Attacked pullet

[heartsizedfarm]

I would keep up with the worming though, since her poop is still not normal. I've been using diatomaceous earth after reading about it on BYC forums and I think it has improved the overall health of my flock. Also apple cider vinegar in their water.

 

[christine9]

I also use ACV. I did dust with DE a few times, but perhaps not often enough.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

You can get food grade DE that you actually sprinkle on their scratch and it apparently helps eliminate some internal parasites. That's what I've added to the regime and I like the effects. Got it at my farm feed store.

 

[christine9]

Thanks!!! I will.

 

[CMV]

You can get food grade DE that you actually sprinkle on their scratch and it apparently helps eliminate some internal parasites. That's what I've added to the regime and I like the effects. Got it at my farm feed store.

No, it doesn't. DE is only effective when it is dry. The innards of a chicken are not dry. This is a highly perpetuated myth that has no basis in reality.

I'm sorry to sound like a jerk, but this bit of urban legend almost cost me the life of my flock several years back. DE is....almost useless. Seriously. Ask any old poultry keeper what their opinion of DE is and they will universally tell you that it is good for drying out a mucky coop and keeping the stench down in a stinky run. Period. Oh, I know, I know... I have read the studies, too. I have heard all about how wonderful DE is. The fact remains, when put to the test, in a practical environment, DE fails.

I would recommend a course of probiotic treatment. A couple teaspoons of yogurt or buttermilk each day can't hurt the bird, and may actually help. ACV sometimes affects the GI system adversely because of its acidity, but yogurt and buttermilk are often scoffed up with no issue.

Has she been re-introduced to the flock, and how did that go? We do not always understand the importance of peers to flock animals because we are only selectively communal. A true flock animal cannot survive and thrive without being surrounded by its peers.

 

[christine9]

Did not reintroduce yet. She is not getting ACV right now, just electrolytes. I will try probiotics. I want to reintroduce tonight, but am thinking to keep her in the dog crate, but out with the girls. Good idea or not?

 

[CMV]

Great idea. Put her out with the flock so she can see and be seen, but no one can mess with her. You may have to do this for several days until her flock gets re-used to her. It's going to be tough on her, but not so tough as getting pecked to death by her flock because they see her as an interloper. Chickens have the attention span of a gnat. She will remember them because she is yearning for their company, but they very well may have forgotten her. A protected space is just what she needs.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Re: attention span. I might give the win to the gnat. Thanks for the heads up on DE.

 

[christine9]

Ok. THANK YOU!!!
Don't know what I'd do without your help.

 

[CMV]

Re: attention span. I might give the win to the gnat. Thanks for the heads up on DE.

I thought DE was the end-all-be-all when I first started doing poultry. I read everything available on its benefits, and was completely convinced that this was the best thing since sliced bread....Then I kept birds (and pigs) for a while. I found out within 2 years how useless it truly was. I spent a fortune on fancy clay that did nothing for my birds. In fact, I almost lost my flock to a raging case of mites because I was convinced that they couldn't get mites because they were dusting themselves in DE every day. DE has its uses, but not as a practical application for parasite control.

Gnats...yeah, they win.