Yes, your chickens, ducks and geese can eat hops flowers and be healthier for it!
Hops flowers don’t have the sweetest aroma (they’re pretty bitter), but there’s a reason why I have a 2-gallon Heritage Hill glass jar of them sitting on my kitchen countertop.
For us humans, hops flowers have been studied and proven to be beneficial in a number of ways.
Hops contain a flavonoid compound that has been said to have antiviral, anti-clotting, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor activity.
- The antioxidant properties of hops keep skin young.
- Hops flowers treat inflammation through oils and minerals in the plant providing an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Hops flowers treat leprosy (how this herb heals the disease is unknown).
- Hops reduce hair loss and dandruff through essential vitamins, antioxidants and oils.
- They ease nervousness, anxiety and treat insomnia.
- Hops flowers relax and sooth muscles.
- They treat various types of ulcers by ridding the body of the bad bacteria.
- Hops improve the digestive system by speeding up the metabolism.
- The flowers are an analgesic with many sedative properties and are helpful with chronic pain.
- Hops alleviate cough and congestion by reducing inflammation and irritation.
What About Barnyard Poultry?
Scientists report that the antimicrobial bitter acids contained in hop flowers might prevent an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in your chickens’ stomachs.
“According to a recent ARS report, adding the bitter acid lupulone to the chickens’ drinking water appears to be a viable alternative to lo-level antibiotic doping of their feed. In one study, lupulone therapy was specifically associated with controlling Clostridium populations in the chickens’ intestinal tracts.” Says Grit.com
While feeding hops flowers to chickens has been studied and shown to not only be safe, but also healthy, it’s hard to find information about feeding them to ducks and geese.
I can comment from personal experience in this case, that my ducks and geese have had their share of medicinally fed hops flowers without showing signs of the herb disagreeing with them.
I sprinkle the dried hops flowers in with their feed once a week or so to aid in digestion, respiratory health and any inflammation they may have.
Think of adding hops flowers to their feed next time they’re molting!
Whether you raise chickens, ducks and geese for eggs or meat (or as pets), you can keep your flock a bit healthier by adding some fresh or dried hops to their diet.
Why not plant a vine or two this year and grow your own?