Hey and thanks for taking time to read my article! Today I am going to show you how to treat upper respiratory infections the natural way. I will also be including a plan to help you understand and know when to treat and for how long. If you have any questions leave a comment and I will get back to you!
URI's = Upper Respiratory Infection's
First we are going to talk about the symptoms of URI's, then the causes followed by the herbs you can use in all their different forms.
SYMPTOMS:
~ gasping for air
~ gurgly breathing
~ runny nose
~ nose clogged with smelly boogers
~ sneezing
~ coughing
~ congestion
~ choking on mucus
~ bubbles in eyes
~ bubbles in mouth
~ pale face and/or comb and wattles
~ little to no appetite
~ weak/lethargic
~ thin egg shells
~ drop in egg production
~ constantly shaking head
~ watery eyes
~ breathing heavily/with whole body
~ thick booger like substance coming from eyes
~ diarrhea
~ puffed face
~ face inflated near the sinus
~ hiding away to sleep/lay down
~ change in voice/voice loss
~ open mouth breathing
~ roosters stop crowing
Something I noticed is that its rare to see only one symptom in your chickens if they are dealing with a URI. If you are seeing only one symptom try to find out if there are any other diseases or sicknesses that have the same symptom before you start treating them with man made antibiotics for a URI.
Causes:
These causes could be more long term (like cold weather) and take a few weeks to months to actually affect your chickens and others only need a few minutes of exposure to your chickens to cause harm.
cold temperature
drafts in chicken coop
recent drop in temperature
moldy/molded bedding
wild animals (mainly birds) -transmitted through droppings or contaminated food or water.
and more
WHAT NATURAL THINGS CAN YOU USE TO TREAT A URI?
Basil
Bee balm
Dill
Echinacea
Oregano
Astragalus
Thyme
Echinacea
Turmeric
Ginger
Lovage
Garlic
Nasturtium
Oregano
Rose petals
Rosemary
Aloe vera
Cinnamon
Yarrow
Mint
These herbs either directly help they respiratory tract or are a immune booster, which is very important to help sickly chickens.
How Can You Use Them?
There are three different forms of these herbs.
Raw
dried/powdered
and oil.
For example raw and powdered are not as strong as the oil version of a herb and need to be given in a bigger amount, but are much easier to come by most times. (Just because they are not as strong it does not mean they wont help, you just need to use more). If your using a raw version you will need to use more (1/4+ cup daily) compared to using the oil version (a few cc's, or about a eyedropper amount). I will try to organize doses for each one below.
Raw:
When using raw herbs the dose is higher because its not as strong as the oil or dried/powdered version, but don't be afraid because it doesn't make it any less helpful. If you are lucky your sick chicken may eat the raw herbs directly from your hand. Fun fact: chickens sometimes crave the herbs their body needs! If not there are two things you can do. Number 1 is to blend a small amount of the raw herbs (about 1/4 cup at a time) with 1 tbsp water and syringe feed it to your chicken every 3-6 hours. Number 2 is break small pieces of the herbs and roll them into small balls or burritos and insert them into the chickens mouth (not upper throat!) and they are forced to swallow them. You can feed them 1/4 cup of raw herbs every 4-6 hours.
Powdered/dried:
You can use a powdered or tea version of herbs just make sure its organic and not a mix of several different herbs. For the tea you will want to boil water, about a cup just in case a lot evaporates. Next add 1/4 cup of that water to a cup and steep for 5+minutes. After you have steeped it, & its cooled down give to your sick chicken. You can offer it to them to drink on their own, if they don't like the taste you can syringe feed it to them (like in this vid). If you are using powdered herbs you can get them from the human spice isle. Just make sure its organic and not mixed with other herbs. You can make a tea from it, or sprinkle it over their food. For the powdered herbs I use about 1/8-1/4 tsp per dose 1-3x a day.
Oil:
When using the oil version of any herb be careful. They can be very strong and overdosing is dangerous. The most commonly used oil is oregano oil, but no matter which you use the dose should be the same. A good ratio would be 1 drop herb oil mixed into 1 cup of water. Mix well and let your sick chicken drink from it, make sure its the only water they have access to. If the chicken doesn't want to drink try dipping their beak into the water a few times to get them to drink or syringe 1 drop of the oil directly into their mouth once every few hours.
