Making tea for chickens might sound unconventional at first, but it's actually a beneficial practice that many poultry keepers swear by! Here's why tea can be great for your chickens:

Health Benefits: Tea offers various health benefits for chickens, such as building a healthy immune system, improving respiratory health, and enhancing egg quality.
Hydration: Tea provides extra hydration for your birds, especially during hot weather or when they are recovering from illness.
Natural Remedies: Certain types of teas, like chamomile or mint, can have calming or digestive benefits for chickens.
Easy to Make: Making tea for chickens is simple and cost-effective, making it accessible for poultry keepers of all levels.
It's important to use natural and safe ingredients when making tea for your chickens, avoiding any additives or caffeine. Always consult with a veterinarian or poultry expert to ensure you're providing the best care for your flock.

Benefits of Tea​:

Chamomile: Helps lower stress, has calming effects, and soothes inflamed skin when used as a wash.
Dandelion: Aids in flushing out toxins, acts as a blood cleanser, and supports adjustment to seasonal changes.
Raspberry: Effective for diarrhea and upper respiratory conditions.
Rosehips: Rich in Vitamin C, boosts the immune system, and beneficial for arthritis pain.
Rosemary: Assists with pain relief, enhances respiratory health, and acts as a natural insect repellent.
Also new, fall/winter brew contains herbs to support health in cold weather, Rosemary, Basil, Dill, chamomile.

How to Make:

How to Make: Boil water in a pot or kettle. The amount of water depends on how much tea you want to make.
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, turn off the heat.
Add the herbs to the hot water. Use about a handful of herbs per quart of water, but you can adjust this based on your preference and the potency of the herbs.
Let the herbs steep in the hot water for at least 10-15 minutes. Steeping longer will result in a stronger tea.
Let the tea cool down to a warm or room temperature before offering it to your chickens. Hot tea can burn their mouths, so be cautious.
If desired, you can add a teaspoon of local or organic honey to the tea for added health benefits and palatability.
Serve the herbal tea to your chickens in a clean waterer or dish. You can also freeze the tea in ice cube trays during hot weather and offer it as a refreshing treat.
Serve warm on cool days or freeze in summer as ice cubes and give as a a treat. It really encourages them to stay hydrated. 

Adding a teaspoon of local or organic honey further enhances the health benefits of the herbal blends.

Choose your flavor  1/4 LB bag

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Lemon/Rosemary

Respiratory support

Parsley/Oregano

Peppermint/Dandy

Seasonal Blend

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This sprinkle adds a flavor and nutrient boost to your poultry's diet.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup hemp seeds (a common crop in the 1800s)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 tbsp dried cranberries (or chopped raisins)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (similar nutritional benefits to chia)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for a spicy kick

Instructions:

1. In a dry frying pan over low heat, toast the hemp seeds and rolled oats for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
2. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
3. In a bowl, combine the toasted seeds and oats with dried cranberries, flaxseed, cayenne pepper (if using), and salt.
4. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

How to Use:

• Sprinkle a small amount (around 1 tablespoon) on top of your chicken's regular feed daily.
• You can also mix it into moistened feed for a bit of variety.

• Notes:

  • Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper depending on your desired spice level.
  • You can substitute other dried fruits like chopped apples or cherries for the cranberries.
  • If hemp seeds are unavailable, use an equal amount of additional rolled oats.

  This recipe provides a nutritious treat for your poultry using ingredients that would have been familiar to farmers in the 1800s. The hemp seeds offer healthy fats, while the rolled oats and flaxseed provide fiber. The dried fruit adds a touch of sweetness and vitamins, and the cayenne pepper (optional) can boost the immune system.

Best way to deal with chicken lice

 Lice and other mites on chickens can be a common thing unfortunately. The best way to treat them is with preventative measures like sanitary coop conditions and providing your chickens with a a place to dust bathe.

In a study performed by the University of California Riverside, chickens that rolled in a dust bath of sand and diatomaceous earth showed a huge reduction in the amount of external parasites after just a week. If you have chickens that aren’t laying as well, it might possibly be caused by mites. If your chickens have to fight of an infestation, they have less energy for egg production.

The best way to treat them is what I call the Shake & Bake method.

• Use an old pillow case and place it inside a large plastic bag.
  

• Place diatomaceous earth, food grade, about a cup. You can mix in Sevin if you wish to use it.

• Make sure to wear a breathing mask and gloves.

• Here's a good video explaining it:

Just say no to sweaters

Chickens may look fashionable or cute in a sweater but there are many reasons why it's a bad idea.

Sweaters will make your chickens actually colder

Chickens regulate their body temp by fluffing up their feathers. Feathers trap pockets of air in the downy layers of their under-feathers, which insulates them quite well.

