Detecting Coccidiosis Early

[cubalaya]

bob, we decided this year to go non medicated and we have used medicated for 30 years. we use a rotational system with the chicks and so far, am on my 4th hatch with no losses. since we eat our eggs and eat our extra cockerels, we don't want amprolium or arsenic in our chicken feed. the cubalayas are pretty disease resistant anyway but we are watching the australorps and delawares closely. bloody stools or death would probably make me rethink the whole thing.

 

[blondiebee181]

Yup, I think I'm gonna go non-medicated at least this time. Most of the small-time back-yarders I've talked with see to think it will be perfectly fine. Anything to boost their immune system is always great. I started putting Sav-a-chick in their water (which I have heard is somewhat akin to humans drinking gatorade) and I will probably continue to at least alternate it with regular water until they are out in the coop. Today I found out they like yogurt for the most part too, yay! I tried the Vanilla Zoi greek yogurt and they seem to like that. I also gave them a large dead Maple leaf and some pine needles from the yard today and they went to town, carrying the needles around and scratching at the leaf. I also sprinkled a little sand in the brooder from outside and they liked scratching at that too. A couple of questions come to mind:

I know chickens will mostly avoid things that are bad for them, but Maple leaves are fine right (and pine needles)?

We have a cat that pottys in the yard. When I eventually let the birds out to forage, the cat poop wont be an issue right?

 

[LaynaDon95]

Yup, I think I'm gonna go non-medicated at least this time. Most of the small-time back-yarders I've talked with see to think it will be perfectly fine. Anything to boost their immune system is always great. I started putting Sav-a-chick in their water (which I have heard is somewhat akin to humans drinking gatorade) and I will probably continue to at least alternate it with regular water until they are out in the coop. Today I found out they like yogurt for the most part too, yay! I tried the Vanilla Zoi greek yogurt and they seem to like that. I also gave them a large dead Maple leaf and some pine needles from the yard today and they went to town, carrying the needles around and scratching at the leaf. I also sprinkled a little sand in the brooder from outside and they liked scratching at that too. A couple of questions come to mind:

I know chickens will mostly avoid things that are bad for them, but Maple leaves are fine right (and pine needles)?

We have a cat that pottys in the yard. When I eventually let the birds out to forage, the cat poop wont be an issue right?

Maple leaves and pine needles are perfectly fine.
I also have a cat. She's inside with her week old kittens right now, but she's been outside all her life and she will be going out again after she's fixed. We also have tons of neighborhood cats around here that use our yard as a litter box. I haven't had a problem with cat poop, and I don't see it becoming an issue. My only concern is finding my chickens in the cat poop. =P

 

[blondiebee181]

Hahaha for sure, we have neighborhood cats too. Speaking of cats, have you ever had them bother grown chickens?

 

[LaynaDon95]

Hahaha for sure, we have neighborhood cats too. Speaking of cats, have you ever had them bother grown chickens?

Uuuuhhh. Yeah.

My own cat, actually. She is definitely a huntress. (Which is why we have her. She's a mouser, gopher-er...er whatever.) When she adopted us, and learned that we only intended to feed her once a day (in hopes she would eat mice and gophers to make up for those extra needed calories) she instead turned to our chickens. She was pretty small at the time, so she never got one, but boy oh boy, did she try. You would see her little prowling shoulders stalking the chickens through the weeds and wait for the clucking. They could fly. And she couldn't. So she lost. But she did figure out that if she climbed a tree and waited veeeery still, that the little birdies would come to her!!! Oh, she was excited that day. Surprisingly, the neighborhood cats don't bother our chickens. They sit way in the back of the field and watch them, but they've never gone after one... They must be planning something.

 

[blondiebee181]

Hehe okay, yeah I figured but I have also heard that some don't bother chickens so just curious. I only plan to let them free range when we are able to watch them anyway.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Hehe okay, yeah I figured but I have also heard that some don't bother chickens so just curious. I only plan to let them free range when we are able to watch them anyway.

Yeah, some cats could care less about chickens. Like I said, the neighborhood cats don't bother them... Just mine. That's a little backwards, but okay.
Mine free range all day every day. We have stray cats, un-fenced, unruly dogs, (grrr neighbors -_-) a hawk that roams our property, etc. and I haven't lost one yet. *knocks on wood* I've found my chickens are pretty good at avoiding danger. My roosters are good at warning the ladies and the ladies are good at heeding them. I consider myself extremely fortunate so far in the animal raising business, though. One suggestion I have for you is to get a rooster if it's legal for your area. Mine have been really helpful. I haven't had any aggression problems from them (except to each other, because I have too many. That will soon be taken care of though.

) You show 'em who's boss every now and then and they take good care of your flock. The crowing can be a bit annoying but they make up for it. I don't have to worry about my girls out free ranging. If you take him out they don't even know what to do or where to go. It's funny, really. They just wander around aimlessly calling for him.

 

[blondiebee181]

Hahaha that's cute. I wouldn't mind a rooster but I do live in the city and I don't think my neighbors would like it and if they were to call the cops he would be confiscated as well as probably some of the girls because you are TECHNICALLY only supposed to have 3 chickens in the city

 

[LaynaDon95]

Hahaha that's cute. I wouldn't mind a rooster but I do live in the city and I don't think my neighbors would like it and if they were to call the cops he would be confiscated as well as probably some of the girls because you are TECHNICALLY only supposed to have 3 chickens in the city

Yeeaah... You might wanna stay away from the roosters then...
So are these your first chickens? If so, you are gonna have so much fun. =P

 

[ebinion]

I have 10- 4 week old chicks and just moved them to their coop today, I haven't been feeding them medicated food should I be worried, this is my first chicks didn't know I needed to feed medicated food now I'm worried.