Help! My chickens/livestock are all healthy!!!!!

[tunaoftheland]

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JOIN THE CLUB, we should make a dress out of feathers with all these feathers we are getting

haha, totally! Except it would be a sad dress since all the feathers are their year old rejects

 

[Sallyschickens]

 

[Beekissed]

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Same here....I get laughed at big time when I tell folks I belong to a chicken forum! They stop laughing when I tell them how many members there are.....and start shaking their heads.

I still find some of the info good when it tells about waterers and such and some of it is amusing to read, but for the most part it's all old hat to me and I can't figure out all the fuss. Being around chickens all my life, it's hard to imagine that folks just don't KNOW all this stuff automatically. Guess maybe because of all the city folks getting into the poultry thing....

I also read about all the detailed nutrition and health advice given and have to shake my head. How in the world have we been raising chickens all these years without the expert advice of scientists.....whose only exposure to poultry are in a lab setting.

My lab, though not controlled by more than chicken wire, has been in operation for 4 generations and all the results are proof enough for me!

 

[Beekissed]

Now, this would be interesting to know. How many of you practice natural animal husbandry? By natural, I mean, no meds, alternative methods of boosting immunities and de-worming. Free ranging? Or coop/run? ACV in the water or not? Medicated feeds or not?

 

[SimplyForties]

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I have to say that describes me exactly! I free range my birds (only in the coop at night), no meds at all to-date and no medicated feed. I do use ACV in the water. I try to imagine how my grandmother did it and stick as close to that as I can. Mostly that means a minimum of fuss.

 

[2dream]

All my animals are healthy including my chickens. I don't medicate. Never had to. Unfortunately my chickens can't free range unless I am home to supervise. But they do get 1 hour a day in the afternoons and usually 1/2 days on Sat. and Sun. They have really large runs so they get plenty of exercise. ACV in the water, pumpkin seeds when I have them. I do use DE in their litter. Since their food is in their coop I figure they pick some of that up as well when pecking around for dropped food. No major problems in the 2 years I have had them.

I use my Silkies for incubators and most of my hatches have been very successful. Few to no introduction problems when moving new chicks to their same breed pens.

Great thread Bee -

 

[txchickie]

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I do. No medicated feed, total free ranging, DE in the feed and shavings, acv in the water. I've never used conventional "wormers" or medications.

I've also never had a sick chicken

You should see how fat, shiny, and healthy my birds are, they look great.

 

[Theolyn]

Absolute newbie with 6 hatchery teenagers: 2 EE, 1 Millie, 1 silkie, 1 polish, 1 black sex-link.

The "girls" are four week-ers. They are feathering in like crazy, and are healthy and friendly and cute as can be. So far it's been shockingly easy. Last night they moved out of the house to their heated outdoor coop...and that was easy and the chickens seem happy and normal today.

So, if you're out there lurking, and all the scary posts are keeping you from your chickenbliss, just jump in; the water is fine!!!

 

[MistyValley]

We've had ours since March and they are doing just great. Never medicate, they free range most of the day. While I'm always on the look out for problems they are just happy layin machines.

 

[Beekissed]

So far, most of the folks on the "my flock is healthy" thread are trying to stick to a more natural method of raising a flock/livestock. A correlation? A coincedence? What do you guys think?