Since an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I would like to know what you do to keep your birds healthy. Hopefully we can all get some good ideas!
Some things I do/will do:
I keep the coop floor dry and smells down by adding more shavings when the floor looks messy or smells.
I keep my feed in the house where it's secure and dry, and never feed them spoiled food.
I currently add 1/4 tsp dried garlic, 2 Tbsp vinegar, and 4 Tbsp yogurt per gallon of my birds' water, as a preventative and booster. I plan to get livestock probiotics and vitamins next trip to the feed store.
I'm also getting food-grade DE when I go.
Not going to buy any more adult birds without a good reason and a good inspection, and will quarantine them. (learned my lesson! My adult hens have lice and mites, fortunately nothing more serious)
I'm aggressively treating my hens for lice and mites and I plan to move the coop to fresh ground (I have a tractor - see my website) and disinfect it with bleach before putting Melpomene outside permanently. (she still sleeps in the house) Hopefully Mene won't catch anything.
Some things I do/will do:
I keep the coop floor dry and smells down by adding more shavings when the floor looks messy or smells.
I keep my feed in the house where it's secure and dry, and never feed them spoiled food.
I currently add 1/4 tsp dried garlic, 2 Tbsp vinegar, and 4 Tbsp yogurt per gallon of my birds' water, as a preventative and booster. I plan to get livestock probiotics and vitamins next trip to the feed store.
I'm also getting food-grade DE when I go.
Not going to buy any more adult birds without a good reason and a good inspection, and will quarantine them. (learned my lesson! My adult hens have lice and mites, fortunately nothing more serious)
I'm aggressively treating my hens for lice and mites and I plan to move the coop to fresh ground (I have a tractor - see my website) and disinfect it with bleach before putting Melpomene outside permanently. (she still sleeps in the house) Hopefully Mene won't catch anything.
