Sea Buckthorn Shows Promise Against Bird Flu

Sea Buckthorn Shows Promise Against Bird Flu

Recent outbreaks of avian influenza (including the highly pathogenic strains) in the Midwest have sounded the alarm against this dangerous disease. While the outbreak was mostly confined to commercial farms, backyard poultry keepers need to be vigilant as well.  Without any treatment options available for poultry, the influenza virus won’t be welcomed in our flocks.

Information about avian influenza

Vaccinations are used to help prevent the contraction and spread of influenza in humans and other species, but there aren't any readily available for our chickens.

The virus was first noted in wild bird populations (waterfowl) in 2014.  The H5 virus was located on the west coast, in Washington – it has since expanded into the HPAI forms H5N2, H5N8 and H5N1 strains. The CDC explains, “the USDA is the lead agency for [tracking] such activities in domestic birds. The latest information on avian influenza findings in the Pacific Flyway is available on [the] USDA’s website.”

Tracing of the virus in wild birds continues as the spring migrations are underway, and the virus has been detected in the Pacific, Central and Mississippi Flyways.  It is paramount that backyard flocks not come into contact with wild waterfowl or have access to waterways visited by waterfowl. Poultry keepers should not visit commercial farms, come into contact with unknown fowl or handle wild waterfowl. Most HPAI is introduced through human transmission of the virus on their clothes or equipment.

At this time prevention and awareness are all chicken (and other poultry) keepers can do to prevent their birds from being exposed to this disease. In addition to reducing exposure to potential wild carriers we can ensure our birds have great nutrition, stress-free lifestyles and prebiotics/probiotics with nutritional supplements to ensure they have strong immune systems. The addition of Seabuck 7 to the birds’ diet has shown some exciting benefits. Read more to find out just how amazing the sea buckthorn fruit is for your birds.

The anti-viral properties of sea buckthorn

A study from The Journal of Preventative Medicine and Hygiene (2015) used dried sea buckthorn bud extract in an experiment to test its antiviral properties against the influenza virus. The avian influenza virus can run through a flock and become highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) very quickly.  This disease’s mortality rate is astounding! “Influenza A virus displays constant evolutionary changes, defined as “antigenic drift” [1] and “antigenic shift” [2], enabling new mutant strains to emerge and spread.”

Antiviral drugs are not particularly useful in halting or stopping the effects of the avian flu. The viruses build resistance quickly making the drugs useless. There are a few other pharmacy products that have to be tested, but the most promising antiviral substances are those that knock out the virus on the cellular level. Scientists are looking to plants for the answer. One plant’s extract stands out – and that is the one made from the sea buckthorn!

“All parts of SBT [sea buckthorn] contain large amounts of several active compounds [16] and these include: vitamins (folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, riboflavin), carotenoids…phytosterols (amyrins, ergosterol, stigmasterol, lansterol), organic acids (malic and oxalic acids), polyunsaturated fatty ac ids and essential amino acids [17].” The Journal of Preventative Medicine and Hygiene  study used extracts from the sea buckthorn bud to test for antiviral activities. The results were promising, as it was determined that the extract did have a strong antiviral effect on the H1N1 (A/California/7/2009) virus group.  The researchers in the group revealed, “that SBT bud extract is able to reduce the growth of the Influenza A H1N1 virus in vitro at a concentration of 50 µg/ml. This discovery opens up the possibility of using SBT bud extract as a valid weapon against Influenza and, in addition, as the starting-point for the discovery of new drugs.”

Another hot off the press study from the Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences echoed the earlier findings. The antiviral activities of sea buckthorn leaf extract proved even more compelling. The leaf extract was held against the commercially available antiviral drug Oseltamivir. Tests showed that “all extracts from [the] seabuckthorn leaf…inhibited influenza A and B virus infections more effectively than Oseltamivir… used as a control drug,” in the trials.

Wow. Now that is good news!

How chicken keepers can maintain flock health

Biosecurity is the first (and best) step for fencing out the virus. You want to keep the influenza viruses out of your flock. Quarantine new birds, separate birds returning from shows and don’t handle wild waterfowl. If you live in high risk regions, do not visit other farms (especially commercial ones), and if you must do so be sure to wash your clothes and disinfect footwear as well as vehicle tires – BEFORE going around your property and visiting your poultry. Never share poultry cages or equipment.

