Arizona Chickens

[southerndesert]

Quote:
Ok here goes my unpopular opinion on the subject.

I was a kid in the 70's raised in North Phx, (Deer Valley when you occasionally still saw a deer). We found abandoned baby owls. A Fish and Game vet called me to talk about nutrition, because they couldn't take the birds for a couple of days. He told me that birds could not digest milk products. Now, a billion years later I still avoid milk products with all of my birds. Birds don't produce the necessary enzyme, lactase. Yes, tons of people give yogurt with good results. I just don't. I give probios and natural ACV. If you feel you must give cheese, my advice would be to give tiny amounts very infrequently. Cheese is salty and excess sodium is not healthy for birds. Yes it is probably responsible for the pasty butt,........Just my opinion. Take it or leave it. Up to you.

Scrambled eggs are my favorite chick treat and they love them. Grit or sand is important if you are giving them any treat that will require mechanical digestion ..... greens etc. Anything you would chew.

And lastly. NEVER, NEVER stop posting the baby pics. I love them!!! Chicken Pictures are the best!!!

edited to be snotty: So Nanner, nanner, nanner... Tammy is right!!!

X-2 FWIW we never feed anything but starter feed for the first few weeks and seldom see issues of any kind.

 

[mclevinson]

Mikey, the only treat I gave my chickypoos was scrambled egg, and only after a couple weeks. Befor then I would add hot water to chick starter and they went berserk over it.

 

[pastrymama]

Meggie
did you start my chocolate sunflowers yet? sorry my sickness caused me to miss you gals today. Next week? Not Wednesday, it's chemo day.

 

[mclevinson]

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No, the 110 temp killed the seedlings I DID start so I'm waiting for the weekend to start over. Good thing we were too busy last weekend for me to plant or I'd have lost the 72 starter pots.

Hope you are feeling better sweetie. Did you get any Vicks?

 

[nurseshelly]

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OMG they are so adorable

I love the anklets too! I love how the blonde one has blue tint on some feathers. Somehow when he was a baby I missed the extra toe on each foot, maybe they were too tiny and squirmy for me to notice. LOL when I let my parrots on my shoulder, I used to use a "bird" washcloth on my shoulder to catch the pesky poos. Now I just have one parrot; lovebird passed away at 20 yrs, pionus didn't like it when we had our son - she liked having a bird room, so she lives with my SIL in her bird room. So, we just have our brown headed parrot, and she only pooped on my shoulder one time the first week I had her, and has not done it again since 1999. Somehow she figured out that poo on person means back in cage (until shirt is changed), and never did it again. She is really an attention hog though, and attention is her motivator for behavior. Anyway, with my other birds, the washcloth on the shoulder worked great.

 

[Mikey D]

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Thanks Pastry. I'm using the Kruse organic feed.

And yes I really am feeding them!

 

[Mikey D]

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I would start lowering the brooder temperature. Did you make any kefir with those kefir grains? If you did, start giving them kefir. If not, are they getting apple cider vinegar? Give them organic apple cider vinegar and a bit of store bought kefir.
I haven't had any pasty butt with mine. Last summer I had some and they didn't get kefir. They also had a more stressful shipping. I think the cheese is probably fine. I wouldn't keep using the sugar, that's just for the hump the first couple of days.

Thanks Tracy - Temp lowered 2 or so days ago. I set up the kefir but havn't used any of it. Is it still goood? Sugar discontinued but vitamins still in the water.

 

[Mikey D]

Quote:
My experence has been too cold or not enough clean drinking water makes pasty bottom more likely. Once a chick has developed it, THAT chick is more likely to re-develop it, and so needs to be watched closely. ANY real apple cider vinegar works. You don't have to use high $$ stuff. The mother is only necessary if you plan to make more ACV yourself. (It works as a starter.) Apple cider vinegar purchased at a grocery store is usually the real stuff, that purchased at places like Target, Walmart, etc. tend to be flavoured. At least that is my experience in the Phoenix area. Read labels.

I would not give sugar water. Gatorade or pedialyte? Yes (but diluted about 50%). Adding just sugar? No.

I probably would not give cheese to a chick, but I doubt a small bit would cause problems. Why were you feeding cheese?

Thank you Sonoran. ACV is on the list to get. Sugar has been discontinued.

I was cheesing them because a higher protien level was recommended (Kruse organic is 18% & I was told 20% min for the Cornish X's) + I was looking for an easy treat for the peepers and they went totally bonkers over it!

 

[Mikey D]

Quote:
I would start lowering the brooder temperature. Did you make any kefir with those kefir grains? If you did, start giving them kefir. If not, are they getting apple cider vinegar? Give them organic apple cider vinegar and a bit of store bought kefir.
I haven't had any pasty butt with mine. Last summer I had some and they didn't get kefir. They also had a more stressful shipping. I think the cheese is probably fine. I wouldn't keep using the sugar, that's just for the hump the first couple of days.

The best temperature gauge for a brooder is chick behavior: huddled and piled up miserably peeping chicks are too cold, spread as far from the heat source as possible and constantly sleeping/lethargic is too hot. Some that are sleeping, some that are moving around, some that are eating or drinking and being active means you have the temperature just right. Oh, they also need enough space. When mine have been crowded in their brooder cage is when water is more likely to get dirty and some chicks probably are not drinking as much as they should

This is why I had lowered the temp. before schedule - they seem pretty comfy now

 

[The Critter Place]

Quote:
My experence has been too cold or not enough clean drinking water makes pasty bottom more likely. Once a chick has developed it, THAT chick is more likely to re-develop it, and so needs to be watched closely. ANY real apple cider vinegar works. You don't have to use high $$ stuff. The mother is only necessary if you plan to make more ACV yourself. (It works as a starter.) Apple cider vinegar purchased at a grocery store is usually the real stuff, that purchased at places like Target, Walmart, etc. tend to be flavoured. At least that is my experience in the Phoenix area. Read labels.

I would not give sugar water. Gatorade or pedialyte? Yes (but diluted about 50%). Adding just sugar? No.

I probably would not give cheese to a chick, but I doubt a small bit would cause problems. Why were you feeding cheese?

Thank you Sonoran. ACV is on the list to get. Sugar has been discontinued.

I was cheesing them because a higher protien level was recommended (Kruse organic is 18% & I was told 20% min for the Cornish X's) + I was looking for an easy treat for the peepers and they went totally bonkers over it!

Mikey,
Have you tried hard boiled egg? All my birds go nuts over it, and I'm using it for my quail right now because I couldn't get feed over the weekend with a high enough protein. I also sprinkle a little wheat germ and Gerber Oatmeal baby cereal. I also give this to my parakeets and other birds as a treat and for raising babies.