Good morning! I have been lurking on this site for a year now and finally decided to join in.
My husband, Dan, and daughters Emilie (17) and Eden (15) have been raising chickens for a year now. I grew up on a farm with chickens, but they were FARM chickens. Chickens as pets is really a different ballgame.
We live in a small city in southeastern Minnesota that allows up to 12 chickens (isn't that great?!) We started with 6 Buff Orpingtons, but lost two this spring. One to egg binding, and another to liver failure. As our vet has told us, we have had a steep learning curve. Both deaths were essentially our own fault. On the farm, I never had to worry about chicken health. If one was dead in the morning, you just flung it out into the marsh.
The remaining four are not without their issues. One injured her leg and had to be nursed along to avoid bumble foot, and we are currently nursing an egg bound hen. We dewormed them early spring after the first death and wouldn't eat their eggs for a month because we are health conscious (dare I say paranoid?) We are lucky enough to have a chicken savvy vet living a few houses away, who will come to our rescue for free eggs and a bottle of wine here and there.
Anyhow, we are getting frustrated with all of the problems we are having and are wondering if we should give up. So, I joined this forum for some encouragement and support! Thanks, all! Anne
My husband, Dan, and daughters Emilie (17) and Eden (15) have been raising chickens for a year now. I grew up on a farm with chickens, but they were FARM chickens. Chickens as pets is really a different ballgame.
We live in a small city in southeastern Minnesota that allows up to 12 chickens (isn't that great?!) We started with 6 Buff Orpingtons, but lost two this spring. One to egg binding, and another to liver failure. As our vet has told us, we have had a steep learning curve. Both deaths were essentially our own fault. On the farm, I never had to worry about chicken health. If one was dead in the morning, you just flung it out into the marsh.
The remaining four are not without their issues. One injured her leg and had to be nursed along to avoid bumble foot, and we are currently nursing an egg bound hen. We dewormed them early spring after the first death and wouldn't eat their eggs for a month because we are health conscious (dare I say paranoid?) We are lucky enough to have a chicken savvy vet living a few houses away, who will come to our rescue for free eggs and a bottle of wine here and there.
Anyhow, we are getting frustrated with all of the problems we are having and are wondering if we should give up. So, I joined this forum for some encouragement and support! Thanks, all! Anne
