chicken care routines

[Gilliannas1973]

Our chickens are 11 wks old, the coop is done, the run is going up this weekend and we're getting set for cooler weather here in Minnesota. I'm new to chickens and farm animals in general, this is my first flock and we've only had cats and 1 dog before. I have to admit that I'm a little overwhelmed with the all the options for care. What is the best annual care routine for chickens? Mite/lice/worm prevention for our climate? The chickens free range in my yard about half the day and otherwise hang around in their chicken tractor. Eventually they will be mostly in their run but we will allow them to roam in the yard. We live in the city but have a largish lot and so there's room. I'd like to raise them as organically as possible. I'd appreciate any advice you may have.

 

[CluckerFamily]

My flock is not organic, you have to start feeding them organic feed from day one to be considered organic. This is what I do but it may not work for you since mine aren't organic: my flock free ranges, I let them out in the morning around 6:30am before heading to work and they make their way to the coop around 7pm so that I can lock them in. I provide DE for my flock and they use it when they feel like it, in the warm months they just make a hole in the dirt but in the winter they use the DE.
I winterize my coop in late Autumn by sliding corrugated plastic sheets on all three sides of the run to keep out most snow, I left a foot gap from the plastic sheet to the roof so that some tasty snow can still get in. I use a 5 gallon plastic waterer and place it on a plastic heating base to keep the water from freezing.
The work you are putting into the chickens will lighten after everything is built. Chickens are a little more work than a cat but less than a dog, depending on you. I love spending time with my flock. Just hanging with them and talking with them. They all know their names, they respond to their names, and come when called.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Are you looking for a annual routine or daily routine?

 

[Gilliannas1973]

Are you looking for a annual routine or daily routine?

I guess both? But in regard to pest prevention and health.

 

[Gilliannas1973]

My flock is not organic, you have to start feeding them organic feed from day one to be considered organic. This is what I do but it may not work for you since mine aren't organic: my flock free ranges, I let them out in the morning around 6:30am before heading to work and they make their way to the coop around 7pm so that I can lock them in. I provide DE for my flock and they use it when they feel like it, in the warm months they just make a hole in the dirt but in the winter they use the DE.
I winterize my coop in late Autumn by sliding corrugated plastic sheets on all three sides of the run to keep out most snow, I left a foot gap from the plastic sheet to the roof so that some tasty snow can still get in. I use a 5 gallon plastic waterer and place it on a plastic heating base to keep the water from freezing.
The work you are putting into the chickens will lighten after everything is built. Chickens are a little more work than a cat but less than a dog, depending on you. I love spending time with my flock. Just hanging with them and talking with them. They all know their names, they respond to their names, and come when called.

Thank you! Have you found that the DE dust bath prevents all the mites/lice buggers? No heater in the coop right? (we don't have one but are working with getting right the ventilation). I'm going to tell my husband that they are less work then a dog, I think he will appreciate that at this point.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Start by learning their habits and personalities - as much time as you cn manage to spend with them. The first step in heading off problems is knowing something is wrong, and having a keen eye for behavior changes will allow you to be more pro-active, before problems have a chance to take root.

Beyond that advice, I have nothing. Mine are not being raised organically, split between free ranging and commercial (non-Organic) feed. The litter gets removed when it gets too deep, or an accident/flood saturates it beyond its ability to dry out, the water gets monitored daily, the house gets checked periodically for warmth and moisture (FL - hot and humid) to make sure no problems are developing, and I watch their feeding of pellet/crumble for any outlying behaviors.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I guess both? But in regard to pest prevention and health.

Okay, here I go!

In the mornings I let the chickens out and feed them fermented feed (Fermenting Chicken Feed: A Straightforward Method). I check their waterer every other morning (we have it set to fill by itself on an automatic timer in summer). At night they go in the coop and I lock them in (Training Chickens to "Coop" at Night).

My annual routine is simple. Chick season starts February to March and can continue until as late August. I get chicks and "re-stock" my flock. I start to integrate them when they are around 8 weeks old (Introducing New Chickens: Using the “See but don’t touch” Method), and I do a health check on most of my flock right before.

The chickens have access to dustbaths almost full time, and that keeps most of the parasites down. I have never had problems with internal parasites of any type.

In August I have fair, so I treat most of my birds for external parasites (love and mites) with DE. If I find any parasites on a chicken I give them a bath with Dog Flea And Tick shampoo. But most the time, I am okay.

Around October I begin the DLM and start preparing for winter. My method: How To Overwinter Chickens Naturally

So to say it simply: check their water and food often, health check once-twice per year, and start overwintering as it starts to get cold. Follow that general guideline and you should be fine. Have a great day!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have to admit that I'm a little overwhelmed with the all the options for care.

That's a pretty typical problem on here. We are each unique with different goals, climates, set-ups, flock make-ups, management techniques, and so many other things that there is not one way that is right for everyone or wrong for everyone. Even in the same circumstances, many different things work. It's not as simple as right or wrong. What is best for you might not be best for me, but either might work for both of us.

What is the best annual care routine for chickens?

My philosophy for overall health is to strengthen their immune system and rely on that as much as I can. My broody hens raise their chicks with the flock. I feed my brooder-raised chicks dirt from the run starting around day 2 or 3. That way they get any probiotics the adults wish to share, get grit in their systems, and start working on flock immunities immediately. I keep the brooder and their general environment as dry as I reasonably can, I consider wet unhealthy, but I do not try to raise them or keep them in a sterile environment.

