Do you know that Natural Medications In Poultry can benefit you a lot as a farmer?

A lot of people are into indigenous chicken/village chicken/roadrunner/boschveld chicken farming and inevitably they get challenges when the birds are stricken with diseases.

The most common option is to use antibiotics but this may bring about some challenges. They may be expensive or not readily available in rural areas. Added to this, the misuse of antibiotics is another real challenge. 

Misuse of antibiotics among poultry farmers is rampant and this is dangerous to both animals and human beings. Misuse of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance. The remains of antibiotics are left in animal products like eggs, poultry meat and milk.

This article seeks to show you some simple, backyard solutions that will save you money and time and ensure that you produce organic, tasty, chicken.

These solutions are foods and spices that we use in our day to day lives. As we will show, these foods are an effective cure to ailments in your poultry flock.

We will look at ginger, pepper, garlic, aloe vera and yoghurt as natural medicinal alternatives for your chickens. They can also be used proactively i.e before any disease attacks your birds.

These natural medicines can be used alongside conventional drugs and vaccines. These medications tend to be effective on smallholder farms with 100 birds and below.

1.)Pepper.

You wonder why some communities like them especially Indians? Pepper has been known to improve metabolism but in poultry, it is useful as it aids killing parasites that cause digestive problems e.g coccidiosis and also kills worms by burning them.

》Sprinkle ½ teaspoon in chicken feed.

2.)Garlic.

This particular spice alongside onions helps the birds in boosting immunity and also fights respiratory problems in poultry. Garlic will also kill external parasites as it produces sulphur in the body. The sulphur in the chicken's blood will overpower the parasites.

》Add 3 cloves to 5 litres of water or a pinch or two of powdered garlic in dry feeds every day.

3.)Ginger.

Ginger in chicken will boost appetite, help in digestive problems and is also an immune booster. Ginger also has anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.

》☆Just add a small pinch of ginger powder to the feed 

4.)Aloe vera
Aloe vera juice acts as an appetizer and also helps in disinfecting and treating wounds.

》☆Squeeze a few drops of aloe vera juice into the wound. It's a natural antibiotic. It assists in curing victims of cannibalism. Apply it in the wounds of cannibalized birds and the bitter taste will deter the culprits.

5.) Fermented/Sour Milk/Yoghurt

Sour milk/yoghurt acts as a probiotic and kills harmful bacteria in the intestines helping to ensure improved immunity. As a result of this diarrhoea is prevented.

》☆Add it to feeds to form lumps but do not drench. It can also be fed free of choice.

6.)Papaya/pawpaw seeds.

Pawpaw seeds act as a good dewormer and also help prevent coccidiosis infection.

》☆Dry the seeds for two weeks and grind them. Mix 10gms of the powder in 10litres of water.

7.)Pumpkin/cucumber/courgette seeds.

》☆These seeds when ground can be mixed in water to control worms.

8.)Stinging nettle.

The plant provides lots of vitamins and minerals to your poultry flock.
》☆You can dry the leaves and make powder for use on water or feeds.

9.)Apple cider vinegar.

This is readily available in supermarkets.
》☆Use 5mls in 1 litre of drinking water and give to your birds for 3-5 days once a month. Rich in vitamins and minerals.

Do you know of any other medicinal plants or spices that can be used to cure poultry? Please add them in the comments below.

Please remember that when using all these natural medications in poultry make sure you use conventional drugs too but in a controlled manner prescribed by a vet. Avoid misuse of antibiotics and always vaccinate your birds.

READ: How To Grow Your Poultry Business

How to treat your birds after a Disease Outbreak

1. 🐓Flue-like symptoms(krrrrrr, krrrrrrr ) and/ swollen heads:
💊Use any of these;
Respimint, Coloxan, Doxin, Interflox or Coliflox
Do not let the birds get chilled.

2. 🐓Sick birds with red/blood droppings:
(coccidiosis)
💊Use Sulphur drugs
like : Sulfacox, Esb3, Amprolium, Coxoid and Bremamed.

Other home-made remedies you can use are: Crushed charcoal in water, Mutiti, Gavakava (Aloe Vera), Mhiripiri (Pepper) mixed in water

3. 🐓Sick birds with watery, greenish or whitish droppings.
💊Use Coloxan, Doxin, Interflox, Coliflox, Sulfacox, Hi-trusulf, Esb3 or Bremamed.
🌳Gavakava (Aloe Vera) in drinking water.

4. 🐓Fowl Pox, (kuvhara maziso), sores and blisters:
💊Use Aliseryl, Nemovit, Sulfacox, Esb3. Control biting insects esp mosquitoes which spread the disease (Use Cislin to control insects.)

🌳Gavakava (Aloe Vera) in drinking water and apply the juice directly on affected areas.

5. 🐓General Sickness, inactive birds that seem cold, drooping wings but having normal droppings
💊Use Aliseryl, Nemovit, Terranox, Tylocip, Virukill

🌳Gavakava (Aloe Vera) in drinking water.

6. 🐓Worms in bird droppings or intestines:
💊Use Piperin, Piperazine, Tetramisole or Hygromix

🌳Mhiripiri (Pepper), Gavakava (Aloe Vera), Mutiti mixed in water
Deworm broilers at 6 weeks and layers at 19 weeks. Repeat every 8 weeks.

7. 🐓Growth Supplements (boosters)
💊Use Aminogrow, Introchick, Broiler Vitaboost, Ashboost
🌳Gavakava (Aloe Vera)

8. 🐓Egg Production Supplements (egg booster):
💊Use Breeder vitaboost, Nemovit, Introchick or Aminogrow.
🌳Gavakava (Aloe Vera)
Light triggers a hen's pituitary gland to produce eggs, ⏱provide up to 16 hours of light by adding supplemental lighting.

9. 🐓Heat stress:
💊Use Betasol-c, Electrolytes and/or aspirin. Provide birds with cool water with vitamin C, to also reduce heat stress. (Stress pack)

10. 🐓Huge liver, water in belly of dead birds, ascites (just a remedy but not cure):
💊Use Bedgen-40,6, Introchick. Ensure proper ventilation and right temperature during the early stages of growth.

11. 🐓For poisoned birds
🌳give powdered charcoal in water. It will absorb the toxins.

🌳 Organic Remedies 🌳
These work as antibiotics, health boosters, dewormers with healing and preventive properties for general sickness.

🌳 Mutiti (Lucky Bean Tree)🌳
Crush the bark and use it in water

🌳 Mucherechesi 🌳
Crush the pods to produce yellow powder

🌳 Muchecheni 🌳
Soak crushed the bark in water

🌳 Gavakava (Aloe Vera) 🌳
Cut into pieces and dip in drinking water or extract the juice

Source: AfrostainfarmTech

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