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

[Back2MyRoots]

I've had more "curled toes" when I have eggs that hatch early (ie. temp was a bit too high). Very few, if any, toe issues when the hatching stays on time.

So do you fix them or get rid of them? There has GOT TO be a better way to do what I'm doing.....

I cut mid-weight plastic into toe-length strips and medical tape each individual toe straight as a board to the strips. Then I cut a foot-shaped shoe out of the same plastic and tape the toes to each toe of the shoe. Then I wrap the whole thing over to keep him from picking at the medical tape. Each re-shoeing takes about 10 minutes. I can't imagine if I had more than one with curled toes! I'd be at it all night! (Have to do it at night when husband is home to hold the little booger still because the chick pitches one heck of a fit when I try to tape his toes up!)

 

[Beekissed]

If he cannot walk properly, cull it. If no problem getting around, roosting, etc., keep him. Depends on his general hardiness if this becomes a handicap or not. Some birds with deformities won't be able to compete for food or social ranking and some do just fine.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have hatched a few chicks this year with crooked toes, eggs from reputable breeders here on BYC. Some were hatched in an incubator and some under a broody hen, my preferred method. You can get crooked toes from temperature fluctuations in an incubator, but the ones from the broody I think are probably genetic. Most of these chicks do fine, can be fixed if done very early, but I wouldn't breed them. When they hatch in an incubator you don't know if it is genetic or not.

 

[Eggcessive]

Most respiratory diseases in chickens are viral, some such as choryza are bacterial, and then MG which is neither. Coryza will respond to certain antibiotics. All of these are tough to diagnose without a necropsy, and most have the same symptoms. If you could get a diagnosis it would be of benefit if you wanted to vaccinate any new chicks against that disease because most of your birds will infect any new ones brought into the flock.

 

[thedragonlady]

Ah well. On days 19 and 20 I thought I heard a faint clicking inside the egg -- couldn't be sure as the hens were being noisy.

Nothing last night on day 21.

Nothing early this morning on day 22. Hen still sticking to the nest.

Midmorning day 22: coops smells awful. Half an eggshell on the floor with a thin smear of green goo on it. And that's it. No eggtopsy, no clean-up, all has been done by the hens, who were thoughtful enough to leave just a bit of evidence to let me know what happened.

My broody is still sitting on the nest. Should I leave her there? Shoo her out? Take away the box? I don't want to interfere if I don't have to, but I don't want her to sit inside indefinitely instead of spending her days outside being a chicken.

(Older picture)

Try filling a couple of plastic easter eggs with water and freezing them. Then put them under her. It is said that this resets their systems. Works fine.

 

[fowlman01]

I have hatched a few chicks this year with crooked toes, eggs from reputable breeders here on BYC. Some were hatched in an incubator and some under a broody hen, my preferred method. You can get crooked toes from temperature fluctuations in an incubator, but the ones from the broody I think are probably genetic. Most of these chicks do fine, can be fixed if done very early, but I wouldn't breed them. When they hatch in an incubator you don't know if it is genetic or not.

People like to think incubators cause crooked toes, but I believe most of it is genetic. Either way it is a cull.

Walt

 

[Loghousemom]

I have been "lurking" in this thread for quite some time, reading through and trying to get caught up in all this wisdom you all have got. All I can say is that I am so thankful that you all are here on this thread. I have about 100 pages to go before I am caught up to current, but I did have something I have been wanting to get your opinion on, and as it is, I have been putting it off, now the cold weather is coming and I realize if I wait any longer it will likely NOT be rectified before then and the chickens may not go into winter in the best situations. I respect you all and the honest advice you give without all the goodies for "fancy, primped and spoiled" chickens. We live 40 minutes from the closest town and my hubs works 10-15 hour days so most often it is me and my 3 girls who are out working this building.

A small bit of back story. I received 5 chicks for this past mothers day from my daughters and hubs. in fact, they just began laying this past week! 2 months ago I took in one chick that belonged to a cousin because "she" became a he (same age as my originals). A month ago I took in 4 one yr old hens from my uncle because they were already laying and I was much too impatient to wait for eggs any longer.

I know how you all stress the fact that the buildings and coops must come first, and mine did. In fact we have had the coop for years, but used it for dogs in the winter instead of birds. The owners before us did have guinees and I believe the building was set up for them.

I wanted to post up some pictures and see if you all have any advice for other things I should do to make winter more comfortable for them. I live in ND and it often does get very cold, especially at night. Some winters we get buried in snow, and some like last winter we get less than 10", but the cold always comes. Ha!

So here it goes. My coup is split into 3 separate areas. I would say the whole building is about 30-40 ft square, but I have not specifically measured it. The first section has a cement floor. This is the section we heat through the winter and use for our dogs. It is also the section that houses the feed and other animal misc. I still have more cleaning to do in here as you can see. The foam in the ceiling was the hubs half*** attempt to insulate it and it sucks. That ceiling is barely 6ft high on that end of the building and it keeps falling down. This section is not really a concern for me since I can work on it through the winter and the chickens do not actually use it.


