Recent content by paeskie

It has been five weeks, and I was optimistic for awhile, but she died last night. I kept her inside for a couple weeks, with antiseptic baths, ointment, and antibiotics in her water. The wound healed, the scab fell off, she was eating and drinking, and seemed fine. I put her back out with the...

Kelsie2290, Thank you for your support and for those links. It has been very helpful. After the initial bath and picking out the maggots with a tool, I settled Willow into a box in the kitchen and went shopping. A couple hours later, I rolled up my sleeves, prepared to irrigate her wound with...

I discovered a wound below her vent, and it was crawling with maggots. I soaked and cleaned as well as I could, and pulled out countless maggots. The whole area is covered with a gray-brown sort of fur that doesn't wash off, or pull off very easily. The wound does not appear to be deep, so I...

Thank you. 100% of replies said toss the stuff, so that's what I did. Better safe than sorry.

One of my five hens looks awful. At first I thought it was a late molt, but now I don't know what it is. She has quills, with much of the feathers stripped from them. I don't see her--or any of the others--picking at her feathers. There are a few patches of pink, irritated-looking skin. I don't...

Sorry for duplicate post. How to delete

A neighbor had a large bag of wild bird seed get wet and then get sealed in plastic cooler. The newly discovered seed is all kinds of gross, and crawling with maggots. My thought is the chickens would love to pick through for those maggots. My fear is that the spoiled seed could be toxic, and...

Thank you for your reply. To be sure, we totally agree that we want to do what's best for our chickens. And if I don't ask advice from this crowd, I don't know where I'll get it :)

Thank you for your reply, though I still need advice. It comes down to this: which is a greater danger to our birds: the draft of an open door or the lack of ventilation with a closed door? Honestly, predators are not a factor. This is our coop. The doorway in question is at the top of the...

I need help to settle an argument with my husband. We live in North Carolina (not in the mountains). We have some cold nights in the winter, frequently in the 20s, occasionally lower. It rarely snows. Most days are in the 50s during the winter. We keep five hens in a chicken tractor in our...