Fuzzy's Farm

[fuzzybutt love]

OK, this isn't to do with the other chicks but that made me think about my "method";

I am backwards from most people though as far as the quarantine on chicks............
Instead of keeping my babies on totally sterile bedding i toss in a handful of pen dirt or use a water bowl that my big girls have drank out of. Then i feed them high-protein feed, and if i am unsure how they are handling it or if it was chicks from a someone besides me i include raw yolks in their diet from one of my hardiest hens. Aside from the tiny toss of dirt or the dish, everything else is kept sanitary! I really feel this is key to managing sickness in the flock; it don't allow for the buildup of bacteria in the coop / brooder. Just that initial dose, no more, so that the immune system don't get overloaded. It's like the difference between being sick in your own room or being sick in a room full of sickies! You will always get better quicker with a smaller dose of germs.

I don't remember where i read this advice, but it is how i have done it for several years and it has worked good for me.

 

[silver1313]

I might try that with the new SFs ... ty sounds like good advice

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I think about mold because the apartment i grew up in had black mold on one of the bedroom walls. My mom had that room, but she got too sick so she gave it to us girls (I know what you are probably all thinking, but we didn't know about that stuff back then.)
My sister had her bed on that wall, then she got sick. So i got it last, and had it the longest. To this day i get super stuffed up and icky if i try to stay in a basement. Now that we know that it wasn't just giving us a sinus problem, it is sad to think back on because they should have given us a different apartment and closed that one. Instead we bleached the wall several times a year. Live and learn.

 

[silver1313]

I havent seen any but i know that does not mean anything ... we lived in a house with it once too before they knew what kinda problems it could cause.. my sinuses still act up bc of it

 

[fuzzybutt love]

You might still need the antibiotics if the new chicks get too sick, but i don't rush it if the chicks sneeze a little. I always give a chance for them to fight it off, if they can do it themselves they will be stronger in the future and you won't have to worry over them so much when they are bigger..

Of course, if one actually dies or starts going downhill then by all means rush! At that point i would consider it an emergency. It's best if you know exactly what it is you are fighting though, because some of those popular broad spectrum antibiotics are actually too weak to help and end up making it worse! You need the right one for the right thing. Usually if you watch and learn the signs most of the common sickies are easy to recognize.

 

[NovaAman]

Well, all I can say is, you've learned a hard lesson. Don't take it wrong though. But you've learned a valuable, and you won't let it happen again. It sucks big time that's for sure.

 

[silver1313]

I did learn a hard one ... second hardest one i have learned raising chickies.. but now i know and also know to watch closer and not just assume it is weather etc either

 

[NovaAman]

My hardest was the coon raid on my beautiful silkies..

 

[fuzzybutt love]

x 2............. I lost my first flock to coons because we thought they wouldn't go into the goat's house to get the chickens. The only survivor was my silver EE roo, i loved that bird. He was my ONLY bird for a long time, i almost didn't get more after that. It's horrible to go through losing birds.

 

[silver1313]

my worst mistake was over heating a bunch of new chickens .... and this was the second hardest ... i have actually thought about giving up butt hen i love my babies and could never give them to new homes very easily