Yesterday I made kefir and yoghurt. Kefir for me and yoghurt for Mia. Yoghurts contain probiotics, a probiotic is the opposite of an antibiotic. And guess who has been shot full of antibiotics. 
Mia had some of her insides literally dragged through some pretty unclean areas before being washed and tucked back in. We decided that she was at terrible risk for infection, so over the course of those first two days I gave her two shots of broad spectrum penicillin, an antibiotic. Note the broad spectrum. I know this is not organic but I believe absolutely that this was necessary. However the antibiotic depletes the good and bad bacterias in the gut as it surges through. Although it is useful to fight an extreme case of infection the penicillin is indiscriminate. This is only a theory but it makes sense to me. In our family we always follow penicillin with a probiotic. Though I have not had an antibiotic in over twenty years. I have been lucky.
So now to help her quickly build Mia’s little bacterial ecosystem back up and tend to her gut health, (probiotics are also widely used for bowel and vaginal health). I shall feed her a small pot of home made yoghurt (garlic flavoured), every day, for a good while. I will just mix this into her small corn and oats ration, along with a dash of real cider vinegar and feed her seperately. I will only add a little initially so she gets used to the taste and build it up as we go. We need to do everything we can to help her fight for her own recovery. 
I collected some good fresh raw milk from the farmer down the road. Heated it to almost boiling point, cooled it, then added my sachet of yoghurt culture (or 1/4 cup of fresh plain Greek yoghurt- I use Danon) For the next 6 batches I will use a pot of this yoghurt as a restarter, after that we will start afresh. Otherwise Lactobacilli (which is a bit more acidic) becomes too dominant.
This is just for Mia, I am not touching Mama’s diet at all as she is toddling along just nicely, and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! Mama will get yoghurt after her lambs are born (knock on wood my friends!)
Incidently yoghurt is also good for the gut health of your chickens, just mix it into their grain. And your dogs and cats and yourself of course. 
For me I made a batch of Kefir. Because drinking your probiotics in a smoothie is dellicious. Kefir is a fermented milk. I use the starter sachets as I have not come across anyone with the granules yet. The grains are hard to find. (Certainly impossible to find around here where they think that Probiotics is the name of a transformer!) It will take about 24 hours to start working, then I will make wonderful smoothies with the last of the frozen blueberries or my peach preserves. Or maybe I will get all outrageous and mix them all together! But only mix in your fruit when you are ready to drink the smoothie. So all the good bacteria stay intact.
For my vegan friends you can make a water Kefir, which is tasty too, especially mixed with fruit. And your insides will thank you.
Good morning! Yesterday we had another day of dreadful wind, but a notch down. Only a small notch though, it was so strong at one point that it smashed another barn door open, releasing the cows into the big wide world. It seems the wind is determined to get them out. I looked out the window and Daisy was out in the drive licking the newly returned Green Dodge ’53 truck. What can you do with a cow like that? She was encouraging the Bobby to come over for a taste when The Matriarch and I went out with buckets and led them back in. Of course Daisy was faster than me and got her big fat head right IN the bucket pushing it to the ground and I had to drag the bucket along pulling the half ton of munching cow with me, but we managed in the end and now they really are locked into the barn. Poor wee Queenie was a bit slow on the uptake and was still in the pen looking out the window!
It is raining this morning. I love the rain in little inch doses like this. After everyone’s breakfast, I will go out with my tools and girlie arms and make some repairs so the cows can come back out into their playground. (Animals have to be outside especially in this lovely rain) Then on the weekend John will surreptitiously dismantle my pathetic repairs and do them again with the right stuff. He will not say a word to me, I will just find them refixed correctly. And all will be good.
Everyone was well and happy at my 4am check, and so now Off We Go to start our day.
Good morning
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
78 responses to “Probiotics for penicillin tummies..”
Hmm, I thought kefir was a form of kaffir lime, ah well! Live and learn. Maybe something like a rice or nut milk smoothie for the vegans would work too? I’d love to make my own yoghurt, fascinating sciency type cooking! 🙂
Yoghurt is so easy to make, and so if Kefir, and the lime keffir leaves are one of my favourite thai tastes.. I wish i could grow them! c
Your John is a sweet man to fix things you “fixed” without saying a word. Clearly he appreciates your temporary handiwork until he can get time to do his thing. The yogurt/keffir plan sounds good for all guts concerned. We always take probiotics like acidopholous after antibiotics, but haven’t needed antibiotics in years here either. Hoping the wind dies down. I’m planting more onions/leeks in flats on my window seat today. Second batch. The first batch is in the greenhouse now.
Oh thank you.. for the reminder, i need to sow more onions too, i shall do that today! I will pop over and see how yours are doing, have you posted pics of them growing in the greenhouse.?. c
Celi, can I add Jack Daniels to a Kefir? I don’t find many things as smooth as Jack Daniels. Please provide a Jack Daniels smoothie recipe as soon as possible. I want to be healthy and drunk. HF
OK i will get right on that. Though you do understand that i may have to do a number of experiments before i get the quantities right.. I mean i want it to be perfect! c
Sampling while cooking is a must, right! Enjoy and thanks for not only great writing, but information, too! HF
Hi Celi: I love this, and have huge respect that when you really deemed antibiotics necessary – as a one off- you chose to use them. Your yoghurt tips are inspiring, might have to try making some; and that journey leading a cow using a bucket made me chuckle 😀 Have a lovely day. Hope Mia’s health goes from strength to strength.
