All chickens in Thailand may need is some good ol’ cannabis.
Academics at Chiang Mai University have studied 1,000 chickens at Ong-ard’s Pethlanna organic farm, in Lampang since last January.
The researchers were aiming to see how the animals responded when cannabis was mixed into their feed or water.
The results are promising and suggest that cannabis could help reduce farmers’ dependence on antibiotics, said Chompunut Lumsangkul, an assistant professor at Chiang Mai University’s department of animal and aquatic sciences, who led the study.
Chompunut observed the chickens to see what impact cannabis had on their growth, vulnerability to disease, and to see if their meat and eggs were different in quality.
Lumsangkal also looked to see 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.
No abnormal behaviour was observed in the chickens, Chompunut said: “At the level of intensity we gave them, it wouldn’t get the chickens high.”
“I try to find the suitable level for them that could help them to improve immunity and performance without any bad effects,” said Chompunut.
The results are yet to be published but Chompunut has observed positive signs.
Cannabis-supplemented chickens tended to experience fewer cases of avian bronchitis, and the quality of their meat was also superior.
