Debbz, could you come up with criteria for us to follow when recording and reporting? I haven't kept any notes at all, having many more tasks than just feeding chickens. If this experiment is going to prove helpful to everyone, I totally agree we need to keep records of some sort. If we can all get on the same page and follow the same reporting method, it should put a good floor under the validity of the experiment.
azygous, I don't think it would take more than keeping a detailed chicken diary. I've only had chickens for two weeks so wouldn't know all the things to keep an eye on and wouldn't be the best person to write up the criteria.
At the very least, and in the absence of information from Forco about the sorts of things they'd like reported on, if it was me, I would begin with a chook book dedicated to recording daily observations. For example -
1. Describe the original problem with your chickens that made you want to try Forco. What was wrong with the chickens? How many were affected? What did they do and when? How big is your flock, types and ages of birds. Which birds were affected more than others? The general health of your birds. (This detailed description is most important because it's your starting point. The more detail the better. Then you can compare later observations to this original description).
Daily Observations could include -
2. When did you buy Forco and begin feeding it, and at what rate? Did you alter the rate or keep it the same? [I presume Forco is added to water? If so...] Was there any other water available or just the water including the product?
3. What other changes happened while feeding Forco? Did you make any other changes to feed and when? Did you change the chicken housing or segregate any chickens, when and which chickens? Did you get in any new chickens or get rid of any and when? Were there routine changes for the birds and when?
4. General health. Did the chickens become more energetic or more lethargic on any day? Did they get the runs at any time, or did they have the runs and it resolved? When? Daily observation and recording of the original problem, noting any worsening or improvements.
5. Other observations. Anything new or different in behaviour, health, feeding routine or something a bit different? When? Just add whatever is of interest to you and how it changed, or not, when and how?
If you haven't recorded anything so far, it may be difficult to patch information together accurately, but it's worth a try. If you're unsure of anything or the date, record your best guess with a question mark.
The original detailed description and filling in the days since then will take the most time. (Maybe looking back through this thread will prompt your memory on when some things happened?) But once you've recorded that as well as you can, the daily observations from now on shouldn't be much trouble.
And don't worry if you have to add in a few new type of observations down the track. Just add them in and keep going. At worst, if your records aren't detailed enough to be conclusive, at least you will have all the necessary monitoring criteria figured out for the next person who wants to keep trial records.