Water "Elixir" Mix: I made a insta post about it to!
This isn't actually a cure all elixir, (its just a good name). Its a recipe I made from mixing other recipes together. This recipe uses raw herbs and if possible & you have them, herb oils. (I will link them).
Ingrediets:
For Entire Flock:
~ 1 Gallon Water
~ 1/2 Bulb Garlic
~ 1 Cup Of Mixed Herbs From List Above, Not Compressed. ( I sometimes use basil alone though if its all I have)
~ 4 Drops Oregano Oil
~ 2-6 Drops Of Activated VetRx
Single Serving For Sick Chicken:
~ 2 Cups Water
~ 1-2 Cloves Garlic
~ 1-2 TBSP Mixed Raw Herbs
~ 1 Drop Oregano Oil
~ 2 Drops Activated VetRx
This is more of an estimate of how much I usual use because I never measure I always eyeball it
, so feel free to change amounts depending on how much you have/what worked for your before.
Directions:
Put your peeled cloves on a cutting board and lay the flat side of a knife over them, apply pressure to crack. Next in a bowl put your mixed herbs and crush them with something (I use a wooden pestle) till you see green juices coming out. Now put that in your chickens waterer for example here is the one I have. Add water plus the oregano oil, and mix well. Next add a few drops of activated VetRx to the top of the water so when the chickens drink they get it on their beaks and in their mouth. My flock usually finish their "elixir" water in less then a week, and I don't change their water unless its becomes more then a week old. For sick chickens if they are not drinking it by themselves you can give them 5 cc's of the water every 1-2 hours.
VetRx:
Vetrx is a mix of a few things including a carrier (corn oil) and herb oils. Its definitely useful but remember its not an antibiotic but more like vicks vapor rub for chickens. It helps more or less with congestion. Besides adding it around the face/beak and on the feathers I like to add it to a warm water humidifier. You just fill it up with water and then about 4-6 drops of vetrx. Make sure the chicken is not in a small enclosed area while the humidifier is on because the smell could be to strong for them.
Essential Oils:
Essential oils are another good way to help your chickens to get through a URI. You can use any essential oils you have on hand that are on the list of herbs. To apply mix it well with a carrier such as coconut oil (or any oil) with a ratio of 1 tsp carrier:5 drops essential oil. I like to apply the mixture to their legs, beak, and after moving the feathers from the back aside, on the skin over their lungs. PLEASE make sure you use enough carrier oil and mix well because some essential oils have a burning sensation if applied without enough carrier oil.
Before I end this article I just want to say I am in no way a vet. I am just a experienced chicken owner who wants to share any useful info I know with you. If any of the info seems to be incorrect please reach out and let me know, I will correct it.
And on that note: The title of this article is how to treat URI's naturally but here is the catch. Sometimes only using natural products helps. This can be in mild cases or if you are using strong antibiotics like oregano oil, but sometimes that doesn't cut it. How will you know natural antibiotics are not working? First off you wont see any improvements and might see a decline in their health. Secondly, you might see them get better but then their progress comes to a halt. They don't seem get any better or worse. What can you do in this type of situation? First off try using different antibiotics. If you are using raw herbs try adding powders, if your using powders try raw herbs, maybe do a mix of all three if your not already. How big is your bird? A chickens weight can range from 3 pounds (as an adult) all the way to 10+. A bigger chicken will need more natural antibiotics compared to a 3 pound chicken for you to see a improvement in their health.
Upper respiratory infections in chickens are no joke, things can go downhill quickly, and you may even lose them. I love using natural antibiotics but when I need to I use man made ones. My favorite so far has been tylan 200 and I do recommend it. Some other man made antibiotics are denagaurd, fish amoxicillin (its a broad spectrum antibiotic though) and LA-200.
why is organic better then non organic?
