Amiee504
In the Brooder
- Jul 18, 2017
- 3
- 3
- 14
Hi! I wanted to introduce myself to the group before I send out my plea for help lol (but really though). My husband and I are both military and have decided to plant our roots in South Georgia. We're both close to retirement, and decided to settle away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The house we found is perfect, and even better, the previous owners abandoned their 6 chickens. I have three roosters and three hens, which is obviously a problem. Not only that, they have scaley leg mites and who knows what else. The run was disgusting and the roosting house hasn't been cleaned in months, if ever. Their only saving grace is that they free roam during the day.
I've done some research before tackling this problem head on. I cleaned up their run as best I could, and gave it some shelter from the elements. Evened out the ground and spread a mixture of diatomaceous earth and hay while tossing out the feeder with rotten food and hanging a new waterer. At the very least, I can try to keep them comfortable until I can tackle their roost this weekend.
Two of my roosters need to go and I have plans for more hens. My biggest questions are what two breeds do I have and how do I narrow down which rooster to keep. I believe the two breeds I have are Orpington and Dominique. One Dominique is more aggressive than the other and the most docile of the roosters is the one I believe to be the Orpington. Either way, the hens are looking a bit worse for the wear.
Agrisupply was able to help with bedding and feed. Tractor supply suggested adding wazine to their water and said this would also treat them from the inside out for the leg mites. I haven't read anything that supported this statement, but if they have been as neglected as I believe they have been I don't think it can hurt for a dewormer (at the very least)
Last, the roosting house. Like I said, it's a mess. I will be giving it a good cleaning this weekend with dawn, vinegar, and water. It looks like most people rub down the nooks and crannies with diatomaceous earth. Tractor supply also suggested spraying poultry protector before dusting. I bought pine shavings for the roost house (which has zero nesting boxes) and hopefully I'm on the right path to getting my little flock healthy.
Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Everything I'm doing is from what I've found on the internet so far. I definitely wanted chickens, but wanted to wait until I had some education in that area before buying. Unfortunately, this is the hand I was dealt and am reaching out to properly care for my chickens with very little experience in this area. I know this is lengthy, but it is the full scope of my dilemma.
I have added pictures in hope of identifying the breeds.
Thanks all!!!
