Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[sjturner79]

T

A pic would be good. If it's scaley leg mite , I've tried every remedy there is and the only thing better than Vaseline is Vicks. The camphor soothes and it only needs to be applied once or twice. The problem with oil is that it is viscous and doesn't stay put long enough to smother them so it needs to be applied more often.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/03/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens.html

Thanks. It is likely that is the problem then

.

 

[sjturner79]

T
Thanks. It is likely that is the problem then

.

Do they spread through the flock easily and do the infest the coop?

 

[ChristieB]

Been trying to post this since yesterday. My app is still clutching since the update :/

The chicks were 3 weeks old yesterday and had their first free range while I extended their run.

Still have the 2 mums but they have very defined roles, fleur is the mother hen in all sense of the term, they go to her for warmth and follow her everywhere, Padma is mumma bear, she will defend them with her life, brings up the rear or patrols the border, she will call them to food etc but they don't tend to go to her for warmth,
Extended run

Got this photo today, adorable

 

[Fancychooklady]

Do they spread through the flock easily and do the infest the coop?

They aren't as prevalent as lice or other mites . Once they find a suitable host they generally live their life cycle there. That being said , when the birds are huddled up together on the perch there would always be the risk of further infestation.
If you have some Vaseline or Vicks , lather it on good and thick. Make sure you go all the way up the shaft , up into the feather line and massage it in between the toes. Chickens love a good foot massage These mites are like ticks, they hide up under the scale , attach themselves to the host and feed on there blood. The fact they use the downward facing scale as protection makes them all the more difficult to eliminate with pesticides. So suffocation is the best method.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Tandykins .... was under the impression that protein should only be given when chooks are moulting.  

They need it then - but not when laying.  My own rule of thumb is cooked meat / eggs - and cheese when moulting. .... other goodies when laying - home made mix ( no protein ) ... plus yoghurt, water melon, good washed green kitchen scraps .. plus a few other delicacies like pumpkin with seeds, cabbage, cauli leaves, kale etc.   .... and some scratch mix extra.  

Well - them's my thoughts anyway.

Cheers .....  

Annie pumpkin and squash seed are quite high in protein. Chicks have a much higher protein requirement , 18-22% but once they reach 20 weeks of age 15-16% is ideal . Protein, amino acids , calcium and phosphorus are crucial for healthy birds. And healthy birds lay healthy eggs. Snacks and table scraps are fine but a well balanced diet should begin with a good quality layer pellet. Scratch or free range mixes don't contain sufficient calcium or protein. For those of us that have mixed flocks ie ; roosters in our flock , it's important to keep the calcium below 2% and offer calcium ' free take ' for the layers.

 

[satay]

Little update on Zeus. I wasn't able to go to the vets on Saturday so hubby took him for his scans. The vet still thinks it is cancer and the scans have been sent to the uni. The part he scanned on his shoulder from last time had not got any bigger but he says that he could see extra bone growth on the outside of the leg, Something about the bone making extra bone to compensate for the cancer I don't really get it as he told us last time that by three weeks after the first scan the original mark should have been way bigger and that is how they would know for sure it is cancer. Anyways Zeus is still doing ok and is able to walk around ok but with his slight limp still.

 

[tandykins]

Tandykins .... was under the impression that protein should only be given when chooks are moulting.

They need it then - but not when laying. My own rule of thumb is cooked meat / eggs - and cheese when moulting. .... other goodies when laying - home made mix ( no protein ) ... plus yoghurt, water melon, good washed green kitchen scraps .. plus a few other delicacies like pumpkin with seeds, cabbage, cauli leaves, kale etc. .... and some scratch mix extra.

Well - them's my thoughts anyway.

Cheers .....

I actually looked back through some of the sites I use for reference and sure enough I saw recommendations to feed them meat and eggs -all the time-. *sigh*

I will dial the protein way back and supplement her with Vitamin A as per suggestions on chickens with gout. We'll see if we can't get her improving a bit. Thankfully, her feet only look slightly larger than normal, I'm hoping that's a good sign.

I noted earlier that thanks to Elizabeak, the rogue chicken from someone else's flock that was absolutely crawling with parasites and wandered right into my coop - passed her goodies onto my flock. I've been battling poultry lice ever since.

Yesterday I picked up my Golden Spangled Hamburg rooster Hoban Washburne (who let me pick him up without much argument which was a little odd, but then he's been becoming far more sociable lately so that might be why) and I noticed that he was feeling a tad slender and light.

I've been having some issues with weight loss across my entire flock. Despite my naughty treats, the bulk of their diet is layer pellets.