I do hope that mia gets back to 100% but after seeing her that day i am still gobsmacked that she is even walking! Such a tough little sheep! c
Your blog is so entrancing that I’m starting to think that it’s not real – maybe you’re writing in a comfortable study in Boston and getting me at it. But who is sending you all the pictures. Very confusing, but I’m still pleased that Mia is recovering. You’re seem to be a very capable, if fictional, vet:)
Maybe i am just down the road with binoculars! (evil laughter!!).. c
I hope Mia enjoys her diet supplements! You are a clever girl, and also a lucky one. If I botch a job, the mockery is loud… Your John is a treasure.
Sometimes just quietly, I find if I do it myself it is more likely to be fixed Properly. i think that then he is afraid someone may see my handiwork and think it is his!! c
😀
Good morning Farmy, I’ve never heard of Kefir, it sounds a bit Turkish to me (but then that’s probably me!) And why not lick a Dodge? Seems enirely plausible to me…..
Actually I think it is a russian drink, but don’t quote me – I will look that up! morning claire
aah the power of a search engine “Kefir is a fermented milk drink. The word kefir is said to have originated from the Turkish word “Keif” which means “good feeling”.” I like the idea of good feeling
Aha, perfect! good info too.. c
YOU are a treasure!
I hope you are taking your probiotics Lois! c
I love kefir! I try to have some going in my fridge – unless I am going away for a while and I don’t want it to get out of control – all the time. So good for you too. Morning, C!
Morning Ksenia I am an ardent fan too, it makes a fantastic breakfast! Out of control kefir sounds exciting!! c
Cecilia, I read your comment on growing your own Kaffir Lime. You can! I keep a small one in a black 5 gallon nursery sleeve. I move mine into the well house when it drops below freezing and then put it out on the warmer days. It is so lovely to be able to go out and grab fresh leaves when cooking Thai cuisine! I think that if you can grow rosemary in a pot that you would find the Kaffir Lime just as easy. ~ Lynda
What an excellent idea Lynda, I shall cruise about and see if i can find a little one to pot up, thank you. John will be thrilled (he is the Thai cuisine man) .. c
I sure do wish we’d known about probiotics when my kids were little. They were all prone to ear infections, and the – ahem – ‘runs’ that came with a course of antibiotics were just as bad. Two years ago, my son had a bad infection that required a hefty dose. The combination of good yogurt and a probiotic pill made it an easier recovery.
All the best to you and the rest of the Farmy!
We have 45 mph winds this morning – not fun.
I know, it is such a simple and logical solution, i cannot even remember eating yoghurt as a kid, where was all this good stuff! That wind.. horrible.. ! c
Years ago I had to have a course of antibiotics over and over for something that wouldn’t go away (mainly because the first round wasn’t strong enough and I’m allergic to penicillin). After the meds had killed all the goodness in me but not the bad, I went to a health store to see if there was something natural to be done. It was a probiotics (along with some herbs) light bulb moment! I have plain yogurt almost every day, and haven’t had an issue or an antibiotic since, though I do feel they have their place. Mia is so lucky to have you for a caretaker, as are all your animals! Heard of Kefir, never tried it and didn’t know what it was, but am intrigued. Thanks for a most informative post! And so glad Mia is coming along well. 🙂
Ask at the health food shop for some Kefir sachets as a start. It is such a good drink, even easier to digest than yoghurt. and no prep just grab, pour slug and divine in a smoothie. We need to find some grains though, they last forever evidently, you just strain them back out of the milk and reuse them. I need to do some study on that! .. c
Ah, yes. The yogurt should build her immune system back up; 60% of our immune systems are contained in our gut. Most folks don’t think of that as they ingest “stuff” sold as food these days, and antibiotic infused beef and such…
Enjoy your day C
Morning jess. Thank goodness we know now, everyone needs some fermented foods somehow or the other, John is a firm believer in saukraut made from whey! I must post his mad recipe one day.. c
Mia is lucky to have you tending to her – as are the other animals. I think antibiotics are in general overused and over prescribed but sometimes they are the only way to deal with something. I hope Mia enjoys the addition to her diet and makes a total recovery. 😉
I really hope she does get well, her head is down today..so I have shooed her and Mama back out into the field to eat some of those precious tiny green grass shoots. It might do her some good to get fresh grass, not too good for the field but never mind, she is only little..c
Celi, this is great to hear that Mia can take yoghurt as a probiotic. How is she doing? Are sheep also able to take dilute rice water (e.g. in rice porridge form?) In any case, there are some chinese herbal remedies in the form of glycerin-based tinctures or self-decocted herbal teas that can be added to the yoghurt or rice porridge mix in future if necessary 🙂 I am learning a little bit more about your farm animals each day. It is just so heartwarming to hear of your symbiotic relationship with them. Will have to try your recipe for kefir as well soon. Love that stuff. Have a great day! http//:faymeling.wordpress.com
Well those chinese herbal remedies sound interesting, thank you I shall do some research. I do make them a wet feed mixed with beet shreds, I use this for their garlic and cider vinegar, we could certainly use a rice water with that! .. c
How thoughtful and good of you to be so loving to Mia. I hope she’s in high spirits!
She is out in the sun, it is cold but fresh and should help.. good morning Yummy!