Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

I can just see skin the fat part the feathers go into is what was torn. I dabbed it full of antibiotic salve and also her head to since they have pulled her feathers out. I have some iodine on hand I might try that tomorrow. I didn't bother her today.




Bee, yeah I had wondered to because normally she is on here but she hasn't been. She had said something about she might lose power or something on back because of the snow and ice if I am remembering right but I sure hope that's not what's going on. I thought she might be doing her videos but would have thought she'd been back on by now. I sure pray everything is OK!!!


SNAKES,,,,,,yes VERY strange to be seeing them right now and here I have been wading out there in that high grass and deep leaves cleaning up.....chills!

Hey, Rosemarie!

I'm here...just took a drive across the state to visit my dad.

I was reading about your flock and, if the were mine, here's what I'd do:

1. Make sure I had 15 hens per rooster.
2. Take off all saddles...they get wet, dirty and they hold all that into bare skin....not a good thing. I hate those saddles for chickens....I know folks love them on this forum but they are more harm than they are good, IMO. That skin needs air to stay healthy.
3. Cover any wounds or bare skin with Castor Oil or NuStock....both will protect them, will help heal any wounds, and will promote quick feather regrowth.
4. Let those chickens out in the run...they are cooped up and it's causing feather picking and aggression issues. It doesn't matter if it's raining or snowing or blowing, let them have access to the outdoors. Then give them something to do....throw some BOSS in their DL, or hang up a head of cabbage or something similar and let them get their pecking out on something else. You can even hang up a suet cage and let them get some fats..they could be craving some.
5. Make sure they have somewhere or something to dust in.

Let's get your chooks back on track. Check them for mites and lice under a good light after dark, see if something else is going on to cause picking.

 

[beverly evans]

Hi, On those cuts or gashes? My son has found that Super Glue is fantastic for gluing skin together and once dry a bit of antibiotic and you're good to go. Beats sewing them up! I have also used "steri-strips" to hold wounds together. Fine as long as no one is picking them off as soon as you put them on. jFortunately chickens heal fast. : ) beverly

 

[BCMaraniac]

Hi, On those cuts or gashes? My son has found that Super Glue is fantastic for gluing skin together and once dry a bit of antibiotic and you're good to go. Beats sewing them up! I have also used "steri-strips" to hold wounds together. Fine as long as no one is picking them off as soon as you put them on. jFortunately chickens heal fast. : ) beverly

Beverly,

Last year I used super glue when I caponized. I am hoping to not use anything this year since I have the Chinese retractor.

 

[beverly evans]

Sounds good to me. Hi Bee! I have been busy selling my chicks and teenagers. No more Rubbermaid tubs full of poopy pine shavings in the house! Hooray! I even sold both my gorgeous roosters. Happy day! I hated to get rid of them, but I've done the hatching thing. I'm done. And they were so hard on my girls!. I got to leaving them outside until it was dark and everyone else was already sleeping, then shooing them out of the pen while the girls ate in peace w/o having to be constantly jumped on. The two or three favorites have broken tattered feathers on their backs and bald heads but no nakedness or lesions. The guys were even going after the 2 an 3 month old pullets! Its nice and quiet around here today. One bitchy neighbor complained about the crowing, and she will think thy are gone because of her. LOL I have 3 roosters that no one bought and will keep the pretty one. Just give him time. The city came out in answer to her official complaint and said I was in total compliance and that she had nothing to say. That if she wants to complain further she will have to go to a different department --one for excess noise and they will have to measure the decibels and a cockadoodledoo won't register high enough to count against me. So there!! We had a record 86 degrees the other day---crazy weather! and its only going to get worse for even though we are finally trying to correct the damage to the atmosphere, the third world countries on the way to being highly industrialized and commercially productive see no reason to not do exactly as they please since we did at the beginning and caused all this ****. Prepare is all I can say. Somewhere on the internet is an alarm cry to the coming of a depression in 2016 that will beat all previous ones. The powers that be can prevent it but they have their finances secure so don't care about the rest of us poor shmucks! Enough doomsday BS! Gotta go scrub Rubbermaid tubs that had babies in them. Yuk! : ) beverly

 

[LindaB220]

@BCMaraniac

What's the latest on that. I haven't even inspected my kit. No birds yet.

The retractor, does it move at all or just stay still?

 

[Triple Willow]

@Beverly... glad you sold some birdies. Also glad the powers that be couldn't find anything wrong. lol I also believe things are going to get rough but we were warned thousands of years ago. I'm not going to do much worrying about it. I'll just be prepared as best I can ...and let it flow.

 

[BCMaraniac]

What's the latest on that. I haven't even inspected my kit. No birds yet.

The retractor, does it move at all or just stay still?

I haven't used it either, Linda. I did look at it. It looks like it is going to slip more easily between the ribs, and then it easily locks in place, so to speak, remains stable in the open position, and is easy to close and remove.

I will likely not have any chicks hatching until April, but I do plan on caponizing young birds, as early as 4 weeks if I can determine sex.

 

[beverly evans]

Quote:
Linda, What is SHTF? : )

 

[Lacy Blues]

I'm not Linda, but...

SHTF: "stuff" hits the fan

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Beverly, stands for "s*** hits the fan", in reference to when the world as we know it collapses, something goes horribly wrong, war, natural disasters, economic collapse, zombies, biblical judgement day, etc etc.