Insights from the Homestead of Jill Winger
The Winger homestead floats like a strange island in an oceanic prairie. Far from any urban center, Jill and Christian’s 67-acre farm is brimming with animal life—dairy and beef cows, goats, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and cats. It is an oasis of natural, simple living. Evidence of this can be seen (and smelled) everywhere.
Here the farmyard aromas are curiously laced with perfumed notes of Lavender, Frankincense, and sweet Fennel. Essential oils are the backbone of care for the Winger’s animals because they’ve experienced firsthand the power and potency of naturemade solutions.
“When you have as many animals as we do, health challenges crop up all the time. It’s important to me to have several natural options available to meet those challenges,” Jill says.
“A decade ago, I started examining what my family was eating and putting on our skin. Armed with the information we were discovering, we started looking at how we could treat our animals better. Essential oils were the clear answer.”
A visit to the Winger homestead paints a very clear picture of how inseparably connected Jill and her family are with the lives they steward. The following vignettes illustrate how oils forge a powerful bond between farmer and animal and help the Wingers provide the highest-quality care to their furred and feathered family members.
Dogs
Jill supports her dogs with oils nearly every day. It’s common for her to spray TerraShield® into her hands and then stroke her dogs’ fur; she uses the same technique when applying DigestZen® to their fur and paws. One of her dogs is distressed by loud noises; during thunderstorms or Fourth of July fireworks, Jill keeps the Lavender nearby for calming support.
Cows
“I didn’t even think about using oils on cattle at first,” Jill admits. “But one day I walked into the barn with freshly applied oils on my hands. My dairy cow was drawn to me—smelling, licking my hands, and clearly loving the oils. So, I started experimenting.” To combat flies, Jill sprays diluted oils onto the cowhides. Her homemade udder balm is a barn-wide favorite. “It’s super nourishing, rich, and soothing.”
Essential oils with dairy cattle are also being considered as a way to improve the rumen fermentation (the cow’s first stomach) in order to reduce methane gas that is produced as a by product. Worms and parasites are a big issue on any farm and essential oils are being used successfully to help fight this threat.
Cinnamon, a “hot oil,” and along with Clove, and Oregano oil can help to reduce fermented protein in the rumen (cow’s first stomach).
Horses
Throughout the summer, Jill does ranch horse shows with her mare, Kate. For each trip, Jill packs a big bag of oils in her trailer. “I cannot imagine going to a horse show without them,” she says. “I put InTune® and doTERRA Balance® on my hands and rub them into Kate’s mane. Instantly she becomes a giant walking diffuser. The oils help both of us perform at our best.”
Chickens
When it comes time to clean the coop, Jill loves using 30 drops of lemon essential oil (or pick your favorite citrus oils) mixed in a 16 oz glass spray bottle, along with 1/3 filled with white vinegar and fill the rest with water.
To help heal wounds from scratches or other unfortunate attacks, Jill loves using Correct-x, a multi-purpose natural ointment that helps soothe skin and enhance the natural process of healing. The ointment includes the powerful oils of Frankincense, Helichrysum, Melaleuca, Cedarwood, and Lavender.
Essential oils as a feed additive? Yep, Jill loves to use oregano essential oil for internal health support. There is plenty of evidence that shows great results using heavily diluted oregano essential oil for chicken care. Internally, helps to boost the immune system, reduce intestinal worms, and could be a replacement for routine antibiotics in flock health care and prevention. In fact, a large chicken farm in Pennsylvania, Bell and Evans Poultry, switched to using an oregano oil based feed additive instead of using any antibiotics and had great results.
Where to Purchase
TerraShield outdoor blend can be purchased in two forms:
DigestZen digestive blend can be purchased in three forms:
- doTERRA DigestZen Digestive Blend (15 ml)
- doTERRA DigestZen Digestive Blend Touch Roll-on (10 ml)
- doTERRA DigestZen Digestive Blend Softgels (60 count)
For increased focus, mental clarity and emotional balance:
- doTERRA InTune Focus Blend Roll-on (10 mg)
- doTERRA Balance Grounding Blend (15 mg)
