Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

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Oh he sounds like he's doing well if he is eating and crowing! That's great! Is he still pretty congested? I hope he feels better soon. Funny about the crowing. My silkie cockerel crows ALL the time. But he's in my garage and he isn't very loud. He has kind of a strangled sound to him. But he's cute and it's his normal crow (for him). He is crowing as I type this.

 

[keckels]

I know most of you are from the other side of the state, but I'd get some"fairly"local advice. None of my older chickens have heat & seem to not be the wiser; I am crazy and have some that are a few Weeks old & some to hatch in another week. Right now they are in a brooder in my downstairs bathroom, then they will go to a brooder in my unheated garage. Is there an age I could look at putting them outside, or is garage for remainder of winter best idea.

 

[chicken danz]

I can pick out those silkie crows easily from the crowd just like the Seramas. I say the silkies almost warble when they crow, like they really have to strain to get the sound out. The Seramas sound like midgets. Well, I guess they are.
My daughter said last night her chicken who was so weak it couldn't hold it's head up earlier in the day was eating and drinking and acting normal last night. She called to thank me. I should be so lucky treating my own.
The rooster is doing good this morning but of course he still has a cold. His breathing seems to be a little clearer. I'll hit him with some more vetrx in the nostrils after while. I just fixed him a breakfast of crushed cooked egg and sour cream. Waiting for it to cool. He'll think he is in heaven.

 

[chicken danz]

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Put them outside only after they are fully feathered. If you have kept them warm try to pick a warmer day with the sun shining before you move them out. In this weather I would add some fat to their diet if I were you before putting them out.

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

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I have a buddy in Oskie (he is not on here) that has a lot of silkie. I will email him and ask.

 

[keckels]

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Put them outside only after they are fully feathered. If you have kept them warm try to pick a warmer day with the sun shining before you move them out. In this weather I would add some fat to their diet if I were you before putting them out.

Thanks, I honestly figured it would be unheated garage until spring.

 

[ChooksChick]

All of you with ill birds: I know that in my old farmers' books, they talk about using vitamin B on ill birds, and in my products as a natural foor rep, I know a lot of the major liquid nutraceuticals (liquid vitamins, suuuuuper yucky flavors, but really good for you) use mega-doses of plante extracted vitamin B for cold/flu formulas. Perhaps you go get them some vitamin B supplements?

WARNING: Vitamin B tastes NASTY. You'll want to get the Vitamin B from the feed store (in the injectible cattle meds) and inject it into a quarter of a grape. No way a bird will choke it down otherwise.

Also, Vitamin D is our body's natural immunity hormone (yes, literally a hormone-like product! Most folks don't realize this, and seasonal depression is often off-set by taking Vit D, as well as is seasonal illness!) and boosting their intake of it would probably help them fight their colds. Many times we lean on antibiotics, but most colds are actually viruses, which aren't affected by antibiotics. What may help them fight them off on their own would be to boost the Vitamin D they have to work with, which will be less this time of year because our ability to make it is diminished with the shorter hours of daylight. If you go get some of that "Emergen-C" stuff that comes in little envelopes to make a fizzy vitamin drink (found at Wally-World, etc) and dump 2 in each gallon waterer, it not only boosts the Vitamin D, but also Vitamin C. The C is citric acid, which will inhibit any virus from being transmitted through the water, a it will be acidic. DO NOT add these to any metal waterers, as vinegar, AVC, Vit C, and anything acidic will break down the Zinc coating on the waterers, causing them to leach Zinc into the water, which can poison them. Use plastic if you are going to supplement them with vitamins. ALSO: to boost the Vitamin D, you have to make sure you're not getting the version of EmergenC that is just C.

NOW: you can also use natural treats to do these things, but it requires giving them greens: kale, turnip greens, chard, spinach, mustard greens, etc. I get the discarded stuff from the grocery store and rubberband it upside down to the side of the run and let them tear at it. It takes a HECK of a lot more of the greens to boost their vitamin levels, though. I do a bit of both to prevent illness. You can also add a splash of Oxine to their water each time to kill all viruses and bacteria so they don't transmit it between one another. Keeps the waterers from growing bacterial slime, too. Safe for use in this manner per label.

I add 3% alfalfa meal to the feed this time of year because of the lack of grass grazing they have, but it's not the same sort of Vitamin D boost.

I have heard that cranberries help them fight virus, and I include it in my feed, but I think it may only be seasonal after this winter- it's very expensive. I also know that garlic is clinically proven to decrease opportunistic viruses and bacterial colds, so you may consider using dried minced garlic in your feed as a top-dressing with cayenne, which helps to fight internal parasites (also clinically proven). Cayenne seems to get them laying better this time of year, too, or you can use crushed red chilies.

Hope everyone is getting this mild temp today...I don't dig the greyness of it, but like that it's not bitter cold.

 

[chicken danz]

I have Vitamin D3 capsules that I take myself in cool dreary weather. It helps with SADD syndrome. Those are perfect for adding some "sunshine" to the chickens. It works better than just plain vitamin D.
Flax seed is pricy but its one of those things that recreate what the chickens get from green grasses and stuff they eat during summer. Works wonderful. Just sprinkle a little on their feed. I tried alfalfa meal for my chickens but they wanted nothing to do with it. Dumb birds. I even tried alfalfa hay but they just weren't interested. I've found they love red clover hay which is a great way to give them some green as well.
Thanks for the tips Renee. I have been so lucky not to have any sickness up till now as far as colds and stuff. I have to wonder where these viruses come from, like Hawkeye.

 

[ChooksChick]

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Yes, it brings a new consideration to the whole method of The Plague...a bacteria finding its way in on a rat, a flea...so bad because our defenses can't be defined, as we haven't any clue what the culprit is!

I know I prefer to use netting over my farm flocks to prevent the other birds from getting in, but there's no stopping the cotton rats or the field mice. I do have a lovely pair of black cats that are lanky young killing machines guarding over them- thank Heaven the farm owners got those boys, because they diminish that risk quite a bit.

I got a couple of those mouse traps called the steel cat. They are live catch, but that doesn't mean they have to stay that way. I don't catch much because the kitties are very good.

 

[chicken danz]

I have netting over every pen I have but since most of the chickens free range I am sure that wild birds and such can bring in disease. Even with the 1 inch netting occasionally birds will get in the closed pens. Or worse yet they sit on top of the netting and their poop falls in their pens. Everyday I have to dump the water because wild birds have managed to drop their feces into the water from overhead. I keep putting out bar bait but it is an ongoing practice. You just can't seem to keep the field mice under check.