# Apple Cider Vinegar?



## redsticker (May 7, 2009)

I was reading on a breeders site that they put apple cider vinegar in the goats water as part of their herd management. But I couldn't find any info on why they would. I searched on here and found some suggestions on using it as a cleaner and to spray goaties in the face when they're being naughty, but not much on putting it in drinking water, except one short sentence about it being a immune booster. Does it work? Do most goat owners do this?

Can anyone shine light on this issue?


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Some people say it helps to prevent UC. I have done some research and it has not been proven to really help. But some people swears it does. I guess it is a matter of opinion.


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## Ariel301 (Oct 13, 2009)

Never heard of putting it in the water...

I was told once that it was a natural fly repellant for livestock, if mixed in the feed. I tried it on the horse I had that was allergic to fly spray, and it didn't work. Supposedly if they eat it, it will change their smell so flies won't bother them. I think they'd have to have way more than the 1/4 cup per day recommended for horses though, for it to have an effect. Diluting it in a water bucket wouldn't have this effect at all though.


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Idk about regular ACV, but raw, unpasteurized ACV is really good for digestive health, it kills the bad bugs and promotes healthy flora in the gut. I think it also helps to balance out the pH in the system as well. As far as UC prevention, I don't know if it works as it would take a lot of vinegar to raise the acidity in the urine to dissolve stones.


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## Mully (Jun 23, 2009)

I use ACV in the chickens water all the time as a parasite preventative ...3TBS per gal. Has worked wonders as my chickens are very healthy. Don't know if I would use AVC on goats though as it might impede their digestion.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

i have a horse that is allerigic to nats, i put 1/2 cup ACV in her grain along with some natural flyspray, it does seem to help.Some peole use it to avoid UC in bucks and whethers but i dont know if it helps or not. Suposedly its suposed o help break up stones. I know some people who put it in their does water at breeding time. They say it changes the PH level in the doe and she is more likely to have doe kid. Again its not a proven fact. And personally i think that one is a bunch od bologny, it would take a huge amount to change the PH level. 
beth


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## Ariel301 (Oct 13, 2009)

sparks879 said:


> I know some people who put it in their does water at breeding time. They say it changes the PH level in the doe and she is more likely to have doe kid. Again its not a proven fact. And personally i think that one is a bunch od bologny, it would take a huge amount to change the PH level.
> beth


Changing the pH of a doe...I don't think there's anything to that at all. You'd have to give her enough to change the pH of her blood, which would kill her. And pH doesn't have anything to do with determining the sex of an embryo. Y sperm are not more sensitive to pH that X sperm.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

that and the buck is the one that determines the six of the kids.
beth


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## Firestone Creek Farm (Jul 11, 2008)

Actually from a medical point of view acidity and alkalinity DO affect sperm. It has been clinically proven that male sperm do not survive well in acidic environments, while the female sperm do. The opposite is true for alkalinity--male sperm actually flourish in an alkaline environment. Many fertility specialists will suggest that a woman can change the acidity or alkalinity by using a 'wash' of vinegar water or baking soda water to encourage procreation of a male or female child. And this information came straight from a book I have on fertility and reproduction... haha! It was written by a high risk fertility specialist, so I'm going to say it's certainly worth thinking about. 

NOW, of course, a doctor wouldn't expect a woman to drink the vinegar or soda water. They expect them to use it 'differently' --if you get my drift. I don't want to be too graphic.. haha! BUT, obviously you can't do that to a goat, so I don't know that the vinegar water would help in that area. Some people do swear by it though. 

Now, on another note, I do use apple cider vinegar mixed with hot water during the winter because it encourages the goats to drink. They love it. And during cold weather, it's often hard to get them to drink the water when it is so cold. They love the warm water and will slurp it down. It has never hurt anyone. They seem to love it, so I offer it at least once a day during cold weather.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Hmm thats very interesting. How much do you think it would take? It seems like it would take a lot.
beth


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## Firestone Creek Farm (Jul 11, 2008)

Well you certainly would NOT want to give them enough to drastically change the pH of their bodily fluids. I doubt they would drink that much of it anyhow.. haha! And usually when I add it to my water in winter, I only give them about 1/4 cup to a 1 gallon bucket of warmish-hot (not too hot but probably around body temperature or a little more) water. They generally push each other out of the way trying to get to it. 

For a human, the book I have tells women to 'douche' with vinegar and water or baking soda and water before intercourse to increase the chances of creating boys or girls. Another thing to look at is how close to ovulation fertilization occurs, because male sperm (and I assume it is the same with goats) live very short lives, but they are super fast swimmers, whereas female sperm live longer and swim quite a bit slower. So, if the boys RUSHHHHHHH to the punch and there's no eggs there to fertilize, then the sperm die off. Meanwhile, the girls are steadily swimming toward the finish line, and if they get there while eggs are popping out, well then, you have girls!  So, I'm assuming you could probably time it to a certain extent by researching and figuring out how long male sperm actually live after they enter, while also calculating how long female sperm live. I'd say then that you could probably up your chances of girls by breeding as quickly as possible when it's time for heat, because that would let the boys 'arrive' without finding the prize while giving the girls time to get there.  It's certainly something to look into! Too bad I hadn't thought about it and applied it to goats until just now! HAHAHA! 

Last year I had mainly boys, BUT I did not start giving vinegar water until after everyone was already preggers, so it didn't have a chance to influence anyone's body chemistry. I can also tell you though that I have had the alkalinity of our water checked, and it's very alkaline. It's alkaline enough that I can keep African cichlids in a fish tank without adding pH down, and they love alkaline water--the more, the better! And if I have any other fish, I have to really adjust the pH to get it toward the acidic side like most fish like.

After thinking about it, if you were going to try to use the 'sperm life' technique, trying to get the doe exposed asap to let the male sperm die off, you'd probably have the greatest opportunity with AI. Then you could time her heats, and when it's almost time--like 12 or so hours before--you could inseminate. It would be worth a try to see what happens!


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