I do not obsess over cleanliness. I don't like stepping in chicken poop and certainly don't let it build up to the point that it stays wet. I can tell by the smell when I've let it go too long. My main effort is scraping my droppings boards under the roosts to get that pure poop in my compost pile. One thing I think helps here is that I have a lot of room outside and weather where they can be outside all day every day. In winter you will not have that luxury. By them being outside all day every day in a large area the poop gets spread out. It doesn't build up to the point where it becomes a problem. There are two issues with that. If it builds up too thick it can stink but also the smaller area they poop in the more it builds up. Anything that lives in it or uses it as part of their life cycle can build up to a problem. I'm thinking of worms and Coccidiosis specifically but there can be other issues.

I consider clean water important. I don't put anything in the water, chemicals or supplements, some people do. I do want it clean. I don't do anything to their feed or give them supplements. Mine get regular chicken feed, forage for a fair amount of what they eat during the season, get kitchen scraps, and waste and excess from the garden. If I trap a mouse they get to eat it. They get a varied diet but nothing is in there specifically as a supplement.

As far as mites, lice, or worms, I do not do anything preventative. I only treat if I see a problem. I never have seen any. I check them for lice and mites regularly. When I butcher a chicken, which I do regularly, I look in the intestines to see if I can spot a worm. I never have. I give mine access to the ground so they can manage their own dust baths. I have never tried to create one for them and do not use DE as a preventative.

You will find plenty of people on here that have different opinions on practically any of these topics. They truly believe what they do is best for their chickens. I'm not trying to argue with them, for their flocks it could be. If my experiences were different I'd probably do some things differently too.

Good luck and welcome to the adventure. It can be a good journey.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I have to admit that I'm a little overwhelmed with the all the options for care.

That's a pretty typical problem on here. We are each unique with different goals, climates, set-ups, flock make-ups, management techniques, and so many other things that there is not one way that is right for everyone or wrong for everyone. Even in the same circumstances, many different things work. It's not as simple as right or wrong. What is best for you might not be best for me, but either might work for both of us.

What is the best annual care routine for chickens?

My philosophy for overall health is to strengthen their immune system and rely on that as much as I can. My broody hens raise their chicks with the flock. I feed my brooder-raised chicks dirt from the run starting around day 2 or 3. That way they get any probiotics the adults wish to share, get grit in their systems, and start working on flock immunities immediately. I keep the brooder and their general environment as dry as I reasonably can, I consider wet unhealthy, but I do not try to raise them or keep them in a sterile environment.

I do not obsess over cleanliness. I don't like stepping in chicken poop and certainly don't let it build up to the point that it stays wet. I can tell by the smell when I've let it go too long. My main effort is scraping my droppings boards under the roosts to get that pure poop in my compost pile. One thing I think helps here is that I have a lot of room outside and weather where they can be outside all day every day. In winter you will not have that luxury. By them being outside all day every day in a large area the poop gets spread out. It doesn't build up to the point where it becomes a problem. There are two issues with that. If it builds up too thick it can stink but also the smaller area they poop in the more it builds up. Anything that lives in it or uses it as part of their life cycle can build up to a problem. I'm thinking of worms and Coccidiosis specifically but there can be other issues.

I consider clean water important. I don't put anything in the water, chemicals or supplements, some people do. I do want it clean. I don't do anything to their feed or give them supplements. Mine get regular chicken feed, forage for a fair amount of what they eat during the season, get kitchen scraps, and waste and excess from the garden. If I trap a mouse they get to eat it. They get a varied diet but nothing is in there specifically as a supplement.

As far as mites, lice, or worms, I do not do anything preventative. I only treat if I see a problem. I never have seen any. I check them for lice and mites regularly. When I butcher a chicken, which I do regularly, I look in the intestines to see if I can spot a worm. I never have. I give mine access to the ground so they can manage their own dust baths. I have never tried to create one for them and do not use DE as a preventative.

You will find plenty of people on here that have different opinions on practically any of these topics. They truly believe what they do is best for their chickens. I'm not trying to argue with them, for their flocks it could be. If my experiences were different I'd probably do some things differently too.

Good luck and welcome to the adventure. It can be a good journey.

 

[Mrs. K]

Do not worry about keeping your birds warm. That is a mistake most of us make in the beginning. But do worry about keeping them DRY and a wind shelter. My coop is a wind shelter, and I have one in my run too. Encourages them to be outside. Good fresh air is important to chickens.

Warm chickens start with good to almost excessive ventilation which seems so counter intuitive. All our lives we have been told, shut the door to keep the heat in. You do not want to do that with chickens. You want the warm moist air to leave the coop. You want no drafts. Both of these together, allow the air inside the feathers to trap heat. A damp wet chicken is a cold chicken.

Daily care, feed and water - commercial feed. Once I asked a pretty impressive breeder, what did he feed, and commercial feed is what he used. They test it, and it is good. Mine get all the scraps, and leftovers from cooking. I only feed enough for the day, if some is left over, I feed less, if the bowl is bare, I feed more, and this amount changes pretty often. I think (hope) that it keeps the rodent numbers down.

So clean water, enough feed, good bedding and ventilation.

Mrs K