Effects of Ginger on laying chicken
For chickens, Ginger is known to be a great appetite stimulant, anti-oxidant and also a stress reducer-perfect for when the pressure of being a hen gets all too much! Ginger is a miracle worker for our feathered friends circulatory system, helping to stimulate blood flow, so adding it to their diet in timely is a must!
Ginger is great for chickens. Studies have shown that ginger is a laying stimulant, an antioxidant, can reduce stress, supplement your chickens’ diets.
Ginger contains a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It acts as an anti-inflammatory, stimulates appetite, is known to reduce stress and promote a calming environment, stimulate blood flow, and more!
This means, on a basic level, adding some ginger to your flock’s food will help give their immune system a boost. It will also help aid digestion and promote a calmer environment, which is always welcome in an enclosed space.
•Effects of Ginger on Egg-Laying Performance
Health Benefits of Ginger for Chickens
I’ve always heard that ginger is a laying stimulant and good for laying performance. It was always more of an old wives’ tale though, no one ever backed it up with facts.
So, I did some research and read some interesting studies on the topic. It is in fact true, supplementing chickens’ diet with ginger does improve egg-laying performance and the nutritional quality of eggs.
This study published on the National Library of Medicine details a controlled test where some chickens were given 0, 5, 10, 15, or 02 g of ginger in their diet.
The result?
Dietary supplementation of ginger powder improved laying performance and serum and egg yolk antioxidant status and enhanced dietary oxidation stability in a dose-dependent manner. The optimum supplementation rate of ginger powder in the diet of laying hens appeared to be between 10 and 15 g/kg of diet. But in the tropical conditions like Nigeria, Ghana, Benin etc I would recommend 1.5g per kg which is both economical and practical.
How To Feed Ginger To Chickens
If you raise chickens, you’ll be all too aware that it’s not difficult to get them to eat something. Chickens will turn their beaks up at some foods occasionally, but for the most part, if it’s edible, it’s going to get eaten.
When it comes to ginger, you don’t want to let them eat too much. The study I referenced earlier stated that 1 gram of ginger per kilo of food is enough.
Ginger either comes in ground-up/powder form or as the fresh root. All you have to do is chop the root and add small pieces to their feed or sprinkle the powder if that’s what you have. Or in feed milling (mix in ratio per ton).
In Summary
Personally, I love using herbs and spices which are good for treating various ailments and health conditions.