Bridgey is Unwell...

[micstrachan]

I think the latter is the correct interpretation. "Mother nature" is far cleverer than we give her credit for and sometimes we don't really appreciate the reasons behind why things happen or think we know better and try to circumvent them.

For instance ... we all often wonder why birds shed their feathers at a time of year when it is cooler and must be a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it is because it helps them to shed external parasites with the feathers at a point when dust bathing facilities will often become more restricted and the cooler temperature will reduce the parasites' ability to reproduce, particularly when feathers are less dense to maintain the body temp required for nits to incubate and hatch, thereby knocking the parasite numbers at a point in the year when they could otherwise overrun the birds.
Similarly eating a lot of green forage may have a negative effect on internal parasites and perhaps scour their system. They do not need as much body condition at this time of year because they are not actively laying eggs, so perhaps a high veg, lower protein diet enables them to reduce the level of any internal parasites by starving them out, whereas we try to give them a higher protein diet that contradicts this behaviour. This is purely hypothesis on my part but animals must be able to manage parasitic load without chemical use, otherwise they would not have survived millions of years and there will be natural mechanisms by which they achieved that through natural selection.
Mankind's advances in science and technology gives us a bit of an egotistical view that we know better, when in fact we still have a lot to learn about nature.

I'm not suggesting that people do not use chemical wormers or delouse their chickens but just be open to the possibility that the way in which they manage their chickens may counteract the natural remedies and mechanisms that almost certainly do exist in nature.

I love these thoughts. I, too wondered why the timing of molt is the way it is and thought it might be for having better butt fluff in the spring. I like your idea better.

You all know I still struggle with finding a balance between providing good care and remaining calm. “Wait and see” is very, very difficult for me. They just seem so fragile when they get to the point that they are SHOWING that they don’t feel well.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

 

[rebrascora]

I love these thoughts. I, too wondered why the timing of molt is the way it is and thought it might be for having better butt fluff in the spring. I like your idea better.

You all know I still struggle with finding a balance between providing good care and remaining calm. “Wait and see” is very, very difficult for me. They just seem so fragile when they get to the point that they are SHOWING that they don’t feel well.

Michelle I do understand how difficult it is, particularly if you are a worrier, to panic at the first sign of a bird not looking right and since they often hide illness until it is almost too late, it is a great temptation to think there is something seriously wrong the moment a bird acts under the weather. I think what helped me (an Olympic standard worrier ) become a little more philosophical was, oddly enough, getting diagnosed with Marek's in the flock and having to cope with loss and learning to manage it. Knowing that a bird will probably die takes the pressure off me a bit and allows me to take a step back and look at things more logically.
I have also found that being a beekeeper and taking a more natural approach in that endeavour has made me realise that even the smallest of interventions on our part as stewards can have an impact which may work against a creature's natural instincts and whilst I don't necessarily believe that pumpkin seeds will deworm your chickens, they will probably play a part along with eating green vegetation like this and drinking from puddles that are slightly acidic and countless other things that wild birds are able to do, whereas we often pen birds where they have no access to vegetation and give them clean alkaline mains water to drink etc and bump up their protein intake when maybe that is not what they need, even though it makes sense to us. It is very difficult to know what is best and I'm not saying increasing their protein intake during moult is wrong, just that it may be and that perhaps it is healthy and normal for chickens to be a bit underweight at this time of year and eat more vegetation and perhaps have loose poop.

 

[micstrachan]

Michelle I do understand how difficult it is, particularly if you are a worrier, to panic at the first sign of a bird not looking right and since they often hide illness until it is almost too late, it is a great temptation to think there is something seriously wrong the moment a bird acts under the weather. I think what helped me (an Olympic standard worrier ) become a little more philosophical was, oddly enough, getting diagnosed with Marek's in the flock and having to cope with loss and learning to manage it. Knowing that a bird will probably die takes the pressure off me a bit and allows me to take a step back and look at things more logically.
I have also found that being a beekeeper and taking a more natural approach in that endeavour has made me realise that even the smallest of interventions on our part as stewards can have an impact which may work against a creature's natural instincts and whilst I don't necessarily believe that pumpkin seeds will deworm your chickens, they will probably play a part along with eating green vegetation like this and drinking from puddles that are slightly acidic and countless other things that wild birds are able to do, whereas we often pen birds where they have no access to vegetation and give them clean alkaline mains water to drink etc and bump up their protein intake when maybe that is not what they need, even though it makes sense to us. It is very difficult to know what is best and I'm not saying increasing their protein intake during moult is wrong, just that it may be and that perhaps it is healthy and normal for chickens to be a bit underweight at this time of year and eat more vegetation and perhaps have loose poop.