When you put a sweater on a chicken they can't fluff their feathers any longer, so they actually feel colder.

Sweaters are a great place for lice and mites to hide

Unfortunately, lice and mites are a common pest of poultry, we strive               to keep them pest free but a sweater undermines our hard work and                 gives the nasty critters a nice hiding place

Sweaters harbor germs

A sweater on your bird will pick up bits of bedding, poop, and germs.

Sweaters and pin feathers don't mix

Sweaters interfere with feather growth and is an ideal way to catch new feathers or pinfeathers and cause pain.

Sweaters don't allow your birds to dust bathe

Chickens love to take dust baths, it's how they stay clean and control lice and mites. A sweater won't allow them to dust bathe,  

Sweaters are a colorful attractant for predators

Cute and colorful sweaters make your chicken more visible to predators like hawks and raccoons for instance. Why make them easier an easy target?

Just skip the sweaters

If you're looking for ways to keep your chickens warm there are other ways.

• Minimize drafts in the coop
  
• Keep them well fed
• Use the deep litter method
• Keep your coop well ventilated

 

The Benefits of Lavender

 

Lavender, it's not just for sachets. In fact, Lavender has been used to soothe and heal people for a long time. Lavender aromatherapy is not only soothing for us but for animals too. A word of caution here. Some essential oils can be toxic to cats. Certain essential oils naturally contain phenols and should never be used with cats. Their liver does not produce the enzymes to digest these compounds allowing them to build up to toxic levels in their systems.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a perennial herb in the mint family, native to the Mediterranean. The leaves, stems and flowers may be used, but flowers are the typical choice for therapeutic and medicinal use on pets. The most common forms are dry, (heavily diluted) essential oil, ‘tea’, or Bach Flower Remedies.

• Just some of the benefits are: Antibacterial / Antibiotic Anti-fungal Astringent Anti-inflammatory Antispasmodic Analgesic (pain killer) Antipruritic (reduces itching) Regenerative Calming and antidepressive Tick repellent

Lavender is wonderful as an insect repellent, it is very useful to have in the kitchen because it effectively deters houseflies from hanging around. Planting lavender bushes close to the entryways of your home, can also keep many pesky bugs from entering.

Super Strong Insect Repellent Recipe~ (from https://skyaboveus.com/camping/Lavender-Insect-Repellent-Recipe) This bug zapper is seriously strong smelling when first applied but will disappear once dry on the skin. It is both antiviral and antibacterial. Ideal for walking in large infested woods or near water, it is also great for Morris mosquito attacks!

Ingredients:1 large clean glass jar with lid

32 oz apple cider vinegar

2-3 tbsp of dried lavender, mint, rosemary, thyme and sage (12-15 tbsp total)

Method:Pour the apple cider vinegar into the glass jar. Add the dried herbs and give a good stir. Screw on lid tightly and leave in the kitchen where you will see it. Leave for 3 weeks, shaking the mixture daily to get the herbs infusing with the vinegar. After 3 weeks, strain out the herbs. You will need another jar or a mixing bowl will work fine. Pour your infused repellent into the glass jar and pop into the fridge until you need it.

To use the repellent take a clean spray bottle (easily purchased in drug stores, pharmacies and dollar stores) and have half water half vinegar. Give a good shake and your set! Keep the main jar in the fridge until you need to make it up. Every time you need to replenish, add half vinegar with half water.

DIY Chicken vitamins

 I saw this on Instagram and thought it was a wonderful idea to use those eggshells

Save all of your eggshells until you have a enough to fill a sheet pan. I keep mine in a tub in the freezer. (I don’t wash them or do anything special to them, just throw them in the tub after cracking them open).

Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they become dry and brittle.

Pulverize the baked egg shells in your blender or food processor until they are a fine powder. Add herbs and process again.

Here are some herb suggestions to add:
Rosemary - antioxidant and antibacterial
Ginger - stress reducer and helps circulatory system plus a study found that hens supplemented with ginger started laying eggs with a greater mass and also higher amount of antioxidants in the egg yolks.

Oregano and thyme - natural antibiotic
Turmeric - stimulates the digestive system, add 1/2 teaspoon

Sprinkle on your flocks feed daily. No need to spend money on calcium or vitamins. 

Ginger for poultry

 

I did quite a bit of research before adding Ginger to my wellness blend. I knew Ginger was good for us humans but had to make sure it's good for poultry and goats as well. I found this article by Dr. Zhao. He found that hens supplemented with ginger powder started laying eggs with a greater mass and also found a higher amount of antioxidant in the egg yolks.

Dr Zhao concludes by claiming that the ‘optimum’ amount of ginger powder for laying hens is between 10-15 grams per kilogram of feed. here's a link to the article