I am a new silkie mom to two white silkie chicks, 2 week Jane, and 3 week Hazel. I have spent many hour on this wonderful site learning all I can about their care. I really appreciate all the advice here. But, that is also my problem...how to know which advice to follow. To feed this, to not feed this. To worm, do not worm. Grit, no grit. etc. As a complete Newbie, first time out, how do I know which advice to follow? Not complaining...just trying to figure it all out
I know exactly how you feel. Basically what I would do is trust nothing. Does that sound bad? lol We all have different opinions and I've seen people on this site who have very very different opinions than me personally. Sometimes people are just flat out WRONG but a lot of this chicken business is truly personal choice. And I research everything outside this site. In life no one (IMO) should just take one persons opinion as the honest to goodness truth.
I agree with ChirpyChicks1. Research is your very best friend. Learn all you can about the things you aren't sure about. Thoroughly research things like deworming and the products used. You are better off basing your decisions on solid facts and education then on other people's opinions. Once you know how a chickens body works as well as how parasites and other things in the environment function then you will be able to make informed decisions on your chickens care. Many people do not take the time to learn about these things and instead make rash decisions based on fear or misunderstanding or just plain misinformation they read on a forum! Now, with all that said, I'll tell you my personal opinion for what it's worth, based on many years of owning chickens and plenty of trial and error! Most importantly to me, I try to keep it simple. Keeping chickens is not rocket science but there are plenty of people who try to make it harder then it needs to be! I feed my adult laying hens commercial layer feed supplemented with free choice grit and oyster shell. They get a little scratch every morning and have access to a pasture all day for foraging. I keep treats to a minimum but they do get fresh greens, meal worms, some chopped hard boiled egg or other healthy treats now and then. Chicks are fed commercial chick starter and given chick grit once they start eating anything besides that. I do deworm my flock, twice a year. There are precious few dewormers that are labeled for chickens and those that are are not very effective. I use Valbazen and liquid Safeguard goat dewormer on a rotating basis. Chickens are going to get worms eventually just because of their lifestyle, they live on the ground and spend their lives pecking about in the dirt and grass. A heavy load of internal or external parasites can kill your chickens. A little care goes a long way toward keeping them healthy and happy. Enjoy your new birds! You'll be an old hand at this chicken stuff before you know it.
