California - Northern

[Magnolia7330]

Anyone else on this thread have chickens in Sacramento City?

I'm in Citrus Heights.

 

[ronott1]

I'm in Citrus Heights.

Do you have pictures of your flock?

 

[Hnielsen]

Thank you for the video!

Thanks for sharing. We learned a lot and now know what to start working on!!

 

[Magnolia7330]

Do you have pictures of your flock?
View attachment 1171875

I have 6 chickens. The only one not pictured is a Buckeye, she was being camera shy.

 

[ronott1]

I have 6 chickens. The only one not pictured is a Buckeye, she was being camera shy.
View attachment 1184008 View attachment 1184010 View attachment 1184011 View attachment 1184012

You have a nice flock!

 

[Stephine]

I am so happy to report that all my chickens are back in their own coop tonight! I am so glad to have them back. I am concerned though, that the 12 that didn’t stay with me are still quite thin and ratty looking. The two I have dragged around since the fire because they were too hurt to stay with the reat of the flock look so much better! They have put on weight and the feathers have come in so nicely, covering up all their former bald and pecked spots. I am not sure why these are still so bedraggled looking... but then maybe it shouldn’t be a big surprise because they weren’t pampered like the two I kept with me.... I feel bad!
Tomorrow there will be nutridrench for all! And some yoghurt, raisins, mealworms and sunflower seeds...
They looked quite happy to be back in their old digs... Just a few squabbles with the two feom the infirmary- I didn’t have time for a proper reintegration, so I just let everyone into the run with lots of treats (which the main flock hasn’t seen in weeks) and hoped for the best. It seemed ok, just a few squawks and chases...
Anyway... so glad to have my whole flock back to care for myself and back in a safe set up!

 

[ronott1]

I am so happy to report that all my chickens are back in their own coop tonight! I am so glad to have them back. I am concerned though, that the 12 that didn’t stay with me are still quite thin and ratty looking. The two I have dragged around since the fire because they were too hurt to stay with the reat of the flock look so much better! They have put on weight and the feathers have come in so nicely, covering up all their former bald and pecked spots. I am not sure why these are still so bedraggled looking... but then maybe it shouldn’t be a big surprise because they weren’t pampered like the two I kept with me.... I feel bad!
Tomorrow there will be nutridrench for all! And some yoghurt, raisins, mealworms and sunflower seeds...
They looked quite happy to be back in their old digs... Just a few squabbles with the two feom the infirmary- I didn’t have time for a proper reintegration, so I just let everyone into the run with lots of treats (which the main flock hasn’t seen in weeks) and hoped for the best. It seemed ok, just a few squawks and chases...
Anyway... so glad to have my whole flock back to care for myself and back in a safe set up!

It is great that you have them back!

Get them some grower or flock raiser feed and make sure the treats are not more than 10% of what they eat.

 

[Stephine]

It is great that you have them back!

Get them some grower or flock raiser feed and make sure the treats are not more than 10% of what they eat.

Yeah, just getting them back on their regular feed - Scratch and Peck- is probably going to help a lot. Raisins are an excellent tonic for stressed birds, so they’ll get a few of those and some extra mealworms for additional protein to help with the molt. I am sure it’s ok to break the 10% rule for a short time under such circumstances... They went for four days with no food and very little water, I am sure they got a lot of smoke to breathe, too. They smelled so smokey when we finally got them out.
Anyway, the two that were bloody when I got them were given Nutridrench and then lots of raisins, daily fresh mash with yoghurt and S&P, lots of mealworms and BOSS. We got our hands on fresh live mealworms and they each had 100 of them over maybe 4 days. They look fantastic - shiny feathers where there were huge bald patches before...
The 12 on regular crumbles I just got back from their exile are so skinny - my big light brahma hens feel like they weigh 4 lbs! Everyone has big bald patches, no new feathers, no shine...
So, I think in some specific circumstances overdoing the treats is just what the doctor ordered! If they respond like my other two, they will just need about two weeks of that, then we can go back to normal...

 

[ronott1]

Yeah, just getting them back on their regular feed - Scratch and Peck- is probably going to help a lot. Raisins are an excellent tonic for stressed birds, so they’ll get a few of those and some extra mealworms for additional protein to help with the molt. I am sure it’s ok to break the 10% rule for a short time under such circumstances... They went for four days with no food and very little water, I am sure they got a lot of smoke to breathe, too. They smelled so smokey when we finally got them out.
Anyway, the two that were bloody when I got them were given Nutridrench and then lots of raisins, daily fresh mash with yoghurt and S&P, lots of mealworms and BOSS. We got our hands on fresh live mealworms and they each had 100 of them over maybe 4 days. They look fantastic - shiny feathers where there were huge bald patches before...
The 12 on regular crumbles I just got back from their exile are so skinny - my big light brahma hens feel like they weigh 4 lbs! Everyone has big bald patches, no new feathers, no shine...
So, I think in some specific circumstances overdoing the treats is just what the doctor ordered! If they respond like my other two, they will just need about two weeks of that, then we can go back to normal...

The University paper I posted on feeding chickens is the best way to go. They did not use a 10% rule but an amount of time to leave the treats out. That would be the best thing for them since they need the extra protein in the grower feed along with the added nutrients in it.

Use starter grower scratch and peck not layer and limit the treats using the time method in the pdf from UC Davis. The grower feed is formulated to get the best growth out of baby chicks which is exactly what the fire stressed chickens need.

Thanks for taking such good care of them!

 

[Stephine]

The University paper I posted on feeding chickens is the best way to go. They did not use a 10% rule but an amount of time to leave the treats out. That would be the best thing for them since they need the extra protein in the grower feed along with the added nutrients in it.

Use starter grower scratch and peck not layer and limit the treats using the time method in the pdf from UC Davis. The grower feed is formulated to get the best growth out of baby chicks which is exactly what the fire stressed chickens need.

Thanks for taking such good care of them!

Aahhh - we’re definitely good then! I wouldn’t dream of giving my chickens more treats than they can eat in 10 to 20 minutes! One hen will get about 10 raisins a day which they eat in 20 seconds flat! Same for the mealworms and sunflower seeds... they get a bit more of that but they are definitely not eating for 10 minutes.
I always feed S&P grower (which is actually a bit lower in protein than the layer) because I have a roo with the flock.
I never give extra grain though, so overall that would raise the protein a bit.
Anyway, thank you for the advise! I hope the pampering is going to start doing it’s magic soon, I hate seeing my hens so bedraggled!