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[Beekissed]

Try raising turkeys and peafowl with chickens and you might find that even when fed properly, kept clean, etc. that your birds start dying from blackhead. And what about all the respiratory diseases? Even birds kept as you are suggesting do get sick, right? Aren't you one that uses oxytetracyline for this?

-Kathy

Nope...they don't. Not if you are doing it right. Been raising chickens...hey, and even did it with turkeys once without blackhead!...for 40 yrs and never had illness in any flocks. When you depend on meds, you plan for sickness....and you generally get it. When you depend on good management, you plan for health and you generally get it. Time for people to actually put some thought and work into raising their chickens instead of knee jerk reactions to poor management.

I am not a proponent of medication. My recommendations:

1. Maintain a closed flock. This will help prevent bringing in some of those nasty "forever" diseases. Encourage wild turkeys to visit your yard. They carry a less virulent strain of Marek's disease which will provide natural immunity to your flock.

2. Provide good nutrition: which IMO includes fermented feed and providing chicks with access to local soil within their first 2 weeks of life. Maintain healthy soil: either covered with plant material or deep litter/compost. Don't forget low stocking rates! ~Bee

3. Realize that parasites and illness when they do happen affect the weakest flock members. By keeping those weak members in your flock, you are leaving them to be a disease vector, and breeding forward for a flock that is increasingly at risk of disease issues. Appropriate culling will do wonders for building a strong flock that is not disease prone. I've never had issue with Mareks, coccidiosis (my chicks do not get medicated feed) or any respiratory illness. Will use permethrin as needed if mites show up. (no mite issues for over 3 years)

Short answer: taking antibiotics off the shelves won't affect my husbandry methods.

Same here, couldn't have said it better myself....although I'm not a huge proponent of the closed flock thing, that's sort of like keeping your kid in a bubble, an immune system never tried is an immune system that has not formed a good set of antibodies.

The lazy livestock keeping of sticking a med in an animal instead of finding real, lasting solutions has always been doomed for failure but many do it because it's the easiest path and takes very little thought or work. And it never truly works either...it's just a crutch to help a flock limp along until the NEXT illness happens along their weakened immune systems and poor living conditions.

Never used them, never will, no big loss.

 

[BantyChooks]

I would use antibiotics as needed- I think they are a useful tool. I know some don't use them, but I think that in moderation, you're not going to end up with resistance problems. Me, I keep birds as pets, so I don't really subscribe to the survival of the fittest idea...

But, I don't breed birds with frequent health issues.

I won't be stocking up much if at all. If I desperately need 'em, I'll probably find a vet who will prescribe them.

Edit: In my limited time of chicken keeping, (3 years) I have used an antibiotic product twice- A wormer. At the time, I did not realise it was an antibiotic and will be switching types of wormer the next time I have to use one.

 

[shortgrass]

I'm in the same boat as @lazy gardener, @Blooie, and @Beekissed, who have all done an excellent job of explaining the same reasons I don't use them.

Thanks for saving me all that typing, ladies


Won't affect us. Especially with the chickens. The cattle don't get any antibiotics either....come to think if it, the only animal we've ever used antibiotics on was a horse... I really can't recall ever needing any, I guess.

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm in the same boat as @lazy gardener , @Blooie , and @Beekissed , who have all done an excellent job of explaining the same reasons I don't use them.

Thanks for saving me all that typing, ladies

Won't affect us. Especially with the chickens. The cattle don't get any antibiotics either....come to think if it, the only animal we've ever used antibiotics on was a horse... I really can't recall ever needing any, I guess.

Me too. No antibiotics here. Never needed them. I don't even know what "as needed" would be.

 

[TexasLisa]

I've only been in the chicken raising business for 5 years. I've have listened to the wisdom of @lazy gardener , @Blooie , and @Beekissed , etc. I have yet to use any kind of medication.

I have also had the privilege of raising 5 BBW without any problems. No meds here!

 

[Blooie]

I've only been in the chicken raising business for 5 years. I've have listened to the wisdom of @lazy gardener , @Blooie , and @Beekissed , etc. I have yet to use any kind of medication.

I have also had the privilege of raising 5 BBW without any problems. No meds here!

Shoot, you've been at this longer than I have, Lisa....weren't you were one of my mentors in my shaking beginnings?

 

[TexasLisa]

Shoot, you've been at this longer than I have, Lisa....weren't you were one of my mentors in my shaking beginnings?

It wasn't me. Must have been someone else in Texas.

 

[Blooie]

It wasn't me. Must have been someone else in Texas.

Oops, my mistake then! At any rate, you learned a lot from the same people I did, mainly @Beekissed and @Lazy Gardener (and why didn't that tag thingy work on LG?) and most of what I have picked up is that chicken keeping is 10% learned and 90% common sense! So to me the more good care and less interference, the better my flock seems to do. But as I said, I"m not so naive not to think things will always be perfect, but I think I'm prepared to handle it if it comes up with some judicious culling and rock solid advice.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote:

Tag you're it!!!!! I have my tag turned off! Have kept it turned off for well over a year now!!!

 

[Blooie]

Oh oh. See LG. See Lg be silly! Run, LG, run!