Good husbandry and ethical handling of poultry is always important. Always allow plenty of room for birds to engage in natural activities. Feed a variety of quality grain, vegetables and fruits while allowing the birds access to safe foraging areas. Happy birds are healthy birds. Add probiotics to their feed and supplement with sea buckthorn formulations such as Seabuck 7.  Birds build great immune systems when they have the nutritionally active compounds of the sea buckthorn fruit to do so.  Boosting the birds’ natural vigor while making sure they enjoy a stress free and enriched lifestyle goes a long way in keeping your feathered friends safe and cheerful! 

By SeaBuck 7 guest blogger, Andrea Martin
Mar 29, 2016

Guest Blog by Andrea Martin: "Reasons for Raising Chickens with Seabuck 7 – You May be Surprised!"

Reasons for Raising Chickens with Seabuck 7 – You May be Surprised!

Raising backyard chickens is an exciting and rewarding hobby. You want the best for your birds and you know that healthy, happy chickens produce great eggs.  Whether you are raising birds as family pets, or for exhibition, a feisty and vibrant bird is at his or her best.  While we can’t protect our birds from everything, we can take steps to provide them with a strong foundation. Here’s what you can do.

Chickens need shelter from the weather and from predators, activities to prevent boredom, vaccinations (for Marek’s, Fowl Pox, or IB) and good nutrition. Chickens, like other animals (and ourselves), require an environment that is free of chronic-stress and that allows for natural activities. Ensuring your chickens live a long and productive life involves employing a varied approach.  The birds will build a flourishing immune system when they are content, but they will need a few “outside resources” to do that properly.

 Seabuck 7 helps with that.  When you couple the following habitat suggestions with the added protective benefits of the sea buckthorn fruit  - your chickens will thank you!

Design Shelter and Forage Space for Stress Reduction

Proper chicken husbandry involves maintaining a clean, stress-free environment —but this includes creating an enriched environment that encourages the birds to enjoy natural behaviors, such as socialization and food discovery (chickens love to find their own food).  Drs. Smith and Johnson, in The Chicken Challenge – What Contemporary Studies Of Fowl Mean For Science And Ethics, warn that inappropriate housing with a high “stocking density and the lack of environmental enrichment leads to aberrant behavior, such as feather pecking and cannibalism.”  We all know that stress = disease.

It’s easy to provide your birds with plenty of room and adequate foraging time.  The domestic chicken is descended from wild fowl that roamed the verges of tropical forests.  While we can’t develop our homes into lush, palm-lined jungles, we can “chicken-scape” the birds’ run and pasture with foraging material. 
Here’s how:

1.     Plant stands of raspberries, gooseberries and blackberries. These canes offer secure foraging areas for the birds….and tasty berries to share. Mulch the plants fairly heavily with pine needles, leaves or wood chips.  Don’t forget to try grapevines (and hops…yes, the flower buds are used in beer). Grapes are fast-growing vines that give the birds shelter, cover and provide a snack when the clusters ripen. All of these plants provide beneficial resources for local wildlife as well. Landscaping for chickens instantly turns your home into a conservation minded property!

2.     Chickens forage by turning over piles of leaves and ground mulch. They find seeds, insects and plant roots to eat. Chickens also eat sand, loam, grit and pebbles to aid in their digestion. Your birds will seek out certain soils and loam for nutrients as well.

3.     Shrubs are perfect places for the chickens to relax under.  Be sure to add a variety of bushes that work in your area. Try forsythia, holly, boxwood, small evergreens, blueberries and hydrangea. These dense shrubs offer cover to allow the chickens to feel safe.  Chickens naturally avoid any open areas, you will notice them sticking close to trees and other places to hide under. This feeling of security reduces stress.

Promoting Healthy Flocks with Seabuck 7

A recent study from the journal, Anti-Cancer Research, found that the berries of the sea buckthorn provided tumor resistant properties. This is good news! Chickens are prone to many cancers as they grow older, and they suffer from the same age-related issues as other animals – and ourselves.  Offering nutrition that helps to stave off and deter arthritis, cancer and other maladies is a good idea.  We want our birds to live long and productive lives – and fortunately, reducing chronic stress and providing healthy foodstuffs, are the two easiest ways to promote poultry longevity.

