VM
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about this garlic (and vinegar)Seem to remember that I've read people mentioning putting a garlic clove in the hens water as a tonic. This may be really silly, but I wondered how long you leave it in for - and is it just one clove in their water thing?
Also what is the cider vinegar for that people have also mentioned?
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Tavascarow
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I combine the two.
Buy a gallon of cider vinegar from my livestock supplies & put 2 or 3 whole bulbs in it (broken into individual cloves) & leave them to pickle for a couple of weeks.
I then add a splash in the drinking water.
Stinks of garlic but the birds don't complain.
Cider vinegar is supposed to be a good tonic (Don't know the science).
Garlic is a great all round purgative for the blood & helps keep blood suckers (lice & mites) & internal parasites at bay.
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woodsprite
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Don't overdo this, every now and then is sufficient, otherwise you'll get garilcky eggs. I was recently asked for my opinion on a newbie hen keepers strange tasting eggs and she was giving them so much garlic and cider vinegar that the hens had the runs and the eggs had a very unpleasant taint.
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Tavascarow
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I've had no complaints about the flavour of the eggs.
I only put a splash in a two gallon bucket of water & it doesn't seem to give the birds the squits but I agree to much would definately taint not that I would notice as I eat a bulb a week myself.
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woodsprite
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The newbie I refer to was using quite a lot more than a splash! 
It was just enthusiasm to keep her birds healthy but it just shows how things can be misunderstood. Garlicky eggs in a victoria sponge makes for an 'interesting' flavour. 
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VM
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Thanks for this!
Re: the cider vinegar -think I saw some discussion somewhere about needing to get this from a livestock/poultry supplier rather than just from a food shop - what's the difference?
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Tavascarow
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It's a lot cheaper from the livestock supplies.
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