Now, this second section is the are the chickens use. I have ten birds total. 9 hens and 1 roo. I kind of rigged up the roosts. Seems to me only the older birds use them, and they only seem to like the top one, so I was thinking I would re-do the lower with a 2x and see if the younger ones would make their way over. As best I can tell, the white window frames on the left can be removed with screws and there is chicken wire behind them. There is also 3 light fixtures and 4 outlets in the ceiling on that side. I have 1 white heat bulb and one red in there for now. My plan is to use another red bulb over the roost for warmth and then another white bulb on a timer for extra light this winter. The right side faces south and has 4 windows with steel screen over them. this side also has a large door that opens to the run and you can see the pop door there. I have this set of nesters on "blocks" because I am not sure where to mount them.... Any advice on where to put this nesting box? a better roost idea? Other suggestions?


This is the same room looking toward the other side. You can see the mounted nesting boxes (which are the favorites they use) You can also see the door that goes into the "dog" section of this building. The door has 2 separate locks so the dogs cannot push their way through, (not really a concern as the chickens free range happily with the dogs most of the day, but you never know, so I added locks just in case.) On the right side near the water dish you see another large door. This opens into another same sized section of coup that has no lights.


this is the section that currently does not have electricity run. excuse the dust, I had to open the back door to take the pics. My plan for this section was to fill it full of excess straw and hay to add to the main coup section during the winter to make cleaning duties a little more friendly. Is this a functional idea in your opinion? Should I use this space for something else? I figure I can get electricity in here eventually if needed when the hubs has some free time.


Same room, looking other direction.


This is the outside "yard" area. standing near the pop door. You can see my fencing is still a work in progress. (a neighbor started a fire last year that took out almost every fence we had and I am still working on getting those back together.) My question about this area is, do you think this small section (up to before that tree) is enough for "penned in" grazing? I could easily extend the fence back to the rear where there is still a section of old fence standing and the small shed, but the hubs thinks I shouldn't. Sorry about the other junk in this picture. I was cleaning out the back section of the coup that had other things stored in it to make room for the straw.


This is just the front that shows the door to the "dog coup" the windows to the chickens part, and the pop door. and of course the only bit of fencing that was salvaged from the fire.


out of curiosity, do any of you know what this is?


I know it ain't too pretty, and for me and the birds I don't think it needs to be. My daughters have other ideas though and painting will be on the list of things to do as well.

Thanks in advance for your ideas and insight. I just want to make sure I have a warm place where these ladies can be safe through the winter.

 

[Beekissed]

Wow! Aren't you lucky to have all that space!!! Great pics and questions....I'll try to answer a few and any other OT that wants to chime in, please do so.

I have been "lurking" in this thread for quite some time, reading through and trying to get caught up in all this wisdom you all have got. All I can say is that I am so thankful that you all are here on this thread. I have about 100 pages to go before I am caught up to current, but I did have something I have been wanting to get your opinion on, and as it is, I have been putting it off, now the cold weather is coming and I realize if I wait any longer it will likely NOT be rectified before then and the chickens may not go into winter in the best situations. I respect you all and the honest advice you give without all the goodies for "fancy, primped and spoiled" chickens. We live 40 minutes from the closest town and my hubs works 10-15 hour days so most often it is me and my 3 girls who are out working this building.

A small bit of back story. I received 5 chicks for this past mothers day from my daughters and hubs. in fact, they just began laying this past week! 2 months ago I took in one chick that belonged to a cousin because "she" became a he (same age as my originals). A month ago I took in 4 one yr old hens from my uncle because they were already laying and I was much too impatient to wait for eggs any longer.

I know how you all stress the fact that the buildings and coops must come first, and mine did. In fact we have had the coop for years, but used it for dogs in the winter instead of birds. The owners before us did have guinees and I believe the building was set up for them.

I wanted to post up some pictures and see if you all have any advice for other things I should do to make winter more comfortable for them. I live in ND and it often does get very cold, especially at night. Some winters we get buried in snow, and some like last winter we get less than 10", but the cold always comes. Ha!

So here it goes. My coup is split into 3 separate areas. I would say the whole building is about 30-40 ft square, but I have not specifically measured it. The first section has a cement floor. This is the section we heat through the winter and use for our dogs. It is also the section that houses the feed and other animal misc. I still have more cleaning to do in here as you can see. The foam in the ceiling was the hubs half*** attempt to insulate it and it sucks. That ceiling is barely 6ft high on that end of the building and it keeps falling down. This section is not really a concern for me since I can work on it through the winter and the chickens do not actually use it.