Have you ever smelled a organic herb plant then a non organic one? Did you notice that the organic one has a strong, sometimes overpowering smell whereas the non organic one has a mild or even no smell? In today's world most foods especially raw ones are fake and just a vessel of what they should be. They are stripped of any nutrients, antioxidants and antibiotic properties they should have. That's why feeding your chickens organic herbs no matter in what form ensures they are getting the nutrients, antioxidants and antibiotic properties they need from it. Otherwise you might as well be feeding them cardboard. What are some good places to get organic herbs? Your local grocery store may sell plants or just little branches of herbs in packets. Or you can but them from this website here. They have a huge selection and they ship them!
If you tried all these and see no difference or believe your chicken may be dealing with a Chronic Respiratory Disease instead of a Upper Respiratory Infection check out my other article on How To Manage CRD's
And Final Note:
For humans and animals alike our main defense is our immune. Its like a iron fence that protects our bodies from sickness. When our iron fence (aka immune) is down everything can enter and do harm. No matter how hard your body tries to fight them off and send out its soldiers (herbal and man made antibiotics) it wont make much difference because the main line of defense is down. No matter how much damage they do to the enemy they will come back and still have access to the body, making them sick all over again. The only way to raise that iron gate (immune) is to feed quality feed, and supplement with immune boosters in the form of chicken supplements, vitamins and minerals, probiotic's herbs, and anything else you know is a immune booster whenever you can. It doesn't have to be hard or expensive either! Water soluble supplements are usually affordable and very easy to use, Herbs can easily be sprinkled around the coop or mixed into their water or feed.
I hope y'all enjoyed my article and let me know what you think
Where To Buy Supporting Products:
natural remedy for cough
oregano oil
natural remedy for nose relief
vitamins & electrolytes powder concentrate
poultry cell
VetRx
Sources And More Articles That Are Good To Read:
https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2013/04/natural-remedies-for-respiratory-issues.html
https://www.communitychickens.com/3-chicken-ailments-zw02001ztil/
https://piwakawakavalley.co.nz/5-natural-remedies-for-sick-chickens/
https://www.naturalnews.com/035449_oregano_antibiotic_herb.html
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/respiratory-tract-infection
URI's = Upper Respiratory Infection's
First we are going to talk about the symptoms of URI's, then the causes followed by the herbs you can use in all their different forms.
SYMPTOMS:
~ gasping for air
~ gurgly breathing
~ runny nose
~ nose clogged with smelly boogers
~ sneezing
~ coughing
~ congestion
~ choking on mucus
~ bubbles in eyes
~ bubbles in mouth
~ pale face and/or comb and wattles
~ little to no appetite
~ weak/lethargic
~ thin egg shells
~ drop in egg production
~ constantly shaking head
~ watery eyes
~ breathing heavily/with whole body
~ thick booger like substance coming from eyes
~ diarrhea
~ puffed face
~ face inflated near the sinus
~ hiding away to sleep/lay down
~ change in voice/voice loss
~ open mouth breathing
~ roosters stop crowing
Something I noticed is that its rare to see only one symptom in your chickens if they are dealing with a URI. If you are seeing only one symptom try to find out if there are any other diseases or sicknesses that have the same symptom before you start treating them with man made antibiotics for a URI.
Causes:
These causes could be more long term (like cold weather) and take a few weeks to months to actually affect your chickens and others only need a few minutes of exposure to your chickens to cause harm.
cold temperature
drafts in chicken coop
recent drop in temperature
moldy/molded bedding
wild animals (mainly birds) -transmitted through droppings or contaminated food or water.
and more
WHAT NATURAL THINGS CAN YOU USE TO TREAT A URI?
Basil
Bee balm
Dill
Echinacea
Oregano
Astragalus
Thyme
Echinacea
Turmeric
Ginger
Lovage
Garlic
Nasturtium
Oregano
Rose petals
Rosemary
Aloe vera
Cinnamon
Yarrow
Mint
These herbs either directly help they respiratory tract or are a immune booster, which is very important to help sickly chickens.
How Can You Use Them?
There are three different forms of these herbs.
Raw
dried/powdered
and oil.
