Cannabis, ganja, or marijuana. Whatever you call it, this herb is known throughout the globe for its multiple uses. Whether for relaxation or because of its medicinal benefits, it has become a big business. However, who would have thought that this ancient herb could also be good for chickens?
Thailand is known for its strict anti-drug laws where one can face years of long prison sentences. However, a farming community in Lapang, Thailand, drew interest from scientists with their peculiar chicken feeding method which involves cannabis.
Besides smoking it, the locals claim that marijuana improves the quality of chicken meat and eggs. It also serves as an antibiotic for the chickens.
How it all started
Now, how did this idea come about? Well, like all great science stories, it started with a man who was wondering.
According to an article in The Guardian by Rebecca Ratcliffe, a farm owner in Lampang, who is licensed to grow medicinal cannabis was wondering what to do with the many excess leaves he had accumulated and asked himself whether his brood of chickens could benefit from the leftovers.
Sirin Chaemthet, president of the Peth Lanna community enterprise, said farmers at Lampang opted for marijuana after their brood was found to be suffering from avian bronchitis despite being injected with antibiotics.
“Upon consuming cannabis, the chickens developed higher immunity against disease and were able to withstand inclement weather. Eventually, the community enterprise decided to do away with antibiotics and only feed their chickens cannabis,” Chaemthet said.
Scientists take a deeper look
“Academics at Chiang Mai University were also curious. Since last January, they have studied 1 000 chickens at Ong-ard’s Pethlanna organic farm in Lampang, to see how the animals responded when cannabis was mixed into their feed or water,” Ratcliffe wrote.
The study revealed that cannabis could help reduce farmers’ dependence on antibiotics. The lead researcher at the university, Chompunut Lumsangkul, observed the chickens to see what impact cannabis had on their growth, and vulnerability to disease, and to see if their meat and eggs were different in quality (if they contained cannabinoids).
“The animals were given the plant in varying intensities and in different forms – some were given water that had been boiled with cannabis leaves, while others ate feed that was mixed with crushed leaves,” reads the article.
Did the chickens get high?
According Lumsangkul, no abnormal behaviour was observed in the chickens “At the level of intensity we gave them, it wouldn’t get the chickens high,” he said.
Substitute for antibiotics
According to this Food For Mzansi article about the use of antibiotics in livestock, “Antibiotics have been added to feed and/or water to optimise and accelerate growth, i.e., as animal growth promoters. Antibiotics are also regularly used to prevent infections in the herds or flocks.” This created a misuse of antibiotics and can lead to antibiotics resistance if humans consume the meat.
Lumsangkul is planning another study to further investigate if cannabis could replace antibiotics in chicken farming, The Guardian’s article stated. The second study “will use cannabis extracts with a higher intensity to observe what impact this has on disease and fatality rates among the chickens”, it said.
The biggest question now is whether more farmers might turn to cannabis as a replacement of antibiotics in chicken. Well, only time will tell.
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