The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

Leah's mom look at all that pretty snow you have. Add a few more feet & it will be like here

Wanted to post what I found tonight when I got home. I worked late so my mom stopped to make sure the girls had enough food & collect eggs. That was around noonish. I'm sure when she dropped my son off she said hi to the girls as well. I finally got home around 6 & decided to collect the eggs if there were any. Imagine my surprise when I found Stella on the coop floor hopping around. It was dark by then. Apparently the cabbage that was tied with hay twine was finished off today and the twine was laying on the coop floor & Stella got it wrapped around both legs & feet. I picked her up & got it off one leg. I couldn't get it off the other & didn't want to put her down in fear she would tighten the piece on her other leg. I called my mom & she was at work but as I was talking to her I was able to untie the twine from the coop wall. I figured I could cut off the piece still on her leg but realized I couldn't hold her & get the right angle with my hand to cut it. My friend was on his way home & had called me so he stopped over. Took his knife to get it off. Thankfully it wasn't tight on her leg but very little room to cut it off. Thankfully Stella stayed calm thru it all even when he was cutting the twine off as we stood under the porch light. No wounds on her legs or feet thank goodness. I put her back on her roost & stuck Edie btw her and one of the other girls to keep warm & closed up the coop.

Moral of the story if you tie something in the coop monitor it. She got caught up in it in less than 3 hours from when she was last checked. I used the same twine to tie the other half of cabbage up with no problem.

I'm guessing she was scratching where the twine was & got it tied around her one leg & wrapped around the other. I'm sure tomorrow she will voice her displeasure to me

glad you caught it - I'm always worrying about the twine around hay bales - I like to keep a bale in the coop, and of course the hens work at it and eventually the twine comes loose. I've been afraid they coud get caught in it and be injured. have this image in my head of a hen scratching in the litter where the twine is, and just working it so it becomes a snare.

 

[armorfirelady]

I thinks that's exactly what she did Lala. The tightest one around her leg was like some tied it on. I had just wrapped the twine around the cabbage to hold. So I think the loop was on the hay & she was scratching got her foot in it & didn't realize it and every time she kicked back it tightened.

I also have a hay bale out for them. But it was one I picked up at the side of the road after Halloween. It was growing green grass on it, so it weighs a ton from the rain also. It a wind break at the end of their a frame cover. They like to sit on it top when it's warmer & I have been keeping an eye on it to make sure the twine doesn't come off

 

[Leahs Mom]

I heard that only works on spanish turkeys lol. It doesnt work. Im talking barriers like the nematode or praying mantis is there a natural enemy to the cecal worm or something. Wild birds can spread it so any threads info along those lines I looking for

Okay...now I get what you're asking. Something that feeds on or kills the protozoa in the ground. (A parasite for the parasite so to speak.) I'll bet there IS something but we just haven't found it yet. It's obvious that all ground isn't contaminated and some is over-contaminated so there must be good, natural reason for that.



I have looked around to find anything and all I can find is talk of breeding for resistance. Some DNAs mention pouring salt on the ground but of course that kills everything else too.

I do have some thoughts about what could be put on the ground that would be a healthy deterrent but you may not want just "thoughts". But there are some things that seem to work for many parasites and keeping the ground healthy, etc.



Here are some excerpts from an article on selecting for resistance:


Quote:http://www.thepoultrysite.com/artic...d-organic-poultry-blackhead-in-turkeys-part-2

 

[Leahs Mom]

Glad you caught that AFL!!!! That's pretty scary

 

[armorfirelady]

Glad you caught that AFL!!!!  That's pretty scary

Yes it was. So glad I decided to check on the girls before going in the house.

My poor mom was ready to leave work & come save her Stella. She has become a little attached to the hens.......she calls them her grand chickens And they know she has the "nana crack" when she stops to check on them. Edie tries to fly up on her when she has the container with scratch. I didn't believe Edie did that till she went in the coop one day when I was here and saw it myself. Of course the fact she lets Stella & Edie eat right from the container is probably why Nana is their favorite sitter They are going to be lost when I don't fill the "nana crack" container come spring. Of course then she brings them veggies so she will still be their favorite.

 

[cockoftherock]

When do we get together and sing kumbya. smile

 

[Leahs Mom]

When do we get together and sing kumbya. smile
Quote:
I'll bring the guitar.

 

[cockoftherock]

That makes a lot of sense. Srry if I sounded like I didnt like food for thot I do but I felt they were straying off point. I wonder would plowing the virgin free range ground under meanwhile plant forage. Is it true that poult s are more at risk pr not. and keeping away wild bird. away from feed. I mean Idk thats why Im asking. I like what you shared tho. Thx. ya

Okay...now I get what you're asking.  Something that feeds on or kills the protozoa in the ground.  (A parasite for the parasite so to speak.)  I'll bet there IS something but we just haven't found it yet.  It's obvious that all ground isn't contaminated and some is over-contaminated so there must be good, natural reason for that.



I have looked around to find anything and all I can find is talk of breeding for resistance.  Some DNAs mention pouring salt on the ground but of course that kills everything else too.

I do have some thoughts about what could be put on the ground that would be a healthy deterrent but you may not want just "thoughts".  But there are some things that seem to work for many parasites and keeping the ground healthy, etc.



Here are some excerpts from an article on selecting for resistance:


 

 

[Leahs Mom]

Leah's mom look at all that pretty snow you have. Add a few more feet & it will be like here

That was more than a month ago. Now I have 4-5 ft drifts everywhere. But I did try to keep the pen reasonably swept/shoveled out so they'd go out some. One day I was out in that pen 3 hours trying to clear it out before the next 2 ft snow (not counting drifting). After that I just took a broom and swept furiously to help them see the ground. The sides are pretty stacked up!


ETA: I hope RedRidge still has electricity.

 

[lalaland]

just want to say that after a very stressful week it is wonderful to come home, check the chickens and sit in the coop with all of them roosting and sleepy. (now that was after I chased a broody out of the nest) (moved her out 4 times before she gave up, drank a ton, ate a ton and went to roost).