bad or half-baked chicken advice you've received?

[al6517]

Quote:
Yes and to add insult to injury do you have any idea how many folks on this forum still believe it, a bunch LOL.

 

[wyododge]

How bout...

That coop is plenty big enough... you'll never have more than 4 chickens...

That one is kinda like the world is flat.

Very nice to know that my wife and I are not alone in the 'coddling is BAD!!!!' philosophy. I still get beat up though...

 

[Beekissed]

Cuddling is not so bad...within reason and not if you subscribe to the thought that it is the cure all for all behaviors and that chickens suffer without having been cuddled by a human at least once a day. Excessive cuddling can even remove the natural oils present on the chicken's feathers and leave them vulnerable to a good skin soaking in wet weather...people who deal with birds in the wild try to avoid touching their feathers, particularly the flight feathers.

Cuddling is for the human, not for the chicken. I've had the rare chicken now and again that really seems to want human attention but taking that and assuming they all need that contact is just silly. For the most part, cuddling is a learned behavior and you won't find too many chickens cuddling with each other past the mom/chick phase.

 

[Dutchess]

How about the one I read the other day that floored me... Brown eggs are dirty eggs, then after they're cleaned they're white.

 

[Oregon Blues]

The one that continuously drives me nuts:

You chicken people always advising anyone that is getting ducks that medicated starter will kill ducklings.

That was true 100 years ago, it is not true now. Amprolium is not at all harmful to ducks, so stop repeating like a parrot what you heard somewhere from someone who didn't have a clue what they were talking about.

[[[[.......Free ranging is just putting chickens at risk.....]]]]] Seriously? You don't think free range chickens are at risk? You must live in the only location the int USA that is completely free from predators and neighborhood dogs.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Quote:
Feeding corn will "heat them up" in the summer and keep them warmer in the winter

The mere digestion of corn will not "heat them up" but as a supplement to their regular ration it can help to keep them warmer in the winter in two ways. The first as a scratch feed through the simple exertion of exercise. This is why I prefer to use it in the morning to get them off their roost and on the ground actively scratching for the grain. Exercise helps to warm the body.

Secondly, the primary source of food calories in a chicken's diet should be carbohydrates. Corn is an abundant source of easily digestible carbs. When they are needing to burn extra calories to keep warm in cold weather corn is a good source of them, along with a modicum of fat in the germ oil. In the heat this is not necessarily a good thing.

Feeding them apples or other fruits will affect egg production

A hen can only consume so much food in a day no different than people. If she's been eating the same ration for a long period of time then suddenly something tasty comes along she's going to eat more of the new tasty food than the boring old compete ration. For a brief period of time it won't have much noticeable affect. Longer periods of time are different. I have a mulberry tree planted in my henyard. When those berries ripen and begin to fall heavily I can see a noticeable decrease in egg production for as long as they last. It's not dramatic, but it is noticeable. As soon as the berries run out egg production returns to normal for that time of year even though the temperature is steadily rising.

Drafts in the coop will cause your chickens to sicken and die
Drafts in the coop will cause frost bit combs

How much of a draft is it and how much moisture build up inside is there? They are interelated. There needs to be sufficient air flow but for single-combed birds there comes a point there can be too much if they are exposed to severe cold weather in the direct wind. That point can come a lot sooner if there is much moisture build up inside so you can definitely go too far in cutting down on ventilation.

Feeding meaties continuously and providing lights for them is the only way to grow them out

Many folks do provide full-time feed availability to their meat birds and in the short-daylight periods of the year they provide additional light. In fact I believe many of the companies that breed the modern Cornish X birds recommend just this.

Disinfecting the coop/waterers/feeders on a regular basis is the only way to prevent disease in the flock

There is no only way to do much of anything in poultry keeping, but keeping waterers and feeders clean can certainly help and if you've got a mite/lice problem cleaning the coop can help a lot too. For many types of diseases cleaning the coop can be an important part of controlling the outbreak.

Eggs must be refridgerated to remain fresh

Fresh for how long? I've proved this to my 4-H kids by direct experiment. We took a day's gathering of eggs, divided them randomly in half and kept one lot in cartons on the kitchen counter and the other half in cartons in the refrigerator. A week later we cracked each egg onto a separate saucer and contrasted and compared them. The difference in yolk height and white thickness was obvious. Eggs kept in a warm environment lose freshness faster than eggs kept in a cooler environment. If your "room temperature" is cool enough then there is no need to refrigerate, but if it's at all warm you'll keep the eggs fresher longer in a cooler environment such as inside of a refrigerator. The commercial egg industry figured this out decades ago.

Eggs must be washed to prevent food contamination/bacteria

Contamination may already be inside of the egg before it's already laid. But for eggs that were otherwise uncontaminated then eggs that are properly washed may well remain uncontaminated longer than eggs that are not. Particularly if they are refrigerated afterwards. This is why the USDA and every state department of agriculture that I am aware of requires this to be done before they can be sold through commercial channels. A hen only has one excretory orifice. It all has to come out of her vent - eggs, manure, and urine. It's not made of Teflon so chances are pretty good that whatever passed through in the recent past will have left traces. Unless you believe you can see things on the microscopic level then what looks clean does not necessarily mean that it is. Wash or don't wash. It's all the same to me, but the folks who have done the actual research on these things long ago recommended washing.

