A Reference Guide for the Backyard

Chicken Keeper

THE 10 BEST

Herbs for
Chickens

Using Herbs to Raise a

Happy, Healthy Flock
HEATHER LEVIN
THE GREENEST ACRE
WELCOME!
Thank you for your interest in raising a
happy, healthy flock!

I've been raising chickens for years on our

homestead, and I can tell you one thing for
certain: injuries and illness will happen no
matter what you do to keep your flock
healthy and safe.

However, an ounce of prevention is worth a

pound of cure. The healthier your flock, the
better able your hens will withstand certain
illnesses or injuries.

You also need a toolkit of natural medicine to

treat issues when they come up. The herbs
outlined in this book will help you get
started.

I have a thriving medicinal herb garden on our homestead, and every year it gets bigger. I grow
everything from motherwort to St. John's Wort, self-heal to elcampane, yarrow to hyssop,
stinging nettle to echinacea, and much more. Culinary and medicinal herbs like sage, thyme,
oregano, rosemary, fennel, and basil also grace my garden, and my kitchen. I use many of these
herbs to keep my flock healthy, and to treat illness and injury when they comes up.

I want to share what I've learned so that you too can experience the joys, and the benefits, that
home grown medicinal herbs provide. So, let's get planting!

HEATHER LEVIN
www.thegreenestacre.com
AUTHOR EDUCATOR HOMESTEADER

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Resources

The herbs outlined in this book are all different: some are best grown from cuttings,
which means they're cut from existing plants and rooted in water or seed starting soil,
while others are really easy to grow from seed.

The problem is that most nurseries do not carry medicinal herb seeds. So, you'll need to
order these seeds online. Fortunately, there are MANY great places to order medicinal
herb seeds! I've linked to my favorites resources below:

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Strictly Medicinal Seeds
Sow True Seeds

If you don't find the seeds you're looking for at one retailer, try another! Each company
has a different selection of medicinal herb seeds, and all are heirloom quality. You can
also often find medicinal herb seeds for sale on Etsy.

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The plants have enough spirit to
transform our limited vision.
Herbalist Rosemary
Gladstar

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 Thyme
Thyme is another ancient herb that has its origins in the Mediterranean. It’s original Greek name
was “thymos,” which means strength. And that’s just what it offers humans and birds alike.

Thyme is a member of the mint family, and like other plants in this family it can help calm nerves.
In her book “Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide,” Rosemary Gladstar says that “thyme is a
powerful and effective disinfectant…and can be used internally to help fight off infection.” In
“Earthwise Herbal: Volume 1,” Matthew Wood writes that thyme is effective for respiratory
infections like pneumonia, shortness of breath, excess mucus, and many other conditions.

Thyme is a powerful immune booster. It’s so effective that poultry giant Perdue now adds thyme
and oregano to their chicken feed to help ward off infections.

If you’re raising meat chickens, feeding chickens thyme daily might help them gain weight. A
2016 study published in the Journal of Livestock Science found that broilers who were fed
thyme powder had greater weight gain and lower cholesterol than control groups. The thyme-fed
broilers also had increased antibodies against influenza and Newcastle disease (ND).

Additionally, thyme can help repel insects so it’s a useful herb to add to your chicken’s nesting
boxes.

Some chicken keepers plant thyme, along with other good herbs for chickens, all around the
coop to help repel pests and give their girls their own herb garden to peck at. Thyme is a
perennial, which means if you plant it once it will come back year after year.

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 Yarrow
If its possible for a person to have an herbal soulmate, mine would be yarrow.

Yarrow is known for having many healing properties, but it's most well-known use is as a master
healer and mover of the blood. Yarrow is an excellent hemostatic, meaning it stops bleeding,
particularly with wounds that are gushing bright, red blood. I have used powdered yarrow for this
purpose many times, and it's always effective at staunching blood flow. I keep powdered yarrow
in all my first aid kits, as well as in my purse, for emergency first aid purposes.

It’s essential to be able to stop bleeding fast, especially when you live on a farm or homestead
with animals. A predator attack or bully situation can turn ugly fast, and yarrow could be
instrumental in saving the life of one of your flock.

For example, several months ago one of our ducks was attacked by coyotes. One of his legs was
mangled terribly, and bleeding profusely. I applied powdered yarrow to the wound, and then
applied pressure for 10 minutes. The wound stopped bleeding, healed without infection, and the
duck eventually regained the full use of his leg.

A 2008 study in the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design confirmed many of these traditional
uses, finding yarrow to show positive results for wound healing, and it confirmed that yarrow has
analgesic and anti-ulcer properties.

The best way to use yarrow with your flock is to dry the flower heads and leaves, and powder
them. This powder can be applied directly to the wound.

