Many years ago I came upon a book at a garage sale written by Paul and Patricia Bragg called THE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR HEALTH SYSTEM. I found it very interesting and as a result of reading it I began a regimen of drinking an ACV tonic daily in the hopes that it would help keep me healthy in a natural way.

Soon after that a friend gave me a book written by Emily Thacker, simply called THE VINEGAR BOOK. I found the information even more intriguing. I found that ACV is an antiseptic, (it kills germs on contact) and it is an antibiotic as well, (it contains bacteria which is unfriendly to infectious micro-organisms0.

Raw, not filtered or pasteurized ACV, is found in health food stores., ACV has been around and used in medicine as early as 400 BC by Hippocrates himself who is know as "the Father of Medicine". ACV was well known in those days as a natural occurring germ killer. ACV was used as a dressing on wounds and sores in Biblical times. It is able to attack and kill harmful bacteria and other blood born infections.

ACV contains more then 30 nutrients, dozens of minerals and over half a dozen vitamins and essential acids as well as several enzymes. It has a large dose of pectin which aids in keeping the heart healthy. Most of us, I am sure, grew up in households where our mothers had many uses for ACV, mostly pasteurized and distilled for cleaning. It still remains to be effective for many uses and is an inexpensive, safe, and non toxic way to clean and safely disinfect your home as well as your aviary.

Recently I was reading an article on 60 ways to use ACV when I happened on one which stood out foremost in my mind. It was the addition of it to the water of chickens to increase egg production. It was then that I decided to start adding it, (raw unfiltered), to the drinking water of the birds in my aviary mainly for the health benefits as well as it being a safe antibacterial agent to help keep their water free from harmful bacteria and aid in their digestive system.

The following is a short list of the ways that I devised for use of Raw ACV for internal use found in Health Food Stores and regular pasteurized ACV for external use found in all supermarkets for cleaning around my aviary.

1. For daily use in the drinking water I add 1/4 cup of "raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized ACV found in health food stores to a gallon of water. It helps maintain the proper PH balance for the digestive tract.
2. To eliminate mildew, dust and odors, wipe down the walls with vinegar, and mist over carpet.
3. To help keep the dust down and disinfect cages spray with ACV and water solution, same 1/4 to a gallon of water ratio. Even if the birds are in the cage they don't mind being misted and this solution doesn't hurt them. Vinegar closely resembles the PH in rain water and so this may explain why the birds like to dive into their fresh water dishes every day.
4. My drains can get a bad odor from dumping the bird's drinking water down them but you can disinfect by pouring a cup of ACV down the drain followed by a 1/2 cup of baking soda. It will fizz up. After at least 15 minutes follow by pouring boiling water down the drain.
5. As a good all purpose cleanser, ACV mixed with salt cleans copper, brass, dishes, pots and pans, skillets, glasses, windows, brooders, and cages. Rinse well when using this salt ACV mixture though.
6. ACV and water can be used to soak and disinfect hand feeding syringes, spoons etc..
7. I use ACV in the final rinse water of my sprouted seed to make sure there are no bacteria.
8. To deter ants, wipe down area where they are seen and they will stay away from that area.

2/02/2000 revised 7/07/03
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