The study from the publication Anti-Cancer, focused on the sea buckthorn’s phytochemicals (phenolic acids, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and flavinoids). These phytochemicals are known to inhibit the formation and proliferation of cancers (chemopreventative).  The physiochemical benefits of the fatty acids, amino acids, dozens of antioxidants, over 20 minerals and vitamins B1, B2, C, A, E, K and folic acid are hard to ignore.  All of these elements promote exceptional immune support for your birds, helping them resist occasional stressful periods (adding new birds, weather changes, brooding, injury, egg production or showing) and to fight off disease.

Researchers noted that the “cancer protective effects of fruits and vegetables have been suggested to be due to different mechanisms such as inhibition of carcinogen activation, stimulation of carcinogen detoxification, scavenging of free radical species, control of cell-cycle progression, inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, inhibition of the activity of oncogenes, inhibition of angiogenesis and metastasis, and inhibition of hormone or growth-factor activity.”[i]

The study used minimally processed sea buckthorn berry juice against 5 lines of cancer cells, revealing that the sea buckthorn berry offered one of the highest levels of cancer prevention (and reduced cell proliferation) when the fruit was not over processed.  The anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects of adding berries, especially the sea buckthorn, showed impressive abilities in these studies.

Germs With a Side Order of Mold? No, Thanks.

Sea buckthorn’s beneficial effects were also shown, in a 2013 study printed in the journal Poultry Science, to ward off the impact of dangerous mold toxins.  Sea buckthorn oil’s phytoantioxident properties were found to have significant results in preventing the effects of aflatoxin poisoning – a dangerous mold toxin known to grow in spoiled grains, in soil and in rotting vegetation. [ii] Aflatoxins are also known to encourage cancer formation as well as mortality in birds. The sea buckthorn acted by protecting the chickens’ livers against the accumulation and activity of the toxins.

The anti-fungal and anti-microbial functions of sea buckthorn seed and oil is contained in the Kaushal and Sharma study of 2011.  Coupled with the fruit’s known antioxidant and stress-lowering abilities, these additional benefits are exciting!  If aflatoxins are wary of the sea buckthorn fruit, E. coli bacteria showed similar fears![iii]

Using non-chemical antibacterial agents is a step forward, and green chemistry is providing some promising results with the sea buckthorn – including the fruit’s ability to combat strains of avian influenza and Newcastle Disease.  And that’s exciting news, indeed!

Another study found that chickens fed sea buckthorn experienced a fortified immune system and strengthened mucous membranes.  The healing properties also included:

•  reducing skin irritations from inflammation or injury

•  slowing sun damage and speeding wound healing

The positive and protective activities of the sea buckthorn fruit are not simply topical — they have a proven anti-stress activity coupled with a holistic effect on physiology allowing the animal to heal itself from within. [iv]

Moving Forward

While research is continuing on the antiviral, antibacterial and regenerative effects of sea buckthorn berries, we already see the results in our flocks.  They key to poultry management rests in setting up a holistic approach with preventative actions that keep our birds sturdy and rugged from the inside out. Ensuring they have access to forage, a nutritious and varied diet, mental activities (such as getting time to free-range in safety, good flock interaction, dust bathing), quiet and clean nesting areas, sanitary housing and reducing exposure to disease are all building stones in the foundation. Adding sea buckthorn to your chickens’ daily rations cements that approach.    

Our chickens love Seabuck 7. Apparently, they already knew what scientific studies are proving – that the sea buckthorn fruit really is a superfood and a significant support system to promote and foster the health of our flocks. With a few good husbandry practices, our chickens can have long and happy lives.

We love to hear from our readers. Share your experiences and information in the comment section. Let us know what Seabuck 7 does for your flock!

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[i] D. Boivin et al.,  “Inhibition of Cancer Cell Proliferation and Suppression of TNF-induced Activation of NFKB by Edible Berry Juice,” Anticancer Research 27 (2007): 937.

[ii] C. Solcan et al.,  “The Hepatoprotective Effect of Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Berries on Induced Aflatoxin B1 Poisoning in Chickens,” Poultry Science 92 (2013).

[iii] Manisha Kaushal, and P C Sharma, “Nutritional and Antimicrobial Property of Seabuckthorn (Hippophae sp.) Seed Oil,” NISCAIR-CSIR,” 70 (2011): 1035.

[iv] Jana Krejcarová1 et al., “Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) as a Potential Source of Nutraceutics and its Therapeutic Possibilities - a review,” Journal of the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences  85 (2015).