Add yarrow, calendula, and nettle to your bag of tricks.
The story of Heather Levine.
reading time: 4 minutes
When you have chickens, you know that no matter how hard you try, disease and injury will happen. It could be a rogue raccoon breaking into the coop at night, a case of bullying among herd members, or a bad case of callous foot that won’t heal.
Every chicken breeder should have a chicken first aid kit stocked and ready to go when you need it. Preparing a kit before you need one ensures that you have exactly what you need on hand and that you won’t lose it
Time to search the house for supplies.
Although there are plenty of valuable supplies you can put in your emergency first aid kit, there are also many natural medicinal herbs that are just as effective as the commercial products you can include. And when you grow these herbs yourself in a medicinal herb garden, you can save money by not having to buy what you need.
So, which medicinal herbs work best in your chicken first aid kit?
yarrow
Of all the herbs I grow and work with, yarrow (Aquilia millefolium) by far is my favourite. If you could only grow one herb at home for your poultry first aid kit, yarrow would be my top pick.
Traditionally, the yarrow plant has been known to possess many healing properties, but it is known to be a master healer and blood thinner.
Yarrow is an excellent hemostatic (stops bleeding), especially with
The wounds spurted bright red blood. Soldiers of ancient Greece
Through the American Civil War they often carried yarrow with them
bleeding. Once dried and powdered, yarrow rivals any commercially made hemostatic on the market. And when you grow your own, it’s much less expensive than buying commercial bloodstock.
Another benefit of yarrow is that it is antibacterial and can be effective in preventing infection and speeding up recovery. 2008 study in the journal Current pharmaceutical design Many of these traditional uses confirmed,
Finding that yarrow gives positive results for wound healing. Yarrow has also documented analgesic (painkiller) and anti-ulcer properties. Another study 2022 in Journal of essential oils research Note that yarrow improves the healing process of skin injuries. In addition, a 2017 study was conducted in Journal of Ethnopharmacology Yarrow was found to be an effective anti-inflammatory, helping to restore skin after seven days of treatment.
The best way to use yarrow to treat chickens is to dry the stems and flower heads. Once dry, grind them into a fine powder. Keep the powder in an airtight jar, and sprinkle it generously on bleeding wounds or wounds that are slowly healing.
Calendula
Calendula, also called calendula, is a sunny yellow flower that brightens up every garden. While many people grow calendula for use in bouquets, its delightful facet hides a deep and lasting healing power.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is an analgesic. It’s cleansing and
Detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antimicrobial, and
antiseptic. Calendula was even used in the American Civil War for it
The ability to heal wounds and prevent infection.
Calendula can also help speed up wound healing. Study 2019 in Wound repair and regeneration Found that calendula helps reduce
Wound inflammation faster than the control groups. In addition, the wounds treated with calendula developed new tissue and blood vessels faster than the control groups.
To add calendula to your chicken first aid kit, dry the flowers completely first. Next, soak dried flower heads in olive oil and place in
A warm place out of direct sunlight for 4 to 6 weeks. Then strain. you can use
Drenched this oil directly on wounds, or take the next step and use it to make an ointment.
Dried calendula flowers also make a great addition to chicken feed, as they will change egg yolks, feet, and beaks to a rich, dark orange-yellow color.
color.
stinging nettle
stinging nettle (Stinging nettle) is another powerful medicinal herb that is easy to grow at home. Nettles are a nutritional powerhouse: they are high in iron, calcium, fiber and magnesium. Just one cup of cooked nettle contains 42% of an adult’s calcium needs!
I give my chickens dried nettles mixed into their feed for an extra boost of nutrients, especially during the winter months, and to keep their kidneys healthy. However, this is also a good herb to keep in your chicken first aid kit for kidney failure emergencies.
As Doug Oettinger mentioned in a previous issue of Backyard poultryKidney dysfunction is becoming an increasing problem with laying hens. Kidney disease rates have increased over the past 30 years, and kidney failure is now one of the leading causes of death in commercial laying hens.
Although backyard flocks are less at risk, there is still danger. In small flocks, kidney failure usually appears due to nutritional deficiencies.
Kidney and kidney failure often doesn’t become apparent in chickens until very late
In the game … which means that it is very difficult to deal with it if you suspect something is wrong. Once the birds show symptoms, they often have one foot in the grave.
This is why it is so important to have nettles on hand. Nettle is very supportive of the kidneys, and can be effective in restoring kidney function. You can cook fresh nettles in a little olive oil or dry nettles and mix them with the feed.
Keep in mind that stinging nettle is so named for a reason. The leaves and stems pack a punch when you touch them! If you choose to grow and
Harvest fresh nettles, and always wear gloves and long sleeves. cooking or drying
Nettle causes stinging hair, so it’s completely safe.
sources
• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169819/nutrients
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3841996/
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/wrr.12737
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037887411730418X
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10412905.2022.2104392
• https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cpd/2008/00000014/00000029/art00007
• https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/feed-health/avoiding-kidney-damage-inlaying-hens/
Heather Levine He is a homeowner, breeder of over 30 chickens, and founder of The Greenest Acre and Chicken Health Academy, a leading online educational academy that teaches natural and emergency chicken care strategies. Get weekly chicken care tips at her website: The
Greenery of Acre. www.TheGreenestAcre.com/
Originally published in the August/September issue Backyard poultry Journal and is regularly checked for accuracy.