Confused!!

[TinaSwarr]

I have read over post after post, and i am more confused than when I started..... I have lost a few birds the last couple weeks....You see I do not like to use medications or chemicals in my flock or in my garden...but I am beginning to think that it will be necessary.we will start with mites I have never seen any of these, I do clean out weekly the whole way down to bare wood then I dust with de, the hubby picked up a bag of something called poultry dust and thinks I should use that instead....now onto cocci, other than medicated started for the chicks, i have never treated...and I have never wormed but with watching the birds go after the worms after the plow goes go thru I think maybe I should start worming....any suggestions as to where to start would be appreciated......flock is about a year and a half old....free range....and remember I am allready confused so talk slowly. I am seeing what i think is prolapse...

 

[ClareScifi]

Did you feed your hens Grower from ages 8 weeks to 20 weeks? I have been told that if you put them on layer too early, it tends to make them grow too fast and results in prolapse. And they need the thiamine from ages 8 weeks to 20 weeks that is found in Grower, but that is not in the medicated chick starter food.

 

[TinaSwarr]

I feed medicated chick starter until about 16 weeks that is about the time I start to mingle them with the rest of the flock at which time they would eat the layer feed.

 

[ClareScifi]

I have been told that is too early to give them layer feed. You should wait until 20 weeks or even 22 weeks to start the layer. Otherwise, they tend to develop too fast and get prolapse.

Also, roosters should not be fed layer mash as it has too much calcium in it. It can cause male chickens to get kidney failure.

I give my flock Nutrena All Flock or Flock Raiser when they are all together, with a bowl of freechoice oystershell on the side for the girls.

But the hens have access to layer mash separately when I let them out by themselves into another pen.

 

[ButchGood]

Ive read that Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar helps out with chicken health and worm prevention. 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Its also good for you. A recipe for a refreshing drink is on the bottle. I like it, The chicks dont seem to mind it. It also keeps algae and nasties growing in the waterer.

 

[1muttsfan]

Your birds will not get intestinal parasites from eating earthworms, so don't be concerned about that.

Young birds are better off not getting layer feed until about 20 weeks of age, you can keep them separate from the layers or feed a whole flock feed. Keep oyster shell available for your laying hens if you feed a flock raiser. Most roosters do not have problems eating laying feed.

Mites will need to be treated chemically. Make sure to follow the withdrawal time listed on the package for your eggs.

 

[ClareScifi]

When you say most roosters will not have problems eating layer feed, what do you mean by "problems?" Are you talking about roosters who are kept for only a couple of years and then gotten rid of. Does this encompass "most" roosters? But what if your rooster is a pet that you want to live as long as possible? Does the "most" apply to them, as well, or are they an exception? I'd like to see a study showing how long roosters who are fed layer mash live in comparison with those who are fed food that doesn't have more calcium in it than they need. Does anyone know of such a study I can read?