I have tried in my time on BYC to do what I can to undermine the propaganda that would have us all believing that keeping chickens is just one big barrel of fun. It isn't, especially for those who have not had the experience to fully understand that getting the right chickens from the right place in the right condition is going to make a massive difference to the long term health of the chicken and the greatly reduce the stress and heartache of the keeper.
It really is worth spending a few months if necessary researching where to get ones chickens and which breeds are less likely to have serious health problems early in life.
The keel bone test is very misleading. Don't bother with it. There is not a chicken here that would pass such a test but they live, and from what I've read on this forum at least, live a lot longer than most.
If you want to keep track of whether a chicken is losing or gaining weight then you have to weight them. A chicken could lose a considerable amount of body weight and you would not know from feeling their keel bone.
You can do this Lozzy. Like everything else in life it's a learning curve. The unfortunate part is the penalty for not learning fast enough is very painful for those who care about the birds they acquire.
There is imo and in the opinion of those who keep chickens who I respect and can demonstrate good outcomes some very basic concepts that do unfortunately contradict just about everything that one can read on most chicken forums.
1) Chicken do not fare well in confinement. Their ancestors the jungle fowl will occupy up to 4 acres per tribe. Providing 10 square feet per bird and believing one has done enough to ensure their welfare is ridiculous. Yes, it's better than a cage, but to me it's rather like the child beater who states they have reformed because they only beat their child on weekends now.
2) Nature is far better at ensuring the best genetics go forward than humans are. Whenever possible leave matters of health to nature. I'm struggling with this one with Fat Bird at the moment.
3) Chicken are omnivorous and most commercial feeds are designed to provide the bare minimum to support a short life. Whenever possible free range your chickens. They have a much better idea of what they need to eat than you or I do.
4) I've read people getting a very hard time over this one but even reputable vets will say much the same. For many of the serious health problems, particularly with the high production breeds, it is far better to provide a quick and easy death for the chicken than it is to try and save their lives. I know many will not agree with this and many will cite success stories of intervention. Apart from the expense involved there is the stress and trauma for the chicken and owner. In most case terminal health problems are exactly that, terminal.
None of the above really helps you now I know. Not much of it helps me after ten years of caring for the chickens here and years caring for chickens on my uncles farm. This doesn't mean the rules/advice is wrong. It is however imo a set of considerations that anyone who keeps chickens and cares about their welfare should have in the back of their mind. It's how wee keep and breed the chickens we have that is killing them, not some inherent weakness in the species.
You contribute to these three threads Lozzy and just by that marker I know you can do this and learn in the process.