Now, this second section is the are the chickens use. I have ten birds total. 9 hens and 1 roo. I kind of rigged up the roosts. Seems to me only the older birds use them, and they only seem to like the top one, so I was thinking I would re-do the lower with a 2x and see if the younger ones would make their way over. As best I can tell, the white window frames on the left can be removed with screws and there is chicken wire behind them. There is also 3 light fixtures and 4 outlets in the ceiling on that side. I have 1 white heat bulb and one red in there for now. My plan is to use another red bulb over the roost for warmth and then another white bulb on a timer for extra light this winter. The right side faces south and has 4 windows with steel screen over them. this side also has a large door that opens to the run and you can see the pop door there. I have this set of nesters on "blocks" because I am not sure where to mount them.... Any advice on where to put this nesting box? a better roost idea? Other suggestions? You could mount that nest box right beside your other one...makes things simple. You might want to do two roost poles, one slightly lower than the other and on the outside of the original roost....the older birds like to go up and be the closest to the wall and the younger birds can roost at the lower roost...they usually mount up on the roosts after the older, so it makes sense to put the lower roost on the outside edge of the roosting area. It doesn't even have to be that much lower...just 18 in. apart from the first roost and about 1 ft. lower. When you want to expand your flock..and you will with this much space... you'll have more roosting already in place. Good idea to keep roosts in a bar formation instead of a ladder.


This is the same room looking toward the other side. You can see the mounted nesting boxes (which are the favorites they use) You can also see the door that goes into the "dog" section of this building. The door has 2 separate locks so the dogs cannot push their way through, (not really a concern as the chickens free range happily with the dogs most of the day, but you never know, so I added locks just in case.) On the right side near the water dish you see another large door. This opens into another same sized section of coup that has no lights.


this is the section that currently does not have electricity run. excuse the dust, I had to open the back door to take the pics. My plan for this section was to fill it full of excess straw and hay to add to the main coup section during the winter to make cleaning duties a little more friendly. Is this a functional idea in your opinion? Should I use this space for something else? I figure I can get electricity in here eventually if needed when the hubs has some free time. What a lovely big space for expansion! I wouldn't use straw or hay for bedding if you can help it...much harder to clean out than pine shavings and doesn't do so well with a deep litter system, which I recommend. I'd cut out some mighty big holes in the walls and rough frame them, apply some wire over the openings and make a frame for plastic window covers in the winter~big, natural lighting. This room needs more light and more air...with that, it makes a perfect place for flock expansion. (Maybe not this winter but by next one?) If you get deep snows, the more space you have inside, the better. I wouldn't worry about heat lamps.,...where you live you'll want to have cold hardy birds. If you put a heat light on at all, you can place it over your water to keep it thawed. You'll want to keep an open crack at the top of those windows this winter to allow for humidity to escape...can't have too much ventilation, even in a big space like this. If you really want to keep it a little warmer, you can stack some hay or straw bales along the walls for floor level insulation and the deep litter will assist with warming the place also.


Same room, looking other direction.


This is the outside "yard" area. standing near the pop door. You can see my fencing is still a work in progress. (a neighbor started a fire last year that took out almost every fence we had and I am still working on getting those back together.) My question about this area is, do you think this small section (up to before that tree) is enough for "penned in" grazing? If you CAN expand it, do so....the bigger the paddock, the more the benefit. Try not to overstock this space if you plan on it being stationary.

I could easily extend the fence back to the rear where there is still a section of old fence standing and the small shed, but the hubs thinks I shouldn't. Sorry about the other junk in this picture. I was cleaning out the back section of the coup that had other things stored in it to make room for the straw.


This is just the front that shows the door to the "dog coup" the windows to the chickens part, and the pop door. and of course the only bit of fencing that was salvaged from the fire.


out of curiosity, do any of you know what this is? I do believe that is a brood hood....lamp goes down the middle and the hood keeps the light and heat where the chicks need it and they can wander in and out of the space as desired....great find! You will most likely be very glad you have this one day soon.


I know it ain't too pretty, and for me and the birds I don't think it needs to be. Good attitude and you couldn't be more right! My daughters have other ideas though and painting will be on the list of things to do as well.

Thanks in advance for your ideas and insight. I just want to make sure I have a warm place where these ladies can be safe through the winter.

 

[bruceh]

must be broody time. i went out today to collect eggs. dang one of reds was not sitting on 5 eggs. i went to go get the eggs. the bird growled and bit me. i am not wanting chicks right now so maybe in the spring. i will do a planned breeding.

 

[smyers32]

Most respiratory diseases in chickens are viral, some such as choryza are bacterial, and then MG which is neither. Coryza will respond to certain antibiotics. All of these are tough to diagnose without a necropsy, and most have the same symptoms. If you could get a diagnosis it would be of benefit if you wanted to vaccinate any new chicks against that disease because most of your birds will infect any new ones brought into the flock.

The man I spoke to at the disease center said it was probably mycoplasma gallisepticum. Now, how could he know that over the phone? I don't know. But it was his best guess from knowledge of the area and the symptoms I described. Assuming that's what it is, I will keep them on the tetracycline and hope for the best. If I lose one, I might go ahead and bite the proverbial financial bullet and have a necropsy done to verify what in fact I'm dealing with. Then, I can better make the decision about culling, disinfecting and starting fresh or vaccinating new stock in the future. I'm done stressing about these birds for now. They'll get their course of antibiotics, then they're on their own and I'll go from there.