Oregano in water

[Amandabontrager]

I have heard oregano oil helps boost immune system? If true, How much per gallon of water would I drop?

 

[ladyearth]

If I had it to do over and had chicks again I would have started them on it. So that they are usd to the taste...
I saw a video and article on Bell and Evans pasture raisierd chickens. they started there chicks out on it right away...I believe its on Youtube.
someone let me know how much of the full strenth or diluted how much... I know oil and wtr dont mix. But someone on this forum did so I cant remeber what else they used it with
herbalist chime in please

 

[DrPatrickBiggs]

I have heard oregano oil helps boost immune system? If true, How much per gallon of water would I drop?

Great question, thanks for asking! I would recommend anywhere from 2-4 teaspoons of oregano oil per gallon of water.

 

[casportpony]

Is oregano oil water soluble?

-Kathy

 

[JuJubeann]

Essentials oils are not water soluble and need an emulsifier. In this case food grade. I would suggest honey and I've read it's good for chickens but I really don't know how much or how little is good for chickens. If anyone can tell me how much is safe to give chickens on a regular basis I can experiment and work out a formula.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Essential Oils are a new area for chicken keepers, and unfortunately, the data is scarce yet.

Here is a rather long article from the Medical and Veterinary Entomology Journal that summarizes research on essential oils...mostly used externally and in houses for external parasites.

Oregano unfortunately is only mentioned externally with regard to ticks.

The article concludes:
"In conclusion, the use of essential oils in the control of veterinary ectoparasites is an exciting area which holds huge potential for the future. However, research into the use of essential oils as control agents is still at a preliminary stage. Extensive field trials, standardization of components, standardization of extraction techniques, standardization of experimental design, mammalian toxicology profiling and excipient development, as well as further investigation into the residual activities and length of shelf-life of these oils are all required before their potential can be fully explored."

The main concerns the article had with the oils is the lack of standardization and volatility....the oils evaporate too quickly to be effective. There are also concerns of toxicity, especially in higher doses..

Here's the article to file in your research base.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mve.12033/full

I think the bottomline is that it is important to do research before using essential oils as some appear to be safe with chickens, but some are definitely not. (The article shows that spraying Pennyroyal in the coops produced several deaths and reduced laying. It links articles regarding tea tree and lavender as potentially harmful.)

Also assurance of the quality of the oil you purchase is important as there is great variance between manufacturers.

Hopefully someone can offer some specific information on the benefits of Oregano and how much is too much.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Here's an article from the NYTimes on the Bell and Evans farm use of Oregano.

They use a Dutch product called By-O-Reg in conjunction with strict sanitation (which in itself would go a long way to reducing parasites and bacteria).

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/science/chicken-farms-try-oregano-as-antibiotic-substitute.html

Unfortunately that still doesn't tell us how much is too much or too little to be effective but safe, however, it does point us to the product By-O-Reg which can tell us how much dosage is in it.

You can see By-O-Reg at the company site here: http://www.byoreg.com/english_poultry.php and how it answers volatility and standardization questions of Oregano here:
http://www.byoreg.com/our_product.php

Obviously they are trying to sell their product, but the stated target number for efficacy was 5% carvacrol (the active ingredient in Oregano). It also mentions the problems with rapid oxidization due to emulsion or reaction with things in contact with it.c

LofMc

 

[casportpony]

Snake oil?

-Kathy

 

[TroyerGal]

I would use an emulsifier like Sunflower Lecithin... Food grade!! I LOVE your natural bent toward chickens!! Keep it up!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Snake oil?

-Kathy

Unfortunately, I think a lot of it may be as the standardization is simply not present. How much crevacrol you are actually getting in the Oregano oil you purchase and how long that may actually be present once exposed to air is the question. Trying to drop it into water would likely be ineffective as it first would not mix, then it would oxidize, let alone simply react to ambient sunlight, let alone guarantee any degree of concentration for each bird, I should think.

Right now, unfortunately, while I am enamored with the idea of herbal remedies as pests are building resistance to the current products, and the FDA continues to make life hard for anyone who wants to sell eggs to actually treat birds, I consider Oregano interesting to investigate. However, until better proof is done, beyond those trying to sell the product, I simply feel I am using very expensive herbs to baste chickens.

LofMc