ACV & Poly Vi SOl

[nwgirl]

Here is some of what I've learned. Hope this helps.

Deworming:
Chickens probably don't need the first deworming for close to a year. Mix Cayenne heavily into the feed to turn it red, or as ging3rhoffman suggested mixing 3 TBS per gallon. Give again in 10 days to kill any new worms. Repeat these two steps about every six months for maintenance.

Cayenne doesn't have the same effects on Chickens as it does on us, so they can eat it up without experiencing the heat.

Pasty Butt:
Pasty butt can be made worse by molasses or any sugars. Treat with unfiltered, apple cider vinegar (ACV) with the "mother" (sediment). Use a 2-3 teaspoons to a quart, or 2 tbsp per gallon of water.

Grit:
If you are feeding your chicks anything other than their starter feed then lightly sprinkle some chick grit sprinkle on baby chick's food or plain parakeet grit (not with calcium). Switch chicks to regular grit at 10 weeks.

Feeding Earthworms:
Do not feed your chicks earthworms you've dug up from the garden. Earthworms can carry parasites. Chicks are especially susceptible to infection, as they get older they develop a better immunity to infestation. However mealworms purchased from a pet store are safe.

Cleaning
Waterers should be washed every week or two. Clean chicken stuff with 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.

Apple Cider Vinegar:
Makes the digestive system more acidic, making it easier for good bacteria to grow. It also acts as a natural antibiotic and will discourage the growth of salmonella bacteria in the water.

Diatomaceous Earth
Use only Food-Grade DE.
It absorbs ammonia and neutralizes odor. Use it in the bedding and nesting boxes. There are also similar products called Stall-Dry and Sweet PDZ.
Sprinkle it on their food to help keep away intestinal parasites like worms.
Sprinkle directly on fowl feathers to eliminate mites and lice.
Mix DE with sand in the dusting box. Dust baths help eliminate body parasites.

Calicum
Provide Calcium to laying hens in the form of ground oyster shells, or clean and well-mashed eggshells.

Egg Binding:
An egg-bound hen will be sluggish, have ruffled feathers and a distended abdomen. You will be able to feel eggs inside. Lubricate the oviduct with mineral oil or petroleum jelly as far in as you can reach, and try to ease the egg down. Putting the hen under a heat lamp for warmth will help the eggs come out too.

I could literally drive myself insane worrying about all the diseases that could wipe out my flock, so I'm trying to take a more preventative role by providing a tidy environment, fresh healthy food, lots of exercise, fresh air, and clean water.

 

[OrpingtonHopeful]

Quote:
Wow thanks for all this! I appreciate all the time you too on this really comprehensive list! As an aside, my father in law is from the Everitt area- He always gets fabulous smoked salmon from a place up that way

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Corid is the preferable first treatment for cocci, but if it does not cure, Sulmet is the next step. It is rougher on their digestive tract, but sometimes it is necessary to get the condition under control.

There is no way I would buy even half the stuff on that first aid list, just to have on hand, unless I owned upwards of 1000 chickens, and even then.... And some things, like molasses, I would not give the chickens, anyway. I would keep it as a reference, for a clue what to use if I have a problem, rather than a shopping list. You'll never need most of it.

If you feed chick starter which is medicated with amprolium, hopefully they will never have to be treated for cocci. This is controversial, as some here feel they develop a better immunity without it in the feed; you will have to read up and choose for yourself. Some chick starters are medicated with an antibiotic rather than amprolium; I would not use these, but I do use one with amprolium, as I feel it is very likely that there are lots of cocci here. It simply controls cocci growth til they can build their own immunity.

Yes, a lot of things can go wrong -- but mostly, none of them do, except maybe minor injuries, for which a little Neosporin is usually all that is needed, if that. Antibiotics are often given when they should not be, IMO, and even if you do need them, you cannot predict which one, and they tend to expire quickly, so I would never buy one "just in case."

I might buy a tube of antibiotic ophthalmic ointment and a can of Blue Kote, neither of which is all that expensive, to have "just in case." They can peck eyes in their normal squabbles, and a pecked eye has to hurt, plus could lead to blindness. Blue Kote is great to mask redness or blood on a minor injury or a place where feathers have been pecked, to prevent its turning into cannibalism. If mine developed a respiratory disease, I am with Speckledhen, I would cull, not treat.

I use organic ACV, but not every day. I can't even remember what I read to indicate that it is better to give it regularly, like once a week, rather than continuously.

Most people who worm regularly do so once or twice a year. Some do not, but use the cayenne in the feed routinely. They are going to have some worms; it is a matter of how heavy the load is. They are also going to have some mites. I use DE in the litter and dust bathing places, and keep an eye out. I did have to dust with pyrethrin once.

Here is an excellent thread on worms and cocci:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=174004

If your chickens should develop a problem, the chances are almost 100% that it is addressed in this forum. Trick is learning to use the search features effectively -- which I am still working on!

 

[Sunshinejammer]

Just a clarification because I've looked of the answer & I just can't find it. If I give my chicks ACV & or molasses in their water, is it necessary I give them grit? Or is that just for the more solid snacks? Just want to make sure before I do. My chicks are right at a week old, no pasty butts, but a friend of mine reminded me "an ounce of prevention...." well you probably know the rest.