yogs for chooks?

[mr darcy]

how much, when? why? what flavour?(I don't mean that last one)

[Bramble-Poultry]

Hmmm - chooks are lactose intolerant as a general rule and too much will give them a runny bum - however I do give my chooks probiotic yoghurt is they have problems with sour crop or are a tad run down in general, I also give it after I have completed a course of worming if the chook doesn't perk back up again - but then only a little for a couple of days!

As for flavour - they seem to prefer fruity ones (and no I'm not joking!)

Some people give yoghurt regulary and will totally disagree with me i'm sure

[di]

I agree with BP...as a pick me up but not a regular treat.
When Marigold was poorly last year I did lots of googling and found lots of contradictory advice...some saying they're lactose intolerant so should never have it,others saying that in small doses it's beneficial to their guts.
I can't remember off hand but I'm pretty sure it was no more than a dessert spoon per day for a week...she got better but whether that was just nature or the yogurt I don't know.
I used the Danone Strawberry one

[frias]

I just got plain probiotic yogurt. The vet was quite happy for all the girls to have it. This was due to one being ill with fungal crop problems and for ther others as a precaution. I mixed one 150ml pot with a few pellets for 6 of them.

[its hilly]

Its got to be the 'live' (some call it bio) variety to be probiotic. As someone who is lactose intolerant I can say that small quantities sometimes wont do any harm, but fed daily would definately not be good.
Bear in mind that most vets say adult cats are lactose intolerant, but how many people still give theirs milk?

[Hilary B]

Most (but not all) of the lactose in the milk gets converted to lactic acid when it is turned into yoghurt.

[Liza]

I thought Lactic acid was a chemical that your body produces and makes your muscles hurt after excercise ?

[Suechooks]

My adult hens have yoghurt every morning with their mash in winter. I make it by the litre for them. The lactose is altered by the fermenting process - we had a thread on this some time back.

[Hilary B]

I thought Lactic acid was a chemical that your body produces and makes your muscles hurt after excercise ?

That too, but the cheese making process would be impossible without lactic acid, which (in cheese making) is made by bacteria feeding on lactose. Milk won't curdle without acid, and the acid here is lactic.

[Snadger]

I laughed when i gave my chooks yoghurt! They all dived in head first and had white heads. The other chooks then chased them around trying to peck the yogurt off!

[jessmorris]

Mine adore it. I gave plain probiotic yoghurt to them with pellets as a pick me up after mites and worming. They'll eat it any old how they like it so much