For example raw and powdered are not as strong as the oil version of a herb and need to be given in a bigger amount, but are much easier to come by most times. (Just because they are not as strong it does not mean they wont help, you just need to use more). If your using a raw version you will need to use more (1/4+ cup daily) compared to using the oil version (a few cc's, or about a eyedropper amount). I will try to organize doses for each one below.
Raw:
When using raw herbs the dose is higher because its not as strong as the oil or dried/powdered version, but don't be afraid because it doesn't make it any less helpful. If you are lucky your sick chicken may eat the raw herbs directly from your hand. Fun fact: chickens sometimes crave the herbs their body needs! If not there are two things you can do. Number 1 is to blend a small amount of the raw herbs (about 1/4 cup at a time) with 1 tbsp water and syringe feed it to your chicken every 3-6 hours. Number 2 is break small pieces of the herbs and roll them into small balls or burritos and insert them into the chickens mouth (not upper throat!) and they are forced to swallow them. You can feed them 1/4 cup of raw herbs every 4-6 hours.
Powdered/dried:
You can use a powdered or tea version of herbs just make sure its organic and not a mix of several different herbs. For the tea you will want to boil water, about a cup just in case a lot evaporates. Next add 1/4 cup of that water to a cup and steep for 5+minutes. After you have steeped it, & its cooled down give to your sick chicken. You can offer it to them to drink on their own, if they don't like the taste you can syringe feed it to them (like in this vid). If you are using powdered herbs you can get them from the human spice isle. Just make sure its organic and not mixed with other herbs. You can make a tea from it, or sprinkle it over their food. For the powdered herbs I use about 1/8-1/4 tsp per dose 1-3x a day.
Oil:
When using the oil version of any herb be careful. They can be very strong and overdosing is dangerous. The most commonly used oil is oregano oil, but no matter which you use the dose should be the same. A good ratio would be 1 drop herb oil mixed into 1 cup of water. Mix well and let your sick chicken drink from it, make sure its the only water they have access to. If the chicken doesn't want to drink try dipping their beak into the water a few times to get them to drink or syringe 1 drop of the oil directly into their mouth once every few hours.
Water "Elixir" Mix: I made a insta post about it to!
This isn't actually a cure all elixir, (its just a good name). Its a recipe I made from mixing other recipes together. This recipe uses raw herbs and if possible & you have them, herb oils. (I will link them).
Ingrediets:
For Entire Flock:
~ 1 Gallon Water
~ 1/2 Bulb Garlic
~ 1 Cup Of Mixed Herbs From List Above, Not Compressed. ( I sometimes use basil alone though if its all I have)
~ 4 Drops Oregano Oil
~ 2-6 Drops Of Activated VetRx
Single Serving For Sick Chicken:
~ 2 Cups Water
~ 1-2 Cloves Garlic
~ 1-2 TBSP Mixed Raw Herbs
~ 1 Drop Oregano Oil
~ 2 Drops Activated VetRx
This is more of an estimate of how much I usual use because I never measure I always eyeball it
, so feel free to change amounts depending on how much you have/what worked for your before.Directions:
Put your peeled cloves on a cutting board and lay the flat side of a knife over them, apply pressure to crack. Next in a bowl put your mixed herbs and crush them with something (I use a wooden pestle) till you see green juices coming out. Now put that in your chickens waterer for example here is the one I have. Add water plus the oregano oil, and mix well. Next add a few drops of activated VetRx to the top of the water so when the chickens drink they get it on their beaks and in their mouth. My flock usually finish their "elixir" water in less then a week, and I don't change their water unless its becomes more then a week old. For sick chickens if they are not drinking it by themselves you can give them 5 cc's of the water every 1-2 hours.
VetRx:
Vetrx is a mix of a few things including a carrier (corn oil) and herb oils. Its definitely useful but remember its not an antibiotic but more like vicks vapor rub for chickens. It helps more or less with congestion. Besides adding it around the face/beak and on the feathers I like to add it to a warm water humidifier. You just fill it up with water and then about 4-6 drops of vetrx. Make sure the chicken is not in a small enclosed area while the humidifier is on because the smell could be to strong for them.