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 Sage
Sage is yet another herb famous for its role in the culinary world, but relatively unknown as a
medicinal. However, in "The Earthwise Herbal: Volume I," Matthew Wood writes of sage, "It
possesses virtues almost too numerous to comprehend under a single heading."

I have sage growing in several spots around the yard. Just one whiff brings happy memories of
Thanksgiving dinners with my family, and I often drink sage tea when I want a change from
peppermint.

In addition to its culinary benefits, sage is a superb remedy to aid and improve digestion. It’s also
a powerful immune booster. In her book “Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide,” Rosemary
Gladstar writes that sage is also a classic remedy for inflammation. And, The Poultry Site reports
that inflammation in chickens is often the result of intestinal disorders or infection.

One of the best ways to keep inflammation at bay and boost the immune response in your
chickens is to give them fresh or dried sage.

Additionally, Poultry DVM suggests that sage could help laying hens from developing Avian
osteoporosis, or help treat those already suffering from this condition. And because sage is a
powerful antifungal, it could be used to help treat chickens with sour crop.

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 Lemon Balm
I have a large patch of lemon balm growing in the corner of my medicinal herb garden. Its
delightful, fresh fragrance lifts my spirits each time I walk by. Sometimes when I need a quick
pick-me-up I'll kneel down and gather the plants up into my face, breathing the lemony scent in
deeply. It never fails to lift my heart.

Lemon balm is an excellent herb to grow for your flock. It's well-known for relieving stress and
anxiety, and is also a powerful anti-bacterial.

One of the best ways to use lemon balm is to lay it in your nesting boxes. The scent will help
your chickens relax during laying. Lemon balm might also help repel rodents and keep them out
away from the eggs.

Another option is to make a tea for your hens using fresh lemon balm. This relaxing tea can be
helpful during times of stress, for example, after a predator attack or moving to a new coop. Cut
up 4 tablespoons of fresh leave, and steep in 20 ounces of hot water for 30 minutes. Pour this
tea into your chickens' watering dish.

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 Peppermint
Peppermint is another favorite of mine. I love the bright, minty taste, and I drink hot peppermint
tea all year long. I also love using peppermint essential oil, blended with lemongrass, in our
diffuser to make the house smell clean and fresh.

Peppermint was one of the very first herbs I planted when we moved to our homestead. All I had
was a peppermint plant I'd picked up at the local grocery store. But since then, that one plant has
spread like wildfire in the yard, and thankfully we now have more peppermint than we know
what to do with! And, I put our mint to good use with our chickens.

One use for mint is to repel rodents in the coop. Lay fresh mint in the nesting boxes or around
the coop floor to help keep mice away. It will make the coop smell lovely, especially during the
summer when the heat brings out the volatile oils in the leaves. You can also hang bunches of
fresh mint around the coop and run to ward off insects.

Mint is also helpful in keeping chickens cool in the summer. Mint naturally lowers body
temperature, so putting mint leaves in your chickens’ water dish can help them cool off. Some
chicken keepers say that mint is one of the herbs to increase egg production in chickens.

An added benefit is that mint is incredibly easy to grow. One small plant will quickly spread and
give you more mint than you can handle!

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 Oregano
People have been using oregano for health and wellness for thousands of years, and for good
reason. This beautiful herb is a powerful antibacterial. And, science backs this up.

A 2010 study in the Journal of Food, Agriculture, and Environment found that oregano
possessed as strong antimicrobial activity as an antibiotic. And, a 2013 study in Nutrition and
Food Science found oregano to be effective against six bacterial strains: Escherichia coli (e. Coli)
Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella
Typhimurium.

We use oregano oil whenever we suspect we’re coming down with food poisoning, and it works
amazingly fast. We also start taking it whenever we feel like we’re coming down with an illness.
This is why oregano is one of the best herbs for chickens. It can help strengthen their immune
system, combat bacteria and parasites (like Coccidiosis), and improve respiratory health.

Oregano might also help your chickens live longer and lay better. A 2005 study in
Theriogenology looked at how oregano affected sows before and during lactation. The sows that
were fed oregano had lower mortality rates, an increased farrowing rate, increased number of
live-born piglets, and decreased number of stillborns compared to the control group.

Granted, this study was done on pigs and not chickens. However, because oregano has so many
positive effects for humans and pigs it stands to reason that it might provide similar benefits to
other animals.

I have oregano growing in four different places in the yard, and every year it's thigh-high. I don’t
mind that it’s invasive because I use so much of it, but if you don’t want it taking over you might
want to grow oregano in a container to limit its spread.
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 Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) is a less common herb that might help improve the digestive
health of your chickens.

