Herbs in the Nesting Boxes

The Nesting Box Blend

Our girls are now 16 weeks and the last few days that I have gone outside to visit them (I go out like 10 times a day ;) I have noticed that the nesting boxes have been layed in!!I got excited and searched high and low for an egg. Ok we're not there yet but we are getting close. So off to the feed store we went. Our ladys have been upgraded to Layer Feed. I stuck with crumbled feed since that's what they are used to. To celebrate, we got a nice big bag of dried mealworms...it's their favorite. And since chickens sit in the nesting box for quite some time every time they lay an egg, I use fresh herbs and flower pedals divided into all of the boxes to help with mites, parasites and as a laying stimulant. You can use any herbs you like or grow some with specifics in mind. Lavendar is good for stress relief, Parsley is a great laying stimulant as well as Sweet Marjoram, Taragon is an antioxidant as well as Sage, and Lemon Balm is one of my favorites to keep rodents away from the coop (just plant some out front). Rosemary is good for keeping flies away, I pick some and tie it up inside their coop and out by the gate enterance. Basil is an anti-bacterial. Oregano has a bunch of uses for good health in the girls. Kills salmonella, avian flu and ecoli and other things so throw some in their feed to get the best benefits. Mint is a good and fun one to grow. I have Apple Mint and Spearmint. They keep rodents away on top of smelling amazing! Sunflowers are good to grow and dry for seed for the chickens also. Herbs grow pretty easily and are a safe effective way to keep your flock happy and healthy without having to purchase anything...just grow your own.