickens.

Chicken’s Immune System Booster 4: Greens

Fresh green veggies pack loads of vitamins and goodness. As an example – kale contains vitamins A, C, K, B6 plus calcium, potassium, copper, and manganese.

Your hens will enjoy some fresh greens as a treat, and it doesn’t have to be the ‘regular’ expensive supermarket greens; think dandelions, chickweed, and plantain.

Turn the ladies out to free-range, and they will head straight for the grass and peck away contentedly.

  • Dandelions – contain vitamins A, B, C, E, and K and numerous trace elements such as calcium and manganese. It is said to aid digestion; it is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory pain reliever, not too bad for a common weed!
  • Plantain – another firm favorite with healthful benefits. It contains vitamins and minerals, and the seeds are said to be a natural wormer and detoxifier.

You can also make a healing salve from plantain – there are several recipes on the web.

Other common weeds that are beneficial to your ladies are clover, chickweed, and wild strawberries.

Of course, this is just a small sampling of the goodness available for free, right under their beaks!

Chickens Immune System

Chicken’s Immune System Booster 5: Tonics

The easiest and cheapest ‘tonic’ for your chickens is apple cider vinegar.

It is great for digestion and increases calcium absorption especially in the summer months – it is also mildly antiseptic. The recommended dose is 1 tablespoon/1 gallon water. Do not use metal containers.

It will cause them to corrode as it is acidic.

There are also numerous commercial ‘tonics’ and supplements out there too that are beneficial to your flock.

Chicken’s Immune System Booster 6: Seeds and Grains

Fermented feed for your ladies is an excellent way to boost their nutrition in the gloomy winter months.

Feed that has been fermented is higher in vitamins B, C, and K contains probiotics that help digestion, and increases the availability of the nutrients locked inside the grain.

This method of feeding decreases feeds consumption and waste, all while boosting the immune system!

Another quick and healthful idea for your birds is sprouted seeds. Seeds are very cleverly made. They keep many of the nutrients locked inside, and when eaten, do not give them up.

To unlock the seeds’ inner goodness, you can soak them in water until they start to sprout – they are then ready for the girls to eat.

If you take that one step further and let the seeds grow, you have fodder for your girls.
Cracked corn is a sure-fire crowd pleaser!

Give this to the girls in the evening before bedtime; otherwise, they will fill up on this instead of the more nutritious feed. This will keep their digestive tract busy through the night hours.

Chicken’s Immune System Booster 7: Eggs & Dairy

Eggs! They are good for you, and they are good for the chickens too! As a treat on cold days, mix some scrambled eggs – you can also add your dried herbs to the mix.

Chickens do not process milk products well, but you can give small amounts of yogurt to them, adding to perhaps some oatmeal or feed mash on a freezing day.

My favorite mash is warm oatmeal with added birdseed, oregano, and 2-3 large dollops of yogurt. Mix it all and stand well back before they start flinging oatmeal everywhere!

Don’t forget to give them the eggshells too. Bake the shells in the oven on low heat for about an hour and make sure the shells are crushed down into teeny, tiny pieces, so they aren’t recognizable as eggshells – you don’t want them eating their own fresh eggs!

Giving them back the eggshells helps them get more calcium into their bodies, ready for the laying season.

FAQs For Immune System Boosters for Chickens

Can Chickens Eat Cinnamon?

Yes, and actually adding cinnamon to a chicken’s diet can help them fight off respiratory infection and illness.

Make sure to feed them in moderation much like with anything.

What Is a Natural Antibiotic for Chickens?

Herbs and spices like oregano oil, cinnamon, sage, garlic, thyme, echinacea, AND turmeric seem to have antibiotic benefits to keep them from getting sick.

Is Ginger Good for Chickens?

We know that ginger soothes digestive issues in humans, but for chickens, it can help with other things like spurring up an appetite, it is an antioxidant (enhance the meat of broiler chickens) , and can have stress-reducing properties.

Summary

Do we spoil our hens? Absolutely! They know they are spoiled but pay us back with lots of wonderful eggs and perhaps some chicks too.

They can’t do this without a healthy immune system, so it is important to supplement their usual feed and water through the winter months.

Even if you only add a tonic mix to the water, you are helping them to remain healthy through the worst time of the year.

Ensuring that your hens are in great shape physically and mentally is extremely important if you want them to perform the daily miracle of an egg.

A fully functioning and robust immune system will help them stay healthy and happy – so keep on spoiling them.

Let us know your favorite immune-boosting trick in the comments section below…

7 Natural Ways to Boost Your Chicken-s Immune System

18 thoughts on “7 Natural Ways to Boost Your Chicken’s Immune System

  1. This is such a valuable topic covered very well by you. Thanks for that! I love the idea of the hanging herbs, which I will now add to both of the coops!
    Thanks again!

      1. This afternoon I went to pick up my eggs and found one of my beautiful buffs left me a miniature egg ! Similar to the first one layer. Also I picked up an Americana egg and it broke in my hand ! What can I do to help my girls ?

  2. This time of the year, apple supplyers are trowing thousand apples that are ”unfit” for market… I have a door to door pedler that charge me $8.00 for 25 pds of good apples with minor defects . I slide them 3 at the time on a string ang hang them in the coupe, making it a lasting treat and give them about 15 apples x 2 days, for 43 chickens… This supplement my cabbage hung ounce evry 3-4 days. Party in the pen every time. Cheers!

  3. Our little ladies LOVE watermelon.
    They eat everything except for carrot. I don’t know what it is, but it is always left and eaten by other birds.
    Mashed potato with added herbs and garlic is also a favourite. They loooove meal worms with powdered egg shell too. it amazes me to what they will eat. Did know they love pasta but didn’t know they’d eat curries. lol. Love our girls.

  4. Thanks so much but do I have to feed with all the seven ways or just pick any way which I can afford

  5. I really like all of the information that you give us, thanks I have 30 chicken. And I tell you what they all are my babies, I have only lost one in two years. They can wait until I get home. They are so relaxing to be around. Thanks alot.

  6. Not sure what a ‘tonic mix’ is ? Can anyone please explain because I would like to add it to my sweet chickens.

    1. You can generally buy them in the feed stores – it’s basically a vitamin solution. It doesn’t need to be given daily, usually once a month or so.

  7. I have 3 Rhode Island reds and one Americana.I had a giant box of orange cheerios and mixed it in the girls scratch feed and layer pellets. They love them so much they pick them out first.

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