Free ranging is just putting chickens at risk

I suppose one could say the word "just" is the operative term here. Free ranging has many benefits to be sure, but it's not without its hazards as we see from threads being posted pretty much every day (and multiple times a day) of someone losing birds to predators while they were free-ranging. I've lost many a bird myself that way. It DOES put them at risk. So much so that some folks cannot free range their birds at all. But that's not everyone and for many other folks the risks are sufficiently low as to make the benefits worthwhile enough to take the chance.

Feeding chicks medicated feeds is the only way to prevent cocci

Back to the there not being an ONLY way of doing anything in poultry keeping. But especially for folks who are newly come to poultry keeping then using a medicated starter is a great way to protect their birds from cocci.

Schooling an aggressive roo will only cause him to be more aggressive

For some it will do just that. I've had any number of aggressive cock birds over the years. Some I could train out of it, some simply would not learn and became nastier still. Very bird specific. The ones that could not learn soon got the axe or shipped out. The ones that could stayed.

Feeding them their own eggs/shells will make them become "egg eaters"

I'll give you this one. I do not believe it does either.

Square roosts prevent frost bit toes and round roosts do not

I've never heard this before. I believe the material the roost is made is more important than its shape, but then I don't live in an extreme cold climate.

 

[al6517]

Or I think my duck and Geese are cold................

can you believe that one. one of the most cold hearty birds on the face of the planet, they even live in fridged waters in the winter and like it.

 

[Beekissed]

[[[[.......Free ranging is just putting chickens at risk.....]]]]] Seriously? You don't think free range chickens are at risk? You must live in the only location the int USA that is completely free from predators and neighborhood dogs.

Nope....I'm prepared for that eventuality with dogs of my own. I've lost a total of three chicks to a black snake and a stubborn young pullet that insisted on roosting in the hay loft instead of the coop and got snatched by an owl. And that's in the past 6 years.

Risk is just as high in coops wherein they cannot escape a predator that DOES breach the Ft. Knox in which people try to keep their chickens. They are then just like fish in a barrel and I'm willing to bet that just as many birds killed by preds were killed in coops and run situations than there are in free range. It's like putting your chickens under glass and giving a yell to the predators, "Come and get it!!!!" Bears make short work of Ft. Knox-like coops around here....but they won't come near my dogs.

True free range should include safety measures like perimeter fencing of some kind, good hides for duck and cover and protective guard animals.

Neighborhood dogs around here are kept contained. Those that aren't are shot without any warnings to the owners. We live in farm country and can't afford to cater to "pets". All the dogs in this area are working dogs, hunting dogs, or in the house. Any stray dogs get collected by the police and, if they cannot be caught, they are shot and disposed of. Country justice, folks....learn it and live it.

 

[wyododge]

I miss typed...

I meant coddling, not cuddling. Boy I really sound like an old codger, chicken hater now...

 

[Beekissed]

Let's see...where to begin?

A.T. Hagan :

Quote:
Feeding corn will "heat them up" in the summer and keep them warmer in the winter

The mere digestion of corn will not "heat them up" but as a supplement to their regular ration it can help to keep them warmer in the winter in two ways. The first as a scratch feed through the simple exertion of exercise. This is why I prefer to use it in the morning to get them off their roost and on the ground actively scratching for the grain. Exercise helps to warm the body. Temporarily...in the long run the exercise can divert blood to extremities that is really needed in the core.
Secondly, the primary source of food calories in a chicken's diet should be carbohydrates. Corn is an abundant source of easily digestible carbs. When they are needing to burn extra calories to keep warm in cold weather corn is a good source of them, along with a modicum of fat in the germ oil. In the heat this is not necessarily a good thing.
Again, carbs are a quick food and burned off just as quickly by exercise and keeping a bird warm....protein is a better and more sustained source of nutrition for this need. In the summer, feeding corn does not cause excess heat for the bird no more than it does if you eat corn on the cob yourself. The nutrients provided by corn are quickly burnt off with exercise and even just breathing and it does not generate heat in an animal's core temps unless the food itself is heated. Feeding them apples or other fruits will affect egg production

A hen can only consume so much food in a day no different than people. If she's been eating the same ration for a long period of time then suddenly something tasty comes along she's going to eat more of the new tasty food than the boring old compete ration. For a brief period of time it won't have much noticeable affect. Longer periods of time are different. I have a mulberry tree planted in my henyard. When those berries ripen and begin to fall heavily I can see a noticeable decrease in egg production for as long as they last. It's not dramatic, but it is noticeable. As soon as the berries run out egg production returns to normal for that time of year even though the temperature is steadily rising.