In his book "The Earthwise Herbal: Volume 1," world-renowned herbalist Matthew Wood quotes
Captain Frank Roberts with the National Institute of Mental Health, who states, "Meadowsweet
is a true normalizer of a badly functioning stomach." Wood states that meadowsweet can relieve
and eventually cure all cases of sourness, nausea, and sickness of the stomach. Additionally,
Wood explains that meadowsweet helps expel waste, remove inflammation, and restores the
action of the liver, kidney, and bladder.

This is why I believe that meadowsweet might be an effective herbal remedy for sour or
impacted crop in chickens. Now, let me be clear here. I have not tested this remedy personally
simply because we haven't yet had a case of sour or impacted crop in our flock. However, if you
have meadowsweet growing on your homestead and you have a case of sour or impacted crop,
trying this treatment isn't going to hurt the bird and it might save their life if you can't afford a
vet visit.

According to Wood, an easy way to consume meadowsweet is to make a tea or tincture. For
chickens, it might be easiest to give them meadowsweet tea by mouth with a dropper or needle-
free syringe. My advice would be to try this treatment as soon as you suspect a crop issue. If you
don't notice any change in the bird within a couple of hours then call your vet.

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 Lavender
Lavender is one of my favorite herbs. It's a beautiful plant, it smells lovely, and during summer its
delicate purple blossoms are a joy to look at. My love of lavender might also be a reason why
we’re raising Lavender Orpingtons, a chicken breed that I now know to be as relaxed and joyful
as the herb they’re named after.

One way to use lavender with your chickens is to put it in their nesting boxes. Rosemary Gladstar
writes that lavender has profound relaxing and calming effects, and these properties can be
beneficial to laying hens, especially those who don’t feel comfortable or safe in the coop.

Lavender also helps improve reproductive health and increase blood circulation. Hens will peck
at the lavender while they’re laying, which will help their circulation. This is especially beneficial
in breeds that tend to go broody or sit for long periods on the nest (I’m looking at you, Speckled
Sussex.)

Lavender can also help repel pests in the coop, and keep the sharp smell of ammonia at bay
when the weather heats up and the coop gets smelly faster.

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 Plantain
Chances are, you've walked right by plantain and never noticed it. This humble little plant grows
just about everywhere save the desert, and it especially thrives in areas where humans have
disturbed nature's order, namely, vacant city lots, sidewalk cracks, and backyards. Every part of
the plant is edible, making it a great survival food if you're ever lost. And, chickens love eating it!

Plantain is an excellent herb to have around because it's the very best remedy for stings, bites,
and blood poisoning. The plant works as a drawing agent, pulling toxicity from the body. You can
also use plantain to stop bleeding, although it works better when blended with other hemostatics
like yarrow or shepherd's purse. To use, dry the leaves and powder them along with yarrow to
make a styptic powder. You can also apply plantain powder or salve to human or livestock
wounds that are infected or healing slowly.

According to Poultry DVM, plantain is showing promise as a remedy for controlling Emeria
tenella, the organism that causes coccidiosis.

To treat, you'll need to make a tincture of dried plantain leaves (see this tutorial on Mountain
Rose Herbs to learn how to make a tincture.) Keep in mind the tincture has to macerate for 6
weeks, so you need to have this on-hand before you suspect an illness! There is no guidelines on
how much to give your birds, so start with a few drops by mouth twice daily, and increase dosage
until you see improvement.

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 Comfrey
Last year, our dog Rio got hit by a car. Thankfully he survived, but he came limping home with a
fractured leg. I made a splint and used boneset, later with an addition of comfrey, to heal the
bone. He was back up and running full speed within a month.

In “The Earthwise Herbal: Volume 1,” Matthew Wood writes, “Comfrey stimulates growth when
the system has been traumatized and is, perhaps, having trouble, regenerating on its own.” Wood
explains that comfrey is an excellent remedy for delayed bone-healing and injuries to the skin.
So, this is an excellent herb to have around to treat traumatic injuries, like predator attack. This
pretty little herb can also help provide pain relief.

The problem with comfrey is that it can cause excessive growth in whatever it touches. For
example, if you handle it with an ungloved hand for an extended period of time you might find a
callous on your skin the next day.

Comfrey is best turned into a salve and used on wounds. You might also find that your chickens
love to eat the herb fresh. If you decide to use comfrey for a bone issue, please refer to Matthew
Wood’s book for proper application and safety precautions.

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 thank
you
From my crazy homestead to yours, thank you for your interest in
using herbs to raise happy, healthy chickens, and your willingness to
work towards greater self-reliance. Together, we can all make a
difference!

Heather
AUTHOR HOMESTEADER

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