Not only are herbs full of healthy compounds that are beneficial to humans, but they can also provide various benefits to your backyard flock! With the right herbs, you can repel rodents and insects, boost your chickens' immune systems, and increase egg production. Herbs will provide chickens with vitamins and minerals that they may not get otherwise in their commercial feed. There's also the benefit of the aroma herbs produce, making for a better smelling coop, and I don't think anyone will turn that down!
So how might you incorporate herbs into a chicken coop? You can add dried herbs to their food, hang herbs in the coop, or my favorite - add combinations of fresh herbs to their nesting boxes. And if you've been having trouble getting your chickens to nest in their boxes, tossing a variety of fresh herbs in may attract them to the box!
Maybe you have a collection of herbs already and are wondering which ones to put in the coop, or you're thinking of starting an herb garden and like the idea of growing some for your chickens. Whatever the case is, I've taken a long list of herbs and developed different "recipes" you can use to help your flock thrive!
The Clean Coop recipe is a great combination of herbs when you've just cleaned the coop and want to give it a refreshing smell. Not only will it help your coop smell better, it provides antibacterial benefits and repels pests.
The Molting recipe is perfect when chickens are losing their old feathers and growing new ones, as it provides a healthy dose of protein and helps keep stress at bay while your flock is going through this change.
The General Health recipe is great for routine use in the coop, as it boosts their health, provides essential nutrients, and has antibacterial properties. When in doubt, use this recipe!
The Healthy Eggs recipe supports increased egg production as well as stronger and more nutritious eggs. This is great to use if you notice a drop in your chickens' egg production or eggs with softer shells that tend to break easily.
The Combat Illness recipe can assist in preventing infection, healing wounds, and fighting certain sicknesses. It also provides nutrients that your chickens will need when fighting off any kind of disease.
Disclaimer: These herb recipes are not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure diseases in your flock. These recipes are only intended to supplement their normal diet.