Homeopathy and chicken
Bone computed tomography mineral content evaluation in chickens: effects of substances in homeopathic concentration
Highlights
•Increase of calcium hydroxyapatite content in the sternal spongy bone tissue of 72 chickens treated with homeopathic substances. •Significant increase in calcium hydroxyapatite content in chickens treated with Tricalcarea and Calcarea carbonica. •The average mortality rates of the chickens was 8.5% in the control group and 7% in those treated with homeopathic remedies.
Methods
Ninety-six cobb race chickens were equally divided in 4 groups and randomly assigned to receive a standard treatment feed + homeopathic concentrations of Symphytum (S.) officinalis (9CH), or standard treatment feed + homeopathic concentrations of Tricalcarea (4CH), or standard treatment feed + homeopathic concentrations of Calcarea (C.) carbonica (30CH) or a placebo (the same feed but without any homeopathic compound) in order to assess the ability of the homeopathic compounds to increase the concentration of calcium hydroxyapatite in the sternal spongy bone tissue. We measured the concentration of calcium hydroxyapatite in the sternal spongy bone tissue of all chickens by means of a computed tomography (CT).
Results
30%, 36% and 63% increase of sternum spongy-bone mineralization was observed after a 2 years period in the treatment groups with S. officinalis (9CH), Tricalcarea (4CH) (*P < 0.05) and C. carbonica (30CH) (***P < 0.001) respectively.
Conclusion
Bone mineralization is usually low in battery chickens reared in commercial poultry-sheds, creating a weakness of the whole animal supporting apparatus. Homeopathic preparations with bone-tissue tropism may improve their health quality.
