How much ACV?

[Overthinker]

Hi,
I give my 5 day old chicks one fresh water choice and one apple cider vinegar choice. Trying to figure out how much acv to give them. Measurements I've read are all over the place. 2 tbl per gal, 1 tbl per gallon, 2 tbl per quart, 1 tbl per quart. So many different things out there.

Please let me know how much to give them. Thank you

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't use it myself.

@ChickenCanoe and @chicknmania have both been posting on BYC for years and frequently recommend a rate of One TBSP per Gallon. Canoe, if memory serves, does not offer it with every gallon of water, but rather once a week or so.

Obviously, your flock's water consumption will vary, I'm not sure how to translate that frequency from Canoe's flock size to yours.

 

[Overthinker]

I just did a tbl in about a quart. Maybe i should do a half tbl

 

[RoosterML]

X2 no ACV used in this barn. Unless it’s for salad dressing

 

[kerbotx]

I don't believe in it myself, but do make sure to research the difference between Apple Cider Vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar WITH THE MOTHER. One may be better than the other, depending on your goals.

 

[chicknmania]

ACV with the mother is what you need if you use, because the mother contains beneficial bacteria and proteins.. if I use it I only do 1 to 2 TBSP per gallon for a week at a time. I use it once in a while.. not every week. Studies have shown ACV to be an antimicrobial agent and it can also be good for gut health. If you use too much they're not going to drink it..that stuff tastes awful.. but chickens don't seem to mind it as much as people.. chickens must have a healthy gut to maintain good health and immunity. It won't hurt them to use it occasionally and it certainly might help, is the theory i go by. I also give them fermented feed sometimes and use ACV to make that. They love it!

 

[Banana01]

I normally don't buy in to anything diluted that much. 1 tablespoon to a gallon is like nothing. But then i reread you post and it is for 5 day old chicks. So that sounds right, however I am not sure what benefit a 5 day chick will get from ACV. You are kind of in experimental territory because you are proposing an experiment where you put two water sources and no way to monitor who drinks what and how much. There is a lot of randomness in your method, but it won't hurt to try. I even sort of like the idea of a diluted acv for younger chicks, but then i would give it in a different method.

When i want to ensure my target chickens will ingest their medicine, i mix it with their favorite treat and then i know they injest it. So i would mix acv water and cooked rice, and feed them the rice, which absorbs the acv water. But the facts behind acv being beneficial are shoddy. Acv is acidic, and supposedly promotes digestion in humans, but chickens don't rely on acids to digest, so it may be harmful if given too much or too often. One thing is for sure, i would be mixing the acv dilution with a complete vitamin supplement simultaneously. You want the food and vitamins to be ingested with the acv for maximum benifit. It's not the acv itself that is the benefit, it's the supposed side effects of the acv that everyone raves about, just be sure you are giving a whole vitamin and diet to reap the benefits of the acv side effects.

 

[chicknmania]

I didn't read the part about chicks. I don't give it....or anything like that...to chicks, except vitamins. You're entitled to your opinion about the ACV. I think it helps lots of people on here do. It's also an anti inflammatory. But I don't rely on it to cure a problem. I only use it as a supplement and then only occasionally. Mixing it with vitamins is not necessary and would probably discourage them from drinking.

 

[MegTheHenEggQueen]

ACV with the mother is what you need if you use, because the mother contains beneficial bacteria and proteins.. if I use it I only do 1 to 2 TBSP per gallon for a week at a time. I use it once in a while.. not every week. Studies have shown ACV to be an antimicrobial agent and it can also be good for gut health. If you use too much they're not going to drink it..that stuff tastes awful.. but chickens don't seem to mind it as much as people.. chickens must have a healthy gut to maintain good health and immunity. It won't hurt them to use it occasionally and it certainly might help, is the theory i go by. I also give them fermented feed sometimes and use ACV to make that. They love it!

Amen! Love Bragg!