How to give your chickens apple cider vinegar
To grow healthy chickens naturally, simply add apple cider vinegar to your chickens' water.
Commercial Poultry Application
Shake well. On day 1 and 2, run 12 ounces of Mother Load apple cider vinegar per gallon of water in a medicator bucket set at 1:128. For the next 2 weeks, run 12 ounces per gallon of water for one 24 hour period per week.
Through the rest of the grow-out, run 6 ounces per gallon of water for one 24 hour period per week.
For best results, alternate Mother Load and Big ole Bird with 3 days between the products.
Backyard Chicken Keepers Application
Shake Well.
Dosage often varies per source. Note that all vinegar is not the same strength. Mother Load is 60 grain apple cider vinegar and considerably stronger than what you would typically purchase in a grocery store.
Pour one tablespoon of Mother Load apple cider vinegar per gallon of water in the plastic waterers or metal waterer in your chicken coop.
Mother Load can be used with baby chicks. For chicks, apply Mother Load for three days in a row, and then once per week. Make sure to leave at least 3 days between applications of Mother Load and Hen Helper/Big Ole Bird. For adult birds, apply once per week. If you're using Hen Helper/Big Ole Bird as well (recommended), apply Mother Load on alternating weeks.
For detailed instructions on how to use these products for your coop, check out our Backyard Poultry Dosing Chart.
Looking for more details? See our video above.
Mother Load is raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar infused with garlic, designed to boost your birds’ overall health.
Health benefits of adding apple cider vinegar to chickens' water
Many backyard chicken keepers are aware of the health benefits of adding apple cider vinegar to chickens' water. While widely considered a "home natural remedy," giving chickens organic apple cider vinegar for health benefits has seen wide use and success with commercial chicken owners as well.
Apple cider vinegar with the "mother"
Most apple cider vinegar used by growers today is filtered, which means the “mother” is no longer present—but the “mother” is actually the most beneficial element of apple cider vinegar! That’s why we call our apple cider vinegar “Mother Load.”
Our unpasteurised apple cider vinegar includes the mother vinegar, which is a naturally occurring powerhouse of beneficial microbes that occurs in the fermentation process of vinegar production.
Mother Load apple cider vinegar aids digestive system health, boosts the immune system, keeps the digestive tract healthy and provides gut friendly bacteria that support chickens' health. Our apple cider vinegar is beneficial as a dietary fiber and helps birds naturally balance the pH in their guts. This cuts mucus to increase nutrient uptake, which is key in high poultry performance.
Why is our apple cider vinegar different?
When you add apple cider vinegar to your chickens' water, you could just use whatever you can find at the grocery store. However, Mother Load apple cider vinegar is notably stronger than what you would find at the grocery store, includes the mother and is infused with garlic!
It's also very likely that grocery store apple cider vinegar is more expensive per ounce than Mother Load apple cider vinegar.
Many chicken coop owners have found garlic to be beneficial to their laying hens- one of the reasons is because birds like the taste of garlic! Since Mother Load apple cider vinegar has garlic infused, you can get this benefit without grinding up fresh garlic, which can be a messy and smelly project.
Acetic acid
One lesser-known benefit of apple cider vinegar is that it has a good bacteria classified as acetic acid. Apple cider vinegar has powerhouse beneficial microbes support health and overall development, serving ultimately as an effective oxidizer and probiotic. Acetobacter is often viewed as a "mild antibiotic” and can protect from yeasts, bacteria and viruses. Adding apple cider vinegar to fresh water can reduce the risk of respiratory problems by killing bad bacteria and promoting healthy mucus flow.
Since apple cider vinegar is an acetic acid, its benefits can be misinterpreted by its acidity content. People can often use apple cider vinegar’s acidity to try and regulate bad bacteria in the gut. They think higher pH levels in the gut make it friendly for harmful pathogens. The assumption that apple cider vinegar will lower pH levels is just not true. Apple cider vinegar is a weak acid, and through a process called protonation, when you add ACV to drinking water you can actually raise the pH level.
Giving chickens apple cider vinegar can boost your flock's immune system with what seems like just a few drops per gallon. Whether you're raising chickens for egg production or meat production, adding apple cider vinegar to your flock's drinking water helps them avoid health issues without using harmful chemicals or nasty toxins in your flock's diet.
Mother Load ACV SDS (Safety Data Sheet)
Backyard Poultry Dosing Chart
Blog: ACV + Garlic for Chickens
One of the "secret ingredients" in Mother Load is the vinegar mother. The mother is the combination of yeast and gut friendly bacteria. As a probiotic, it fights harmful bacteria with beneficial bacteria. One of the most appealing aspects of using mother vinegars in general is that it destroys germs that may be harmful to people and animals.
Another powerful ingredient in Mother Load is garlic. Chickens love the taste of it, and it has antiviral properties! Garlic releases an aromatic compound, allicin. Allicin is a proven antibacterial agent and is thought to have properties that can combat cocci. Allicin also makes the chickens’ blood taste bad to mites.
Apple cider vinegar itself has plenty of benefits, too! ACV for chickens offers immune support by attacking bad bacteria in the digestive tract, and contains the added benefits of vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Through the fermenting process, apple cider vinegar provides bacteria called Acetobacter. Acetobacter is classified as acetic acid bacteria. These powerhouse beneficial microbes support health and overall development, serving ultimately as an effective oxidizer and probiotic. Acetobacter is often viewed as a "mild antibiotic” and can protect from yeasts, bacteria and viruses.
Adding apple cider vinegar to fresh water can reduce the risk of respiratory problems by killing bad bacteria and promoting healthy mucus flow.
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