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Healing Herbal Honey First Aid Salve for Chickens

An all natural first aid honey salve for your chickens is simple to make and convenient to keep on hand.


Honey has been used as a first aid salve by humans pretty much since the beginning of recorded history.

Specifically, raw unprocessed  Makuna honey is the most effective, containing high levels of antibacterials. 
Honey also works as an anti-inflammatory and painkiller.

Treating any cut, scratch or scrape with honey will help keep it from getting infected, lessen pain and reduce swelling.




Fun fact: honey is one of the few (maybe the only?) food that will never go bad. Ever. Sure, it might crystallize over time, but an unopened container of honey will virtually last forever. That's how good it is about killing any bacteria that comes in contact with it.

So it only makes sense to use honey to treat wounds in humans and animals. 

In fact, early on after a horrific fox attack on our flock, I (not knowing much of anything about treating wounds and there not being much on the market at that time that was natural and safe for use on chickens) simply smeared our three survivors' wounds with honey and hoped for the best.

All three hens healed, survived and continued to thrive for years to come. I was sold forever after on the healing powers of honey.

You can make your own healing honey salve for your chickens simply and easily. 

And adding some herbs with their own healing powers makes it even more effective. 


Healing Herbal Honey First Aid Salve for  Chickens


Ingredients

8 oz. honey (Manuka is best or local, raw honey)
1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs such as sage, thyme, Echinacea, oregano, rosemary, lavender or mint

To Make 


Place the herbs in a pint Mason jar and pour the honey over them Screw on the lid and let the mixture sit for 3-4 weeks. 

Once infused, place the uncovered jar in a saucepan of water (just a few inches of water in the bottom of the pan is sufficient) over low heat until the honey starts to melt and turn to liquid.

Strain the honey through a mesh strainer into a new, clean Mason jar. Discard the solids (or feed them to your chickens for a little health boost!). 

Stored in a cool, dry location your honey salve should last for about a year.

To Use


* Rinse the wound with clean water or saline then carefully apply some honey salve using a soft cloth or your fingers. 

* Cover an injury on your chicken with a gauze pad and wrap with Vetrap (or on you with a band-aid or bandage depending on the size of the cut). 

* Repeat daily until the wound is fully healed.

Note: It's always a good idea to separate a seriously injured animal to allow their wounds to heal. Treating with honey won't increase any pecking by others because chickens can't taste "sweet", so they aren't particularly attracted to honey, but will be attracted to raw, red skin or blood, so separating is still recommended.





Note: minor cuts and scrapes can be treated at home, but for serious puncture wounds or wounds that are bleeding profusely, medical attention is advised for both you and your chickens


Further reading:
7 Best Natural Antibiotics
Antibacterial Effect of Herbs
Herbs for Infection and Antibacterial
Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Spices
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5951165/

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