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

[JulieNKC]

You should probably dull the points of those spurs or take them off as it is really easy to get stuck in the palm of the hand with spurs that look that sharp. If you never handle the bird it won't be a problem.

Walt

The only time I handle her is to dust her and for a quick check over every few months, pretty much. I plan on trimming them once the roo hits maturity, they are helping teach him some respect for the girls right now.

Can I just file the tips with a dremel like I did with my parrots toes?

 

[Lazarus718]

If your aim is to kill squash bugs DE won't touch the adult ones, may kill some nymphs. I have battled squash bugs for years they are hard to control, this year has been my most successful and what I have been doing is taking a water hose and a couple of chickens. I spray the base of the plant around the stems and ground, the squash bugs HATE the water and climb up to get away from it where they are easy "pickins" for the chickens. I have almost no squash bugs left.

I'll turn them loose in there around October, mine just hit their sixth week and I still have a lot of other veggies I don't want them getting to right now. Surprises me that the DE won't get to the adults, from what I hear it slices them up like butter. My largest problem has always been hornworms on my tomatoes (I use BT on them) but this year the squash bugs went really crazy and have decimated our zucchini plants and moved onto the honeydew. Going to plant some rye for a cover crop this winter and rotate gardens, hopefully that helps some next year. They have already done their damage for the most part this year, once we have harvested the last of our tomatoes next month I'll let the new chicks make a feast of them before I plant the rye out. Thanks for the tip!

 

[fowlman01]

The only time I handle her is to dust her and for a quick check over every few months, pretty much. I plan on trimming them once the roo hits maturity, they are helping teach him some respect for the girls right now.

Can I just file the tips with a dremel like I did with my parrots toes?

You can just file them or if you have a cutting wheel on your dremel cut them off so that there is only a 1/4" stub. Point it away from you in case you in hit the quick. It will cauterize it at the same time. Some of these spurs are like needles and can easily accidently puncture the skin...ask me how I know...lol

Walt

 

[NYREDS]

You can just file them or if you have a cutting wheel on your dremel cut them off so that there is only a 1/4" stub. Point it away from you in case you in hit the quick. It will cauterize it at the same time. Some of these spurs are like needles and can easily accidently puncture the skin...ask me how I know...lol

Walt

When I was catching Old English Large Fowl to ship to Superior Hatchery I ended up with a Lemon Blue cock hanging from the back of my right calf with about 2 inches of spur stuck in my leg. had a boot full of blood.

 

[armorfirelady]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get pullets to drink from water nipples? I have had it in the run for almost a week but they haven't touched it. They rather use the regular waterer. I put the nipple waterer where the regular one was hanging and adjusted the height & made sure the nipples had a drip of water on them yet the water level was the same when I got home from work. The regular waterer is out of the coop/run now but I am afraid they are going to dehydrate if they don't figure out how to use the nipple waterer.

I did put fresh grass clippings in the run this morning & their favorite treat of watermelon so I know they are getting some moisture from them. And I will give them watermelon in the morning before work.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you
Jenn

 

[Beekissed]

I'd give it time...if the water is there, they will find it when they are thirsty enough to look. All it takes is one bird to find that drop of water and peck at it, then drink. Give it time and see how it goes. You could even give them a day and at the end of the day, catch a pullet and position her under the nipple, take her beak and hold it in the drop of water or even use her beak to peck the nipple. See if she drinks....

 

[bruceh]

all caught up now. thank you bee for welcoming me back. all i need now is some groupies and a chicken diaper. hey how about a diaper for rabbits .
now for all those with sensitive feelings take a chill were old.

 

[Beekissed]

What completely baffles me is that the first few pages of the thread are clearly marked as an insensitive zone but overly sensitive people still walk right in. I don't know how much more clearly I can state it.

Oh, well...'nuff of that ol' chestnut. What have you been up to, Bruce?

 

[galefrances]

Well, here goes. This may be one of those shake your heads and roll your eyes kind of questions, but....Do I really need to be trimming the dang toenails on these chickens? I keep reading threads about this and I don't want to. If chickens are supposed to just be chickens, then why can't they trim their own darn nails. I'm sure people with flocks of 50 or 100 aren't out there trimming any nails. I get it about the spurs, that's not what prompted this question. I'm talking routine nail trimming maintenance.

 

[Beekissed]

Well, here goes. This may be one of those shake your heads and roll your eyes kind of questions, but....Do I really need to be trimming the dang toenails on these chickens? I keep reading threads about this and I don't want to. If chickens are supposed to just be chickens, then why can't they trim their own darn nails. I'm sure people with flocks of 50 or 100 aren't out there trimming any nails. I get it about the spurs, that's not what prompted this question. I'm talking routine nail trimming maintenance.

Alright....will you permit me a big ol' belly laugh on that one? Pretty please?

Who in the world told you to trim chicken toenails...and did they have a bet going that you'd actually go out there and do it?

I'd go slap their mama on the back of the head for even having them in the first place!

No...there is absolutely, positively no earthly reason for trimming the toenails on a chicken. File that under the "giving hormone shots to roosters so they won't crow and disturb the neighbors section" of ridiculous things that should never be done to a chicken. Like diapers, bras, bonnets or booties....pedicures for chickens may be all the rage but they are not a part of regular chickens husbandry practices. You don't have to do it.