Non-stop issues, is this normal?!?

[932ninja]

Hey flock-
I have started to get frustrated and question my chicken raising skills. I have 40 hens and 2 roosters living on 4 acres of lush pasture. They have a outdoor barn stall they sleep in at night, but otherwise they free range all day. It seems like every other week someone is sick and I am putting one in isolation for some sort of treatment. I have had a few with respiratory issues, a prolapsed vent, vent gleet, sour crop.... it's never the same bird. I am just wondering, how in the @#$% do people raise hundreds of chickens? Is this normal to have a revolving door of chicken issues, or do I just have a bad group of ladies? If this is normal I will roll with the punches, but I feel like I have way more issues than my other chicken friends
What gives?!
Thanks!

 

[ChickenNamaste]

Well, from my own personal experience, these are living creatures like humans, and some get sick, some don't. We have had multiple birds come to us sick with cocci.. Our one girl has cross beak, our cochin came to us with canker. We have had chickens in our side bathroom in isolation, every month just about. But, this is only my second year of having chickens, so I don't know what's really normal or not.. I know we do the best we can for our flock, and we have still had some issues.. I wish you lots of luck with your flock

 

[932ninja]

Thanks ChickenNamaste! Those are words of encouragement! I am just starting to think people with 100+ chickens and the big industrial chicken production operations must feed medicated feed or put antibiotics in the water on a frequent basis... I do love these feathered beauties, so I want to do everything right by them

 

[ChickenNamaste]

You're welcome, hang in there! Life always has those ups and downs! I think once you get to the industrial level, of course I'm not speaking about them all, but most, at the industrial level, they really don't care if the birds get sick.. I have seen before where sick birds get buried alive by the people who run it.. :/
But I think you are also right, the poor birds are pumped with antibiotics. Anyway, keep ur head up, they are so wonderful to have, they have to be a lil difficult!