ex-battery chicken urban community farm Needs advice

[bushwick city farm]

Hello All,
We run a urban community garden in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, which produces free food for the community. All of our 20 chickens are rescued from battery farms, and currently enjoy a free range lifestyle, organic food & alot of love. Over the last year that we have had our feathered friends, we have lost 3, suddenly & to unknown causes. All the eggs produced by our girls are free for the community, as are all the veggies we grow. It is exremely important therefore that we know the hens are healthy. We have tried finding vets in the area which treat chickens, however in New York City it is nearly impossible. We would like to do a blood test, if possible, to know for certain if the hens are ill, and if so, what illness they have. We are certain that some our girls have had a cold (weezing, red face). For more details about our city farm & for pics of our hens take a look -www.bushwickcityfarm.wordpress.com . If anyone knows if a blood test for poultry illnesses is possible, please let me know, it will be much appreciated. - thanks - Masha & Vinny

 

[Catstar68]

hello from a former NooYawka!

You local cooperative extension service should be able to help you out. Luckily, New York is blessed with an excellent school of veterinary medicine at Cornell University. Here are two Coop-ext., one in Nassau, the other right in the City.
Good luck! And kudos for the urban farming and chicken raising

We need more of this everywhere.


Nassau County Offices & Institutions: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County
40 Main St # 100
Hempstead, NY 11550-4053
(516) 292-7990
nassaucountyny.gov‎



State of New York
16 E 34th St # 8
New York, NY 10016
(212) 340-7900
state.ny.us‎
Brooklyn Office
New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
55 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217-1583
Agricultural Protection & Development Services 718-722-2830
Food Safety & Inspection 718-722-2876
Kosher Law Enforcement 718-722-2852

and this one,
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Of Hudson County
100 Clifton Place
Jersey City, NJ 07304-3104
(201) 915-1399

 

[new chick 203]

Bravo for rescuing your girls. I'm going to guess that the life they lived before compromised some of them. When I lose a chicken I get a basic autopsy from the local vet to make sure it isn't something that could effect the others, but finding one with poultry experience in your area is tricky.

 

[bushwick city farm]

Thanks so much for your interest & advice; I will definately reach out to the extension services, thanks for the info!

 

[tinychicky]

i'm curious, where did you get your ex-batts? the only ones i could find were only available in england!

 

[bushwick city farm]

We got our girls at the local live poultry sluaghter house. We are located at 897 broadway, in Bushwick Brooklyn (right of the J,M,Z trains) and there are alot of live poultry places where people go to buy live chickens which are slaughtered, gutted & cleaned at the spot. The live poultry market we got our at is located on Mrytle avenue, right of Broadway ave by the Mrytle ave J train stop. They get them factory farms in huge shipments & sell them for meat. When we buy them (they go for $4 per hen) they have practically no feathers, nasty gashes and are de-beaked; it takes them a little while to get used to the freedom of free range life, but they adjust & recover quickly, walking about and scratching in the dirt for worms, they love to sunbathe and even fly up to the roof of their coop! If you are in the region & want to save some ex-battery hens, you should def come to bushwick & get some; they will be so gratefull! also, perhaps there are some live poultry places where you are - they usually call them broiler hens, they are unmistakable (no feathers) and are usually the cheapest ones.

 

[tinychicky]

okay, thanks!

 

[[email protected]]

Hello, I've found a vet in Brooklyn who treats chickens. It is Pet Haven located on McDonald Avenue, off of Albermarle Avenue. Hope this is of some help to you.

Kathy