Using Essential Oils Around Chickens
by Cheryl L. McClure
Let's face it, we all have off days, right? Even our pets do. Even our chickens do!!
Our poor hen, Lucy was looking pretty sad one day. I had been watching her and realized she was NOT feeling well. And my other half asked me how did I know?? Well she just wasn't acting right. She was going off and sitting by herself and not getting out to mingle or peck or scratch or anything! Her comb and waddle were both pale - almost white!! I wasn't sure what was going on. Her poop had become yellow and pasty and stuck to her feathers.
We thought she was egg bound so we did what the "Chicken Chick" suggested, and we put her in a warm bath and tried to get her to relax.
Our poor hen, Lucy was looking pretty sad one day. I had been watching her and realized she was NOT feeling well. And my other half asked me how did I know?? Well she just wasn't acting right. She was going off and sitting by herself and not getting out to mingle or peck or scratch or anything! Her comb and waddle were both pale - almost white!! I wasn't sure what was going on. Her poop had become yellow and pasty and stuck to her feathers.
We thought she was egg bound so we did what the "Chicken Chick" suggested, and we put her in a warm bath and tried to get her to relax.
After we cleaned her up, we put her in a little henhouse we have on the patio, away from the other chickens.
This is the one that we use when we have baby chicks so this became her spa room!!
We had oyster shell so we made a concoction of ground oyster shell and water and fed it to her with an eye dropper. She was not very interested but she did take a few drops. Later on… No egg. No nothing. She was not very active and I could not imagine what was wrong. She sat contented on the roost inside the henhouse.
This is the one that we use when we have baby chicks so this became her spa room!!
We had oyster shell so we made a concoction of ground oyster shell and water and fed it to her with an eye dropper. She was not very interested but she did take a few drops. Later on… No egg. No nothing. She was not very active and I could not imagine what was wrong. She sat contented on the roost inside the henhouse.
| I figured the least I could do was make her comfortable and give her a little spa like atmosphere. So I pulled out the diffuser and loaded it up with some Thieves essential oil**, put it in the henhouse with her and plugged it in. I diffused a few times at 5 minute intervals while she was going through whatever it was. She looked at it like, uhhh, what is that thing doing in here? Looks like a giant egg!!! At least it made the henhouse smell better and it made me feel better knowing she was being spoiled like no other chicken! Plus I just love the smell of Thieves!! |  |
Between intervals in the henhouse, I diffused a little on the patio since it is under cover and it made it smell great out there too.
The next day, we repeated the bath and drops, cleaned out the pan under her roost where I had added hay and still no egg. Maybe she's going through chicken-o-pause?? I don't know. But I saw that she was drinking the water and that was encouraging.
We had put electrolytes in her water and I put some chicken pellets in a ceramic watermelon dish. Now does your chicken have one of those? (Haha) And we added a little container with ground up oyster shell and water so that if she wanted she could take that in too.
The next day, we repeated the bath and drops, cleaned out the pan under her roost where I had added hay and still no egg. Maybe she's going through chicken-o-pause?? I don't know. But I saw that she was drinking the water and that was encouraging.
We had put electrolytes in her water and I put some chicken pellets in a ceramic watermelon dish. Now does your chicken have one of those? (Haha) And we added a little container with ground up oyster shell and water so that if she wanted she could take that in too.
We took her out and set her in the yard a few times and noticed she was eating grasshoppers.
Still not very active or fast moving,
but she was eating so I figured it was a good sign.
Still not very active or fast moving,
but she was eating so I figured it was a good sign.
Eventually she passed "something". I still don't know what it was. Maybe a botched egg, maybe something she ate and did not digest properly. Whatever it was, it looked alien, almost like a hard slug and very smooth but meaty looking but not exactly round like an egg. Yuk. I would have felt bad too! I didn't take pictures of "that". Ewww
We let her have a little time to herself to recuperate from that and eventually she seemed more interested in going back to the flock. I just wanted to make sure she would be energetic enough to protect herself. Seems that if your chicken is away for any length of time, the others want to establish a new pecking order when introduced back to the flock.
All's well now and I'm glad we were able to provide Lucy with the time and space to process whatever was going on and pass that "thing". You just never know.
We let her have a little time to herself to recuperate from that and eventually she seemed more interested in going back to the flock. I just wanted to make sure she would be energetic enough to protect herself. Seems that if your chicken is away for any length of time, the others want to establish a new pecking order when introduced back to the flock.
All's well now and I'm glad we were able to provide Lucy with the time and space to process whatever was going on and pass that "thing". You just never know.
 |  |
So after all's said and done, I used my Thieves Household Cleaner to clean up the henhouse tray and I now know that my chicken is ok with diffusing Thieves. I had not diffused on the patio before and it was a nice way to add some ambiance and fragrance! You should give it a try!
Happy Oiling!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch
You can purchase essential oils or Thieves Household Cleaner either as a retail customer or as a wholesale member at Young Living - My distributor number is #1176855 Let me know if I can help you!!
Choose your savings with Onsie Twosie or Best Bang for Your Buck
#chickens #countryliving #essentialoils #youngliving
**Thieves essential oil is a dietary supplement made by Young Living but it can be diffused for your aromatic pleasure. There is a whole line of Young Living products made with Thieves and the household cleaner is what I used to clean everything from the bathroom to the kitchen, to even the henhouse!
Thieves® essential oil blend was inspired by the legend of four 15th-century French thieves who formulated a special aromatic combination composed of clove, rosemary, and other botanicals they used while robbing the dead and dying. Young Living’s one-of-a-kind Thieves blend, crafted in the spirit of that legendary combination, can be found in all of the Young Living Thieves products. When taken internally, Thieves supports healthy immune function*, and it includes Eucalyptus radiata essential oil, which may help maintain a healthy respiratory system.* When taken as a dietary supplement, Thieves is an ideal complement to a daily wellness regimen.*
Ingredients
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum)† bud oil, Lemon (Citrus limon)† peel oil, Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)† bark oil, Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata)† leaf oil, Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)† leaf oil
†100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oil
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Young Living Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Happy Oiling!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch
You can purchase essential oils or Thieves Household Cleaner either as a retail customer or as a wholesale member at Young Living - My distributor number is #1176855 Let me know if I can help you!!
Choose your savings with Onsie Twosie or Best Bang for Your Buck
#chickens #countryliving #essentialoils #youngliving
**Thieves essential oil is a dietary supplement made by Young Living but it can be diffused for your aromatic pleasure. There is a whole line of Young Living products made with Thieves and the household cleaner is what I used to clean everything from the bathroom to the kitchen, to even the henhouse!
Thieves® essential oil blend was inspired by the legend of four 15th-century French thieves who formulated a special aromatic combination composed of clove, rosemary, and other botanicals they used while robbing the dead and dying. Young Living’s one-of-a-kind Thieves blend, crafted in the spirit of that legendary combination, can be found in all of the Young Living Thieves products. When taken internally, Thieves supports healthy immune function*, and it includes Eucalyptus radiata essential oil, which may help maintain a healthy respiratory system.* When taken as a dietary supplement, Thieves is an ideal complement to a daily wellness regimen.*
Ingredients
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum)† bud oil, Lemon (Citrus limon)† peel oil, Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum)† bark oil, Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata)† leaf oil, Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)† leaf oil
†100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oil
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Young Living Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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