Healthy backyard chickens – it always a good goal. It is also important to keep your chickens healthy in the most natural way possible – no chemicals, no antibiotics (unless completely necessary), organic/non-GMO feed, etc.
If you’ve read our post on natural chicken care, then you know there are several supplements and treatments that we use to keep our flock looking and feeling good. One of the most powerful supplements is garlic. You can make your own DIY garlic oil supplement for healthy backyard chickens.
DIY Garlic Oil Supplement for Healthy Backyard Chickens
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced **
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cups layer feed
1/2 cup scratch – Naturally Free Organic Layer Feed for Chickens and Ducks (or cracked corn, mealworms –Happy Hen Treats Mealworm Frenzy,
Directions
1. Steep minced garlic and olive oil in a glass jar in the sun for 4+ hours.
2. Combine layer feed and scratch.
3. Drizzle the feed mixture with the infused oil and stir to coat.
4. Feed to hens in their normal feeder or a feeder used for supplements.
5. Keep leftover oil in the fridge and use it over the next couple of days.
Note: You’ll want to use a bit less if your girls have never had garlic as part of their diet. Just like it is for us, garlic can be a strong flavor and may turn your birds off from eating/drinking. Start them out with just a little and build tolerance over time.
Now, you may be wondering WHY do we want to feed this garlic oil concoction to our chickens? Well, to begin garlic oil is great for boosting your chickens’ immune systems. Additionally, it can help with:
- mites and other parasites (including fleas, mites, lice, and ticks). When garlic is added to a chicken’s diet, the chicken no longer “tastes” good to the parasites.
- improved respiratory health.
- deworming. Garlic is heralded as a natural dewormer.
- the smell of chicken manure. A regular garlic oil supplement will reduce the amount of ammonia in the chicken’s poop and make your manure a little less *ahem* “fragrant.”
Some people who feed their chickens garlic oil regularly comment that it changes the taste of their eggs slightly. I have never experienced this but just know that it is a possibility.
For more information, check out my post on natural chicken care.