Essential Oils To Relax Your Cows

It's becoming more popular to use essential oils in livestock massage. The thought itself sounds a bit odd...livestock massage. Therapist are expressing the added soothing effects of using essential oils along with their massage techniques. 

Turns out... cows love getting massages! 

Giving regular massages to your cows helps keep the cow in a more relaxed state. This is great for beef cows because the meat is much more tender and it helps reduce birthing difficulty with pregnant cows!

We've collected a few blends that are used by livestock massage therapist and have been proven to help relax cattle, from "Essential Oils To Calm Livestock". 

To make these essential oil blends you will need to put the same number of drops of each essential oil listed - for the blend that you choose, into a empty glass essential oils bottle - which you can get on Amazon. It's important for preserving the quality of the oil that you use either a blue or brown container and not clear. 

Most Effective Essential Oil Blends You Can Make,
​To Calm Your Cows

“Sweet Peace”
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil – encourages a calm state of mind and restores confidence.
Patchouli Essential Oil – calms the mind and emotions
Tangerine Essential Oil – calming effect
Sweet Orange Essential Oil – brings about peaceful feelings
Blue Tansy Essential Oil – combats anger and negative energy

​“All Is Calm”
Used for intense trauma or shock
Frankincense Essential Oil – uplifts mood and brings feeling of relaxation.
Valerian Essential Oil – calming and restorative effect on the central nervous system.
Lavender Essential Oil – strong stress relief properties.
Rosewood Essential Oil – establishes emotional stability.
Spruce Essential Oil – brings on feeling of joy and helps release negative energy.
Rose Otto Essential Oil – creates a sense of well being.
Kaffir Lime Essential Oil – calming effect
Davana Essential Oil – eases feelings of stress and nervousness.
Helichrysum Essential Oil – it’s sweet nectar smell helps to assist in releasing emotional blocks.

​“Earthly Essence”
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
Spruce Essential Oil
Cedarwood Essential Oil – brings feelings of security and stability.
Juniper Essential Oil – used for detoxing
White Fir Essential Oil – anchoring effect, relaxes the body whilst stimulating the mind.
Pine Essential Oil – soothes muscles and joints.
Angelica Root Essential Oil – provides a feeling of safety and security.

​“Soothing Summer”
Sweet Orange Essential Oil
Roman Chamomile Essential Oil– clears the mind and creates patience and peace.
Lavender Essential Oil – brings harmony and relaxation
Angelica Root Essential Oil
Grapefruit Essential Oil
Kaffir Lime Essential Oil

Application:

There are a few different applications for essential oils around cattle. Depending on the situation and the stress level of the animal, you may only have the last option.

Option 1. Massage
The best application for essential oils is to massage your preferred blend directly onto the animal. Mix 2-3 drops of your essential oil blend with a carrier oil of your choice, pour some of the diluted mix into your hand or a rag and then rub the animals muzzle. Rub into the poll, along the jawline and their ears.
**Important*** Never use essential oils undiluted, aka "neat" - on you or your animals. Dilution ratio needs to be 12 drops of the essential oil blend to 1 fl oz of carrier oil. Carrier oils can be; extra virgin oil oil, fractioned coconut oil, jojoba oil or other similar oils. I like to make my diluted mix up in a dark spray bottle, this way I can store it in the bottle when not using it.


Option 2. Aromatherapy
If by chance the animal is too stressed to let you massage it. You can use this last option. Which is to diffuse the essential oil directly into the atmosphere around them.
You can do this with a diffuser or hold out the bottle near the animals nose and let them waft in the scent as they want. If you don’t have a diffuser you can place some of the essential oils in a spray bottle with alittle water and spritz the air, walls or bedding. Or you can make a gunny sack scent dispenser. I'm sure you've seen them, typically they have cedar wood chips in them or pine needles in the winter time. You can make your own or buy one at most any local store in the scented candle idle. 
Once you have one you can then place 5-10 drops of your essential oil blend on the outside of the bag and hang it near where the animals beds. 

For first time essential oil buyers it is highly recommended that you read through this post first: "Things You Need To Know Before Buying Essential Oils" the website also goes over the best essential oils to buy. 

Benefits Of Using Essential Oils For Cattle

Reduce Pests, Reduce Stress
Pests such as flies, fleas and lice irritate cattle, raising their stress levels. Strongly scented essential oils such as rosemary, cedar, sassafras, pine, lavender, penny royal, camphor, anise and eucalyptus naturally repel pests and the stress they bring to the herd. Mix 1 part essential oil with 2 to 3 parts plain vegetable oil, and rub it throughout your cattle's coats, taking care to avoid getting it in their eyes. You can mix several essential oils to make your own blend, such as adding rosemary to lemon and peppermint oils to ward off fleas and mosquitoes.

Hot Oils for Heat Stress
Cinnamon oil is known as a "hot" oil -- one that will make your skin feel like it's on fire when applied undiluted. When added to cattle feed, cinnamon oil helps reduce fermented protein in a bovine's rumen, which causes an increase in body temperature and greater susceptibility to heat stress. Feed cinnamon essential oil in capsule form, or diluted with olive oil and mixed into feed. Garlic oil, clove oil and oregano oil are other hot oils producing similar effects.

Garlic Reduces Methane
Another cause of stress in cattle is digestive upset. Methane gases, formed as food breaks down in the rumen, can build up quickly enough to form a foamy substance. Normally, a cow would belch to release the gas, but foam blocks the cow from belching. The problem compounds as gases build up, leading to a serious condition known as bloat. Garlic essential oil contains diallyl disulfide proven to reduce methane gas production in the rumen by up to 70 percent.

Good Health, Less Stress
Essential oils can kill bacteria, fungi and some viruses, reducing discomfort and illness that cause cattle stress. In Europe, essential oils have replaced the use of antibiotics as feed additives to reduce stress and disease. Oils of thyme and oregano, which have anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic properties, are used, diluted, directly on skin lesions as well as internally. Massage mild relaxing oils like lavender and chamomile along the inner edges of a bovine's ears to help reduce anxiety.