Thank you for sharing your perspective. This is very helpful!

I definitely don’t want to violate unwritten norms on the boards or put myself in a cry wolf situation. I am still convinced Margo was ill this summer (oviduct infection?) Bridgey, however, seems just mildly under the weather. I will post an update separately.

 

[micstrachan]

It’s a good day! I’ll summarize in bullets for easy reading.

• Millie’s crop was empty this morning.
• Ruby’s crop has just a persistent little (marble-sized) firm lump.
• Bridge’s crop was just about empty... maybe not quite, but close.
• The flock LOVED tomato juice and took a few sips voluntarily (not sure if it’s great for all of them, but it wasn’t much).
• See attached text from vet (to hubby, who dropped off sample).
• See finished ceiling of run. Woohoo! NO juncos were in there when I went out this morning!

 

[rebrascora]

Excellent news and great job on the run. It looks fab!

 

[RodNTN]

Yay! Did you finish the ceiling yourself? Wow, looks professional!

 

[micstrachan]

Yay! Did you finish the ceiling yourself? Wow, looks professional!

Ha! YES!!! Thanks! Pretty proud of myself, but it’s definitely sloppy compared to professional (hubby used to be general contractor, so I’ve learned a few tips... did my lumber cuts with a handsaw, which is not so precise, though. LOL.) There are still some spots toward the center where I’ll have to screw down the washers later... I don’t want to put my weight on the center (which dips) where there is no post. I’ll have to lay some sort of plank across to get out there.

I’m still at work waiting for closed session of board meeting to end and I have to be back at 7:30am PST... I hate it when I don’t get time with my birds. I hope they’re all still doing well!

 

[RodNTN]

Ha! YES!!! Thanks! Pretty proud of myself, but it’s definitely sloppy compared to professional (hubby used to be general contractor, so I’ve learned a few tips... did my lumber cuts with a handsaw, which is not so precise, though. LOL.) There are still some spots toward the center where I’ll have to screw down the washers later... I don’t want to put my weight on the center (which dips) where there is no post. I’ll have to lay some sort of plank across to get out there.

I’m still at work waiting for closed session of board meeting to end and I have to be back at 7:30am PST... I hate it when I don’t get time with my birds. I hope they’re all still doing well!

Sloppy? I think it's great! I know how you feel, I can easily sit outside with my girls for hours!

 

[Shadrach]

I think the latter is the correct interpretation. "Mother nature" is far cleverer than we give her credit for and sometimes we don't really appreciate the reasons behind why things happen or think we know better and try to circumvent them.

For instance ... we all often wonder why birds shed their feathers at a time of year when it is cooler and must be a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps it is because it helps them to shed external parasites with the feathers at a point when dust bathing facilities will often become more restricted and the cooler temperature will reduce the parasites' ability to reproduce, particularly when feathers are less dense to maintain the body temp required for nits to incubate and hatch, thereby knocking the parasite numbers at a point in the year when they could otherwise overrun the birds.
Similarly eating a lot of green forage may have a negative effect on internal parasites and perhaps scour their system. They do not need as much body condition at this time of year because they are not actively laying eggs, so perhaps a high veg, lower protein diet enables them to reduce the level of any internal parasites by starving them out, whereas we try to give them a higher protein diet that contradicts this behaviour. This is purely hypothesis on my part but animals must be able to manage parasitic load without chemical use, otherwise they would not have survived millions of years and there will be natural mechanisms by which they achieved that through natural selection.
Mankind's advances in science and technology gives us a bit of an egotistical view that we know better, when in fact we still have a lot to learn about nature.

I'm not suggesting that people do not use chemical wormers or delouse their chickens but just be open to the possibility that the way in which they manage their chickens may counteract the natural remedies and mechanisms that almost certainly do exist in nature.

My understanding is dust bathing isn’t used for the removal of parasites; this is done in normal grooming. I believe dust bathing is mainly for the removal of the oil that is secreted at the follicles and distributed by the chicken from the preen gland.
It has been proposed that during a dust bath in particular soil types termites and possibly other small insects may attach themselves to the chicken and eat mites; as far as I know this study is incomplete.
Mites and lice are picked off by the chicken with its beak during normal grooming.