Now, wait a minute...just a minute ago you were stating that corn provides sugar carbs and is good nutrition and energy for birds but fruit does not? A bird would have to eat mainly fruit in their diet to displace the needed protein and calcium it takes to produce an egg. No one stated they were eating ALL fruits, just any fruits. Drafts in the coop will cause your chickens to sicken and die
Drafts in the coop will cause frost bit combs

How much of a draft is it and how much moisture build up inside is there? They are interelated. There needs to be sufficient air flow but for single-combed birds there comes a point there can be too much if they are exposed to severe cold weather in the direct wind. That point can come a lot sooner if there is much moisture build up inside so you can definitely go too far in cutting down on ventilation.

Drafts. Period. Any and all drafts.

Feeding meaties continuously and providing lights for them is the only way to grow them out

Many folks do provide full-time feed availability to their meat birds and in the short-daylight periods of the year they provide additional light. In fact I believe many of the companies that breed the modern Cornish X birds recommend just this.

I believe you are correct, many of the companies recommend this...to their commercial broiler producers. On a large scale, that may be the only way they see to turn a profit quickly. The fact remains, it is NOT the ONLY way to grow out broilers and get them to production size. Been there, done that. Backyard enthusiasts do not have to follow USDA recommended feeding schedules because they are normally trying to turn out a healthier product than the USDA approves...and nor should they if they wish different results than sick and dying birds with unhealthy meat.

Disinfecting the coop/waterers/feeders on a regular basis is the only way to prevent disease in the flock

There is no only way to do much of anything in poultry keeping, but keeping waterers and feeders clean can certainly help and if you've got a mite/lice problem cleaning the coop can help a lot too. For many types of diseases cleaning the coop can be an important part of controlling the outbreak.

Qualifier~ONLY.

Eggs must be refridgerated to remain fresh

Fresh for how long? I've proved this to my 4-H kids by direct experiment. We took a day's gathering of eggs, divided them randomly in half and kept one lot in cartons on the kitchen counter and the other half in cartons in the refrigerator. A week later we cracked each egg onto a separate saucer and contrasted and compared them. The difference in yolk height and white thickness was obvious. Eggs kept in a warm environment lose freshness faster than eggs kept in a cooler environment. If your "room temperature" is cool enough then there is no need to refrigerate, but if it's at all warm you'll keep the eggs fresher longer in a cooler environment such as inside of a refrigerator. The commercial egg industry figured this out decades ago.

Yes...and the commercial egg industry's standard of freshness is why we are all growing our own eggs. Their idea of fresh and mine are just two totally different things. Studies have shown that eggs can remain fresh and quite edible for months if kept properly....and not in a fridge.
Qualifier~MUST.

Eggs must be washed to prevent food contamination/bacteria

Contamination may already be inside of the egg before it's already laid. But for eggs that were otherwise uncontaminated then eggs that are properly washed may well remain uncontaminated longer than eggs that are not. Particularly if they are refrigerated afterwards. This is why the USDA and every state department of agriculture that I am aware of requires this to be done before they can be sold through commercial channels. A hen only has one excretory orifice. It all has to come out of her vent - eggs, manure, and urine. It's not made of Teflon so chances are pretty good that whatever passed through in the recent past will have left traces. Unless you believe you can see things on the microscopic level then what looks clean does not necessarily mean that it is. Wash or don't wash. It's all the same to me, but the folks who have done the actual research on these things long ago recommended washing.

Yes...and these are the same people who are recalling thousands of eggs for salmonella contamination. You can believe the USDuh all you wish, but when is the last time a backyard flock produced a salmonella outbreak? Yes, I concede that pure volume has something to do with that, but even on here where there are literally thousands of people eating their own eggs NOT washed in a commercial chemical USDuh approved bath, you would think we'd hear of at least a few cases of death by salmonella.

Free ranging is just putting chickens at risk

I suppose one could say the word "just" is the operative term here. Free ranging has many benefits to be sure, but it's not without its hazards as we see from threads being posted pretty much every day (and multiple times a day) of someone losing birds to predators while they were free-ranging. I've lost many a bird myself that way. It DOES put them at risk. So much so that some folks cannot free range their birds at all. But that's not everyone and for many other folks the risks are sufficiently low as to make the benefits worthwhile enough to take the chance.

Feeding chicks medicated feeds is the only way to prevent cocci

Back to the there not being an ONLY way of doing anything in poultry keeping. But especially for folks who are newly come to poultry keeping then using a medicated starter is a great way to protect their birds from cocci.

Only being the qualifier. That is a solid NO...it is NOT the only way to prevent cocci.

Schooling an aggressive roo will only cause him to be more aggressive

For some it will do just that. I've had any number of aggressive cock birds over the years. Some I could train out of it, some simply would not learn and became nastier still. Very bird specific. The ones that could not learn soon got the axe or shipped out. The ones that could stayed.

Only being the qualifier. Schooling the aggressive roo is not what makes the aggressive roo more aggressive if he is going to be an aggressive bird anyway. It would be just as arbitrary to ask him out for coffee....he is still going to be aggressive, schooling or not.
Feeding them their own eggs/shells will make them become "egg eaters"

I'll give you this one. I do not believe it does either.

Square roosts prevent frost bit toes and round roosts do not

I've never heard this before. I believe the material the roost is made is more important than its shape, but then I don't live in an extreme cold climate.​