OK I admit, I'm a bad chicken owner...

[BooBear]

You need to wait 4 weeks for the eggs to be pure again in each group.

We all go through times where we get overwhelmed. Sounds like you are on the right track in getting everyone back in line and healthy.
If you have too many roosters you would definitely want to either rehome or send some to freezer camp. Down sizing may be an option while you are going through your college courses so that you do not get overwhelmed again.

 

[BorderKelpie]

I'm sorry you lost your Roo.

Best wishes for every thing else going on!

 

[Half pintfarms~]

just dust the coops they are all in and that should help with seven dust or use some spay=)

 

[growinupinfl]

Thanks everyone. Hopefully things will be on the up and up soon...

Wow 4 weeks! Chicken semen lives that long? I am at a loss for that one

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

I think its 3 weeks.

Happy-Hens

 

[chicmom]

Yep, we all have busy times where we just do the basics. I work full time, and I have a live-in daugher and her baby boy, a husband who also works full time and then another boy who is a senior in high school.....So I can understand that.

I would just say, for me, I like to keep the numbers down, because too many birds and my little backyard hobby becomes WORK! LOL I want it to stay a hobby.......Because that's all I have time for really........

Take care and glad you've gotten things in order again! (I'm thinking maybe there was something else amiss with your sickly rooster...Even parasites pray on the weak.)

Sharon

 

[ChickInDelight]

Quote:
Four seems to be your number! Make it work for you.

Wow, your home is in order? When I had little kids, I foolishly commented to a co-worker that had teens, "It must be great when they are old enough to help around the house!" She informed me, "The bigger the kids, the bigger the mess."

Laugh out loud every day. Delegate chicken chores to those 4 boys and 4 girls.

Give thanks for 4 wonderful things in your life every day.

 

[shugaskull]

It sounds like its time to fill your freezer up with chicken, sanitize there living environment and get new birds.

 

[growinupinfl]

Quote:
Actually I would have to say the house does fairly decent, laundry is clean, dishes are washed, nothing is growing where it shouldn't be. All floors are swept at least once if not twice a day. I discovered if you expect your children to do house work when they are young they will actually do it when they are older too. We have a 20 minute session everyday where we all attack the house with a fury to get it clean. We have a house of 12 people, 7 of which are my teenagers! We truly believe and practice many hands make light work. And yes they actually clean, not always perfectly but they are getting there, they cook, they help.

With all the birds back into coops it seems much less over whelming. I think I was most upset because I had not been the one outside tending to the chickens every day but leaving it up to the teenagers, and they did not have the knowledge to look for the same things I do and I felt absolutely horrible about it when the Marans roo fell ill. But everyone is back to cages, I think I will increase their run space over the long thanksgiving weekend. Does these pens sound suitable to all of you? The trio of lavender orphingtons and two buff orphington hens are in one pen, My five Swedish Flowers and three wheaton marans are in another, and my daughter got all of her silkies into another pen, and the last pen just because I find it funny has a pair of white crested black polish with three mottled cochin frizzle hens too. Hopefully I will soon have some frizzled polish chicks! Today everything was much smoother with everyone in clean coops, I think they are in general protest though, today we only collected 1 egg.

I also realized they are going through less feed now do you think it is because they wasted less because of fighting over it, or because of less roaming less food consumption?

When do ya'll think I should worm them? Would you recommend Wazine? or something else?

Christal

 

[BorderKelpie]

Sounds like you're on the right track. Good job. I'll leave the worming question to the experts.