Feed Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar – Is It a Myth? – Mark Yearsley (Sherborne)

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has long been used as a folk remedy for humans and livestock alike.  When fed to livestock, farmers claim it aids in fibre digestion, increases milk production and acts as a wormer, among other benefits.  Over a two-year trial, three dairy farmers participated in an on-farm research trial to measure the effects of the supplement on their milking cows.

Because dairy farmers milk all their cows into the same bulk tank, there’s not a good way to keep milk separate to measure the impact of a certain treatment on milk characteristics.  Splitting the herd and keeping milk separate was not possible; the farmers tried a different method.  They fed the ACV to their herd for three-months, followed by three months of not feeding it.  In the second year of the trial, they switched the time of year they were feeding the vinegar to try to account for seasonal variability in milk production.  Because of the limitations imposed by the realities of a working dairy, results of this trial are not statistically significant, but the farmers learned from their experiences, nonetheless.

Milk Quality & Quantity Results

Scott Wedemeier and his family milk around 165 cows near Maynard in northeast Iowa.  Milk yield data shows that, on average, when the herd was administered apple cider vinegar, the cows produced 38.5 kilogrammes (Kg) of milk per cow per day versus 35Kg when vinegar was not offered.  The cause of the 3.5kg difference is difficult to justify since the Wedemeiers operate a grazing dairy. On this system, milk production is influenced heavily by season, weather and grass quality.

The table below shows the impact of ACV on milk quality.

For each of the farmers in the study, ACV had a negligible effect on the amount of butterfat and protein in the milk.  And though it didn’t notably boost butterfat and protein, it didn’t adversely affect those milk components either.  For the Wedemeiers, the vinegar also resulted in some cost-savings. “When we were feeding vinegar, we removed an expensive yeast product that promotes the digestion of fibre from the ration,” Scott says. “We were expecting butterfat depression from removing the yeast, but didn’t see as much irregularity as we expected, but we did reduce feed costs’’

Financial benefits of Replacing Yeast with ACV

Although the results of this trial did not show statistical differences between groups, farmers made several anecdotal observations.  The theory of feeding ACV, suggest that acetic acid shifts rumen pH in a way that helps fibre digestion – thus helping cows to digest forage.  Scott noticed when his cows were supplemented with vinegar, they had smoother manure, indicating well-digested feed. “The digestion of the feeds was really good,” he says. “I saw more fibre in the manure when they were not on ACV.”  He also found cows were healthier with good appetites, during vinegar feeding periods.  “I think the apple cider vinegar promotes the right bacteria in the digestive system and helps to keep bad bacteria, like E. coli, from proliferating.”  This trial has also got Scott wondering if apple cider vinegar would help with cows’ transition from their dry period – just before calving – to lactation.

Administering Apple Cider Vinegar

Feeding 60 millilitres (ml) per cow per day either in their total mixed ration drench or through their water supply will improve their health and utilisation of feed.  This will help reduce feed costs and contribute to a better milk price.  Calves 20ml per day.

It is important to feed a quality product and not a watered-down cheap alternative, I recommend an ACV with a minimum of 6.5% Acidity (Acetic Acid).  For the cost ACV it is worth an on-farm trial.  I have fed ACV on an organic herd in the past with positive results.

To discuss the practicalities of using ACV and benefits to your livestock, please contact – Mark at markyearsley@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office.