Treating Roup/Coryza Upper Respiratory Problems Part 2 - Detox through Steam Inhalation | The Holistic Hen - How to raise quail, chickens and pigeons organically in a food forest

In my previous article on this subject I looked at the historical background to poultry respiratory diseases and the role stress, environment and diet play in immune responses to conditions such as roup, whether caused by secondary infection, toxins, moulds or bacteria. If you haven't read it, then you can find the article here. I also discussed how to use diet and herbs to aid the immune system in bringing about a speedy recovery.

When observing my poultry I always marvel at the way they can perform so many tasks without the need for hands, however it's when they succumb to respiratory problems, that they seem to be at a disadvantage. A hen can not use a handkerchief and a 'runny nose' quickly becomes sealed with dirt and grime as a bird follows the old human adage to 'feed a cold.'

In order to facilitate the detox process through the nostrils, I have found a steam inhalation to be the best and easiest method to get the bird's nose and throat clear of mucous and other debris.

A Foreword On Essential Oils

In France essential oils are part of everyday medicine, health and beauty provision and very easy to obtain. They are also often sold in chemotypes, which means that you can find the same essential oil, such as thyme and eucalyptus, for example, but because of its different environment, climate and soil type it will have different chemical constituents and thus virtues. For the following recipes, the thyme I'm using is Thymus vulgaris CT Thymol, from the South of France, its high thymol content makes it eminently suitable for respiratory problems and gives it strong antiseptic properties. Similarly the rosemary I use is 'CT Cineole' which makes it a powerful expectorant and effective anticatarrhal or Thymus satureioides, which comes from North Africa and again contains thymol but is less expensive! You may find that where you live essential oils are just labelled simply 'Thyme' and 'Rosemary' but you can always check on the description or phone/chat with the manufacturer/laboratory for more detail.

I always use essential oils sparingly, they are so effective there is no need to overdo the dosage and in fact doing so, as with all medicinals can be dangerous. I find, what is referred to as, 'alternative' medicine works quickly or not at all and therefore in the latter case you know you are on the wrong track and need to try another remedy. Unlike alopathy, natural medicine is not meant as a long-term solution, as part of a holistic therapy, you should consider changes in lifestyle, stress levels and diet of your flock once you have effected a medicinal-based cure. This in order that the condition does not reoccur. Thus with essential oils I usually give one treatment once or twice a day for five days and then rest for five days. After this period I would start the treatment again but it is rare that I need to repeat the treatment. Furthermore essential oils are very powerful and if you are using homeopathic pillules on your bird, you will destroy their effectiveness by using essential oils, so consider doing these treatments as alternatives rather than in tandem.

Medicine of the Pharaohs

Steam inhalation is one of the oldest forms of delivery for medicines. Evidence for its use is found in ancient Egyptian medical texts, such as the Ebers papyrus (1,554 B.C.). This details the use of black henbane, which was heated on bricks in order to vapourise the alkaloid contained within the plant and relieve the symptoms of shortness of breath. Similarly in the Demotic Vienna papyrus (400 B.C.), radishes were used in steam inhalation for ear infections.

Left: Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramesses II, makes offerings to Isis. This is part of the fabulous interior decoration on the walls of her 'House of Eternity' in the Valley of the Queens.

In 1922 when the tomb of Tutankhamun was unsealed it was found that grave robbers had stolen almost all of the 350 litres of essential oils that had been buried with him. At the time it seemed to those present that these ancient thieves had made a poor choice in comparison with the gold, jewellery and other objets d'art. With the 'whirligig of time' though, essential oils have regained their value and are the only items at my local organic shop that have been put under lock and key due to modern day pilfering.

How Steam Inhalation Works

To me it is logical that one of the most ineffective forms of delivery of non-food medicine is through the stomach, the former is liable to disrupt the balance of gut flora or conversely be rendered ineffective by the action of stomach acid. When the lungs and other areas of the respiratory and auditory system are affected it seems rational that the best delivery is directly into them. The use of steam in inhalation therapy soothes the respiratory tract, loosens mucus and thus works to detox the system of bacteria. When the steam is combined with essential oils it carries them and their respective virtues to the site of infection and inflammation.

Recipe - With Herbs

Above our recycled Christmas Tree (pinus sylvestris Scots Pine) provides a valuable ingredient for a herbal steam inhalation recipe.

I was very lucky one day when waiting at the checkout at my local organic shop to come across a great little manual, written by an organic vet. I found within it the following really easy and very effective herbal inhalation. The beauty of this is that it was specifically formulated for filling a room with steam rather than expecting the bird to lean directly over the pan of boiling water, thus it is ideal as a low-stress delivery. However, as the inhalation is very fragrant and the warm steam very soothing I have found that most of my birds have no objection to the traditional method (minus the towel over the head).

1 dessert spoon of dried thyme
1 dessert spoon of dried eucalyptus
1 dessert spoon of dried pine buds
I handful of fresh thyme

Place all the ingredients in a small pan of boiling mineral water and leave to infuse throughout the room. I found that when I had a few birds with a respiratory malady, that it was very effective to perch them on a ladder and hold the pan under each one, giving them a 'beakful' of perfumed steam each. On one occasion I also heard a cockerel/rooster with a blocked nose at night when he'd gone to roost in the hen house. I put the steaming pan of ingredients on the floor of the chicken coop and placed a metal gauze securely over the top to make sure there were no potential accidents. Once the pan had stopped steaming I removed it. On both these occasions the steam inhalation worked and there were no more snuffles and sneezing.

Recipe - With Essential Oils

Below is a recipe from one of my favourite books by Valerie Ann Worwood, I have the older version and this book has recently been revised and the new edition seems to be much cheaper! I've used this particular recipe several times for myself and also for my chickens. The only proviso, as she explains in her book, is that peppermint essential oil is extremely powerful and the eyes should be closed or covered when using it in steam inhalation. I found it very easy just to shield my hen's eyes with my hand.

Rosemary       3 drops
Thyme           1 drop
Peppermint     1 drop
Place the drops in a small bowl and pour boiling mineral water over them.

Recipe - Without Steam

This recipe, again from Valerie Ann Worwood, is also one I have used and with good results.

Take a piece of cloth, such as toweling, and heat it on a hob or similar. Place two drops of eucalyptus oil on the cloth and hold gently against the feathers on the breast.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from Normandie! Sue
© 2019 Sue Cross

Treating Roup/Coryza Upper Respiratory Problems 1 Assessment, Nutrition & Herbs.

I'll start this article with a dip into literature. I think this is very important in the understanding of both why I treat a bird holistically and also as an illustration of how society has changed..read more