Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[ldutch123]

Also what I could sure use is a chicken that eats ants! Man I hate those tiny sugar ants but nooooooo my chickens don't eat ants...:/

 

[Kassaundra]

Also what I could sure use is a chicken that eats ants! Man I hate those tiny sugar ants but nooooooo my chickens don't eat ants...

me too

 

[ajlynco]

One of my chicks recieved a small tear in a wattle and it bled some. I was concerned about the other chooks pecking at the wound so after cleaning the tear up with clean water I put her in quarantine. Then I got to thinking I need something to treat the girls with in case they recieve a wound more substantial than this. What would you OT's recommend. Some kind of antibiotic? A spray maybe? Also, how long should I keep her in lockdown?

 

[Minchi]

Not an OT but I recommend a powder coagulant, that have it for humans and horses. Both should work.

 

[fowlman01]

Not an OT but I recommend a powder coagulant, that have it for humans and horses. Both should work.

they have it for chickens too.

Walt

 

[flagirl]

We have these horrible large ants(i call them carpenter ants) and my hens love them. they eat and live in old wood, so if i find a piece with some hiding in it, i run it over to the coop for them to enjoy. while free ranging, I have seen them wipe out a nest in no time. makes me very happy

 

[Leahs Mom]

Update on these. THEY DID START TO OVERFLOW AT EXACTLY 2 WEEKS. I contacted Premier Fence (where I bought them) and this is the reply I got:

"I am very sorry to hear of the trouble you have been having with the
mini cups. Yes, we are aware of its cons and what it is, if you were
to unscrew the base on the cup, there is a float inside that does not
hold its seal. After some use, which is what you have noticed, they
begin to retain water inside the float and that just causes it to run
all the time. There is no shut off from the float because its
flooded. So, I would be more than happy to refund your money for the
mini cups. We are waiting to get the improved version from our
manufacturer hopefully soon. I am told. I am not sure when but we
will announce on the website when they are here. Please let me know
what you would like to do. Thank you for your detailed report and I
again apologize for the inconvenience."

So I got my money back. Too bad. I really liked them while they worked. Hopefully the new ones being developed will work better.

Well good luck with those we think thay are an absolute waste of money, they are not cheap! I bought 11 and at first we though how great they were but witin a week and over the course of several weeks every one of them began to leak. They did not leak at the connection, they began to overflow. Called the vendor and got a load of crap. They obiouvoy did not care to stand behind the product. Apparently there is a float mechanism inside that gets clogged and then they begin to overflow. Well if it becomes clogged with the dirt off the beaks of the chickens in a week to three weeks then they are useless. As far as we are concerned the vendor stole #111 from us.

Sorry I'm going to ask this again... Could you please comment on your "automatic waterers" that you use?
I've been experimenting with a couple different options but the jury is still out due to various issues. I'd LOVE to hear what folks are using for auto-waterers.

I did try the nipples but had issues with one set leaking too much water and the second set seemed to be working okay but after a week I never saw the girls drinking from them which concerns me. (Even when I tried to coax them to drink, it would be only a peck or 2 then no interest...even though they had been using the prior nipples for several weeks with success.) If the day was REALLY HOT, I'd put a pan of cold water outside in the hot afternoons for them to stand in and cool off and they'd drink from it like a herd of camels in the desert at an oasis which made me wonder if they were using the nipples at all.

Right now I'm trying these from Premier Fence: http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=78557&cat_id=141 (See photos) But...I don't think I'll be able to keep them from freezing with the bucket heater in the winter like I could with the nipples!

 

[therapydoglady]

Idutch123: Ha!ha! As they say, the grass is always greener on the OTHER side of the fence!

I must say that I am guilty of the yogurt thing. I bought my grandchildren a straight run of banties for their summer project. We built the banty run and coop together while the chicks were in the brooder. They (the kids) bent all their own nails during the build, and carried all their own straw for nesting boxes, etc. I just cut the wood w/ the power tools and held everything still while they hammered my fingers.

The kids did all the care for the chicks...I just made sure that they did. I should have paid closer attention to the chicks. One of the little cockerels turned out to have a crossed beak. Somehow he survived on his own until he was fully feathered, but when we put them in their coop, he was very thin. The kids would not hear of putting him down. I could have taught them a hard lesson about survival and culling, or I could have taught them about sympathy, empathy, compassion, special needs. Since I do a lot of therapy work w/ special needs children, you can guess which lesson prevailed.

We mix crumbles in with a half a cup of plain yogurt, and they take turns sitting and feeding "Lucky Chicken" (LC) while the other tends to the rest of the flock. The yogurt just makes it easier for him to get a mouthful. And yes, I know I'll have to continue this when they go home and go back to school, but I think maybe the lesson is worth the effort. Anyway, ALL of you Old Timers know how mushy we get the minute that grandchild hits the ground!

 

[therapydoglady]

ajlynco: there is a product call "Quick Stop" You can get it at PetSmart or Petco. It is a styptic powder that has sulfer in it. If you keep the lid on it tight, one small bottle will last you for years! It will stop the bleeding in about 10 seconds on a minor wound.

On a major cut, I use Nexban. It is a surgical glue. Your vet could probably get it for you, or you can order it from "PetEdge.com" You can use super glue or crazy glue, but it tends to dry out quickly after it is opened...Nexban doesn't so much. BUT if you have a major wound and are not seeking a veterinarian's help, and are going to glue it (I doubt a waddle tear would be classified as a major wound) make sure it is CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN, and you must leave the lowest portion of the wound open for drainage or it will definitely abcess, and then you are in a mell of a hess!

I have found that chickens are very resilliant, and seldom need our intervention, other than to sequester them for their own safety, as the flock will definitely peck it to death!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Each may want to instill different values to their children, and I think that's your right. As far as my grandkids I test the water to see how well they can handle certain facts of life...like when they ask me what happened to the chicks from the last time they were here. What happened to the big white rooster? Well we had to kill him, why? He was mean and was attacking everyone. Oh. What happened to red hen? She was killed by a coyote, she kept straying too far from home. Oh. Did you eat him? Yes. Was he good? Yes, very good. I don't think they are scarred from the experience. I know special needs children are different from special needs chickens, on the farm though the distinction is not spending undue time and expense on an animal that is just prolonging a poor existence..I think they can handle the concept..children really make you examine your own belief sets and force you to remain true to them, I really don't want to force my own values on them, but let them form their own. This is how I do it...your entitled to do it your way when you have your own place. They know they can ask anything and get the real answer...even if it makes them squirm a little.