Chicken Aromatherapy

Have I mentioned that I love chickens??  I think they're awesome.  I also love aromatherapy. So when I found this here article, I couldn't wait to try it.

I have a plethora of catmint (or, yes, catnip) growing in our yard.  Like. Everywhere.  So I've been collecting it and tossing it in the hens' nesting boxes.  Really, it's quite a brilliant idea.  A hen will take up to a half hour to lay an egg, and that whole time, she just sits.  So if she's sitting on good stuff that can help her in a variety of ways, why wouldn't I try it?  Mint, in particular and in all forms, is good to deter insects, is a sedative (catmint) and is a rodent repellent.  (I also have 2 cats who do this naturally.)  Today, I also added rose petals (highly aromatic, and anyone who has ever been near a chicken coop knows they need all the help they can get!) and lavender (stress reliever & insecticide).

And, it looks pretty.

They often eat the stuff that I put in their nest boxes too, which would also benefit them from the inside out.

I planted some nasturtiums and parsley to add to the boxes as well.  Nasturtiums are purportedly a wormer, have antiseptic properties, act as an insecticide and a laying stimulant, while parsley is a laying stimulant.  I probably won't add all the laying stimulants at once, but rotate them around, coupling them with the more sedative and aromatic herbs.  Ah, for a fresh smelling chicken coop and happy, relaxed hens!

This happy hen is "Banana" (so named by the children) and is Jackson's mother.  She is what's known as an "Easter Egger" -- lays green eggs but is not a true ameraucana as she doesn't conform to breed standards. Kind of a mutt chicken.  But we love her :)