Apple cider vinegar (raw) and garlic: good for animals, too! Apple cider vinegar is a source of vitamins, minerals and enzymes, in particular phosphorus (for goats). It helps strengthen the immune system, improves digestion, and balances internal pH. When added to water, it helps keep the water fresh. Garlic, we all know, has amazing anti-fungal and anti-biotic properties.
Want to share those benefits with your animals? Here’s how you can, with every drink. This idea comes from our friend Jami. We’ve been using it for several months now, for both the ducks and the goats. You’ll need garlic and raw apple cider vinegar. Organic ingredients are preferable.
Put a whole head’s worth of raw garlic cloves in a wine-type bottle, and fill to the top with raw apple cider vinegar. The cloves don’t have to be peeled, but I usually do peel them.
Add 1 tablespoon of the mixture to every gallon of their drinking water. I keep my bottle (pictured) in the barn, bringing it to the house when it needs refilling.
When the bottle runs out, keep refilling it with raw apple cider vinegar. Add more garlic cloves periodically, either leaving the old ones in there or replacing them. Very flexible!
Our animals love the water, and I’m happy it fortifies their health with every drink. Thanks for this great idea, Jami. I’m sharing it in today’s Simple Lives Thursday. “Consume less, produce more.”
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Do you have a post about making your own apple cider vinegar? I use Braggs but would love to try my own.
My dog has bad breath, I wonder if this would help!
Alicia — No, I don’t have a post on that. I would love to try my own someday too. Hope this helps your dog’s breath!
that’s a fantastic idea. I love adding ACV to the animals water but hadn’t thought of making a tincture for them…now I’m wondering if my wormer-herbs might be even more beneficial to them in a tincture added to their water as well.
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Alicia I tried to make my own ACV last winter and BLEH! Right up there with my dandelion root coffee. Double BLEH!
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I don’t think the cats will go for it, but….
My cats drink vinegar water just fine..they don’t seem to notice the dif.
need to get more garlic and this will be on the goats from nowon! thanks! do you use loose mis salts as well? i love that it will also help keep there water! i learn so much! i have to share this!
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Love this so exciting! I just truly love finding more ways to keep our animals healthy especially since they are our source of food! Makes it so much more important and immediate as well!
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Sooooo — would this work for humans also?
Hey Joy, I was checking gnowfglins and saw your comment. Yes, it does work for humans too. You could easily do a search using the words Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and remedies and find that a lot of people put a tablespoon of ACV in their water three times a day for allergies, losing weight, digestion, etc. Simply all sorts of ailments.
Finally made a batch this evening, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results with our geese, ducks and chickens. One of our geese tested low for phosphorous not too long ago, and especially since it’s coming up on their egg-laying season, wanna make sure “the ladies” are all healthy!
Twitter: marebeard
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Thanks for sharing this Wardee! I’ve been giving my goats raw garlic cloves with molasses daily, but like your ACV tincture idea. I think I’ll start doing that for all my animals too… think I can put it in my new horse’s water too? Why not?
Thanks again Wardee and Jami!
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This should not be used with cats, garlic is a food that should be avoided with them.
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