Kombucha for Livestock: What Farmers Need to Know

Kombucha is a fermented tea with roots in China or Japan, made by mixing black or green tea with sugar, yeast, and bacteria. After a week or so of fermentation, this combination produces a fizzy, slightly vinegary drink known for its gut-friendly microbes.

At the heart of it is the SCOBY (or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) – a rubbery disc that forms on top.

While science hasn’t confirmed every health claim, kombucha contains lactic-acid bacteria that might help with digestion and inflammation – not just in people, but in animals too.

Jane Dobson from Broadstone Rare Breeds has been feeding her own homemade kombucha to her sheep and lambs – and reckons it’s improved their gut health.