I've wormed them in case that's the problem but hadn't noticed much (if any) difference. They're due for their second round now(ish, when the wormer gets here in the post. I'm also replenishing my supplies for the poultry lice.

I'm hoping some of my adjustments to their diets will help, at least - but another possible cause occurred to me. When I thought about it, all of the chickens who were thinnest were the lowest on the pecking order. Hoban Washburne is a highly neurotic and extremely anxious rooster who spends a fair bit of his day avoiding fights purely by virtue of being impressively manouvreable and fast (in a couple of weeks he gets his own breeding pen and his own ladies and I hope this will make him feel more secure and confident).

It occurred to me that some of my chickens might be thin because they don't feel safe accessing the feeder in the garage. I realized that to eat, they have to turn their backs on the two, fairly narrow openings to the garage, opening themselves up to an attack. They might be effectively starving themselves out of fear, subsisting on mostly forage. I started by turning the feeder around so that a feeding chicken is facing all exits - and placing two additional feeders at two -completely- different points in my yard. That way, if a bird feels threatened, they can seek out a more private meal in the smaller, lower-rung groups. I figured that at the very least, adding more sources of food couldn't hurt.

I'm hoping I'll see a difference and I'll keep treating for lice (yay more pressure washing) but I'm a little baffled by this. They all seem otherwise healthy, just kind of thin.

 

[satay]

Been trying to post this since yesterday. My app is still clutching since the update :/

The chicks were 3 weeks old yesterday and had their first free range while I extended their run.

Still have the 2 mums but they have very defined roles, fleur is the mother hen in all sense of the term, they go to her for warmth and follow her everywhere, Padma is mumma bear, she will defend them with her life, brings up the rear or patrols the border, she will call them to food etc but they don't tend to go to her for warmth,
Extended run

Got this photo today, adorable

Such cute babies

 

[Fancychooklady]

Little update on Zeus. I wasn't able to go to the vets on Saturday so hubby took him for his scans. The vet still thinks it is cancer and the scans have been sent to the uni. The part he scanned on his shoulder from last time had not got any bigger but he says that he could see extra bone growth on the outside of the leg, Something about the bone making extra bone to compensate for the cancer I don't really get it as he told us last time that by three weeks after the first scan the original mark should have been way bigger and that is how they would know for sure it is cancer. Anyways Zeus is still doing ok and is able to walk around ok but with his slight limp still.

Oh, must be very frustrating waiting for a definitive answer. Your doing all that you can for him. Keep him comfortable and wait for the results, our prayers are with you .

 

[satay]

Tandykins. .... 

First, thank you for the advice about 'jelly eggs' ... what a brilliant name for them.   Would never have thought of describing them in such a way, but that is exactly what they are.   Plus a few that are properly formed, until the last bit --- which is fragile and easily breaks when laid.   On straw bedding, on wood shavings - anywhere - if it is fragile at the pointy end, it's usually broken and eaten ... or not.   Or I find it 'cracks' when I bring it inside - ( change of temperature ? ).    

In between times there have been really good shelled eggs.    And now she has simply 'stopped' ... ( for a while ?? ) 

Now this is a chicken - when a year ago was in her then laying mode, laid eggs that required a
jack-hammer to get through the shell.   Tough as all get out they were.   

To me, considering her recent efforts, all that spells something wrong with her own calcium distribution / metabolic processes... but that's only a guess. ???   Probably not a lot could be done about that ... it's bit like whether a human is prone to hay-fever - or not ( by way of example ).  Animals, birds and humans have quirks --- in their bodies and how things act and react.   Can only hope the calcium twice a week helps - and will be patient for several weeks while she gets herself sorted ( hopefully).    She has just turned 3 yrs of age.  

..........

How tolerant you are Tandykins.   .... If my 3 girls went 'a-wanderin' ... my family could find me in the nearest hospital under heavy sedation !! LOL.    .... I couldn't bear them going missing or on walk-about.     I am admittedly quite stupidly paranoid about the safety and well-being of my 3 girls .... can you imagine if I had a flock - or a rooster to cover them, and produce littlies.   ??  
I'd be off my face. 

Someone just recently told me that chickens have no brains ... and if they have it's the size of a pea ??  ( a breeder no less !! ) - -  I held my anger.   They DO learn, and learn well.   Claim to fame is the use of the word "BED" ... when they obediently round themselves up into the coops for the evening.   Without hesitation.    Have not yet taught them the word "NO" ... !!!    still working on that. 

Have answered a few questions in above post, to RodneyRooster who asked. ... so there's more info. in that post FYI.  

Thanks again for your insight and help. 

Cheers ......   

Hubby says the same about sheep, he calls and calls them an they ignore him. I go out call once an they come running. I can call each one separately by their own name and that sheep will look up.