Start with this thread/article by Speckled Hen. Ten Commandments of Good Flock Management
Welcome and may all your days be ducky and clucky!
Welcome and may all your days be ducky and clucky!
If you could give me one piece of advice, what would it be?
- Thread starter Coopin-It-Real
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- #22
THANKS! I'll check that out
- Thread starter
- #23
I had heard that also, but unfortunately they both just sound a lot alike and make a lot of noise...maybe I have 2 of a kind on my hands, I don't knowGlad to hear she's all right
You can also quack sex ducks: Males make a sort of quieter raspy sound. Females make the typical loud quack sound that people associate with ducks.
Im glad your hen is ok
I have had a couple young starters do the same thing. They are great at working most of their issues and quirks out on their own.The best advice I have been given and can give is 2 things... Keep everything very clean. Waters, feeders, coops and runs. Do a little each day and it makes it so you dont have to do deep cleans more than a couple times a year.
Watch your birds a few minutes everyday. Doing this is a HUGE help in preventing illness, or bad behaviors and other issues from creeping up on you and being big problems
Most of all have fun and enjoy the Birds. Its a great way to spend some time.
Hi there! Not sure if this has been mentioned (probably has knowing my luck!) but I think the best advice I can give is this:
Be prepared for the worst! I understand it might not appeal to certain breeders, but it is very important, as I have experienced! I had 8 happy chickens, 3 Silkies, 3 Buff Orps and 2 Araucanas (Silkies lived in a different coop as they were from a different seller). They came from 'healthy' breeders and I didn't take much notice about disease as I thought our farm was a happy and healthy place, perfect for chickens! Seems I was wrong. The first week of having them, on a Saturday, my Orpington pullet died, not sure why or how, many people blamed my Araucanas but I knew they would not do such a thing. We now suspect it was a disease, and went back to the breeder, who said "sometimes that happens with pure breeds!". However, he did give us a replacement at his loss, a much younger pullet. She was introduced into the flock and mixed very well. The older orpington pullet acted like a mother to her, they snuggled, shared food and they wouldn't leave each other. I was happier, until the following friday. I found the 'mother' looking very ill, standing, but very ill. I put her in quarantine and fed her. She seemed to make a recovery by the night. I put her in a separate coop with the young pullet who had spent the day looking around each pen for her. They spent the night together and I hoped that would keep the ill chicken happy. Then on the exact same Saturday the other pullet had died, the 'mother' pullet had died. I was less shocked just angry at why this was happening. I could not relate the causes of death. On the brighter note, I had my 3 trusty Silkies who were doing fine in their own coop and ranged in a different area to all the others. But, it was jinxed. The following Saturday, my one pullet was not dead, but she lost the ability to walk. I thought it was a broken wing that could easily be mended, but it wasn't. It was Marek's Disease! I hoped we could cure her, but I didn't want her infect the other 2. I quarantined her and nursed her, moved her about, gave her food, held her outside so she could feel the grass. Unfortunately, Marek's Disease has no complete cure and even if she survived she would be vulnerable to many other diseases. I am sorry to say, she was put down at 5:00pm today. I felt guilty but knew, in the end of it all, it was the right thing to do, I could not keep nursing her and she was starting to wither away. I have disinfected the pens and have decided to hatch some chicks to bring 'life' back into my flocks.
The moral of the story; Get your birds vaccinated against un-treatable diseases, it is not 100% effective but it is the only shot you can have to save your chickens. Make sure your pens are fully disinfected. Sometimes death is unpreventable, so be prepared to sacrifice one to save the others. Make sure you know how to destroy a chicken. You must be persistent and have a positive side however, do not let a bump in the road steer you off!
Good luck with chickens! I have had my problems with them but I still love 'em!
Be prepared for the worst! I understand it might not appeal to certain breeders, but it is very important, as I have experienced! I had 8 happy chickens, 3 Silkies, 3 Buff Orps and 2 Araucanas (Silkies lived in a different coop as they were from a different seller). They came from 'healthy' breeders and I didn't take much notice about disease as I thought our farm was a happy and healthy place, perfect for chickens! Seems I was wrong. The first week of having them, on a Saturday, my Orpington pullet died, not sure why or how, many people blamed my Araucanas but I knew they would not do such a thing. We now suspect it was a disease, and went back to the breeder, who said "sometimes that happens with pure breeds!". However, he did give us a replacement at his loss, a much younger pullet. She was introduced into the flock and mixed very well. The older orpington pullet acted like a mother to her, they snuggled, shared food and they wouldn't leave each other. I was happier, until the following friday. I found the 'mother' looking very ill, standing, but very ill. I put her in quarantine and fed her. She seemed to make a recovery by the night. I put her in a separate coop with the young pullet who had spent the day looking around each pen for her. They spent the night together and I hoped that would keep the ill chicken happy. Then on the exact same Saturday the other pullet had died, the 'mother' pullet had died. I was less shocked just angry at why this was happening. I could not relate the causes of death. On the brighter note, I had my 3 trusty Silkies who were doing fine in their own coop and ranged in a different area to all the others. But, it was jinxed. The following Saturday, my one pullet was not dead, but she lost the ability to walk. I thought it was a broken wing that could easily be mended, but it wasn't. It was Marek's Disease! I hoped we could cure her, but I didn't want her infect the other 2. I quarantined her and nursed her, moved her about, gave her food, held her outside so she could feel the grass. Unfortunately, Marek's Disease has no complete cure and even if she survived she would be vulnerable to many other diseases. I am sorry to say, she was put down at 5:00pm today. I felt guilty but knew, in the end of it all, it was the right thing to do, I could not keep nursing her and she was starting to wither away. I have disinfected the pens and have decided to hatch some chicks to bring 'life' back into my flocks.
The moral of the story; Get your birds vaccinated against un-treatable diseases, it is not 100% effective but it is the only shot you can have to save your chickens. Make sure your pens are fully disinfected. Sometimes death is unpreventable, so be prepared to sacrifice one to save the others. Make sure you know how to destroy a chicken. You must be persistent and have a positive side however, do not let a bump in the road steer you off!
Good luck with chickens! I have had my problems with them but I still love 'em!
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