Essential Oils:
Essential oils are another good way to help your chickens to get through a URI. You can use any essential oils you have on hand that are on the list of herbs. To apply mix it well with a carrier such as coconut oil (or any oil) with a ratio of 1 tsp carrier:5 drops essential oil. I like to apply the mixture to their legs, beak, and after moving the feathers from the back aside, on the skin over their lungs. PLEASE make sure you use enough carrier oil and mix well because some essential oils have a burning sensation if applied without enough carrier oil.
Before I end this article I just want to say I am in no way a vet. I am just a experienced chicken owner who wants to share any useful info I know with you. If any of the info seems to be incorrect please reach out and let me know, I will correct it.
And on that note: The title of this article is how to treat URI's naturally but here is the catch. Sometimes only using natural products helps. This can be in mild cases or if you are using strong antibiotics like oregano oil, but sometimes that doesn't cut it. How will you know natural antibiotics are not working? First off you wont see any improvements and might see a decline in their health. Secondly, you might see them get better but then their progress comes to a halt. They don't seem get any better or worse. What can you do in this type of situation? First off try using different antibiotics. If you are using raw herbs try adding powders, if your using powders try raw herbs, maybe do a mix of all three if your not already. How big is your bird? A chickens weight can range from 3 pounds (as an adult) all the way to 10+. A bigger chicken will need more natural antibiotics compared to a 3 pound chicken for you to see a improvement in their health.
Upper respiratory infections in chickens are no joke, things can go downhill quickly, and you may even lose them. I love using natural antibiotics but when I need to I use man made ones. My favorite so far has been tylan 200 and I do recommend it. Some other man made antibiotics are denagaurd, fish amoxicillin (its a broad spectrum antibiotic though) and LA-200.
why is organic better then non organic?
Have you ever smelled a organic herb plant then a non organic one? Did you notice that the organic one has a strong, sometimes overpowering smell whereas the non organic one has a mild or even no smell? In today's world most foods especially raw ones are fake and just a vessel of what they should be. They are stripped of any nutrients, antioxidants and antibiotic properties they should have. That's why feeding your chickens organic herbs no matter in what form ensures they are getting the nutrients, antioxidants and antibiotic properties they need from it. Otherwise you might as well be feeding them cardboard. What are some good places to get organic herbs? Your local grocery store may sell plants or just little branches of herbs in packets. Or you can but them from this website here. They have a huge selection and they ship them!
If you tried all these and see no difference or believe your chicken may be dealing with a Chronic Respiratory Disease instead of a Upper Respiratory Infection check out my other article on How To Manage CRD's
And Final Note:
For humans and animals alike our main defense is our immune. Its like a iron fence that protects our bodies from sickness. When our iron fence (aka immune) is down everything can enter and do harm. No matter how hard your body tries to fight them off and send out its soldiers (herbal and man made antibiotics) it wont make much difference because the main line of defense is down. No matter how much damage they do to the enemy they will come back and still have access to the body, making them sick all over again. The only way to raise that iron gate (immune) is to feed quality feed, and supplement with immune boosters in the form of chicken supplements, vitamins and minerals, probiotic's herbs, and anything else you know is a immune booster whenever you can. It doesn't have to be hard or expensive either! Water soluble supplements are usually affordable and very easy to use, Herbs can easily be sprinkled around the coop or mixed into their water or feed.
I hope y'all enjoyed my article and let me know what you think
Where To Buy Supporting Products:
natural remedy for cough
oregano oil
natural remedy for nose relief
vitamins & electrolytes powder concentrate
poultry cell
VetRx
Sources And More Articles That Are Good To Read:
https://www.fresheggsdaily.blog/2013/04/natural-remedies-for-respiratory-issues.html
https://www.communitychickens.com/3-chicken-ailments-zw02001ztil/
https://piwakawakavalley.co.nz/5-natural-remedies-for-sick-chickens/
https://www.naturalnews.com/035449_oregano_antibiotic_herb.html
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/respiratory-tract-infection
