Okies in the BYC The Original

[countyroad1330]

Oh sure, I wake up and everyone goes to bed!

It has been such a long day, I didn't get to nap until 7:00. Looks like I will be headed to slapout with my aunt on Wednesday. It will be a hard time, but I was so excited she asked me to go.

My uncle had TONS of birds at their house, my aunt is rehoming them, she says she can't take care of them on her own. I've asked her if I could have a few, hence the urgency of my need for pens! Thanks for the ideas everyone, I will have to see what I can do.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Sounds nice! I'm wanting to start a meat rabbit thing, and want to raise them warren colony style for the adults and tractor the fryers. They say Brazilians are the best foragers, and have a high resistance to cocci.

But I may have to come down to earth.

 

[nnbreeder]

At last something I can help with!! Cammie do you have access to a p-up? My answer to (kinda) cheap , fast pens is cattle panels that are covered with a secondary wire such as 1x2 welded wire or chicken wire. If you haul cattle panels in a pick-up just put one end in the bed and then bring the other end up and tie it off.

 

[countyroad1330]

nnbreeder - Ah, if only I still had my pickup and cattle panels. We just sold out in June.

I'm not worried about transporting, I have homemade crates for that that will ride fine in my car. Its after I get them home that is the issue, they have no where to live!

 

[nnbreeder]

Dog kennels will work or even just wire and T posts covered in netting with a dog house in it. Some of my pens came from Gov. auctions and were parts cages. I've even seen temporary pens built out of pallets and covered with netting or wire. Here are some of mine, both in use and waiting to be put into use. Just click on the pic to enlarge.

 

[countyroad1330]

Great ideas, thank you! I did have an awesome dog pen, but gave it away too. I was living in town, and just recently moved back out to the country. And of course no one expects a loss in the family. So this is just so rushed, I wish I had more time!

 

[countyroad1330]

P.S. - Anyone close to me want to babysit chicks while I'm gone? Mine are due to hatch 2 days after I leave.

I think I will only have 5, and I just don't know what to do with them! I have a plastic tub and heat lamp setup for chicks, but I hate to leave them with my parents. This week was supposed to be their vacation.

 

[Brick243]

Hi Les, you might be able to help me on this one. Our grandson is going to show a couple RIR hens next month at our county fair. One of them looks like it might be starting to molt. The other one is still ok. Is there anything to give them or do for them to delay molt until after the fair? Thanks, Brick.

 

[nnbreeder]

I've never heard of anythig that would delay a molt. I have only heard of force-molts for the egg producing hens.

One thing to try though would be to feed a higher protien feed or give a handfull of cat food to the bird daily. That will help feathers to grow in faster and look better when they do.

 

[nnbreeder]

Chickenz1 can you get Blue Bonnet feed that is milled down in Ardmore? On their laying pellets it is made from a base of Alfalfa instead of Wheat Midds like most other feeds are. If you can get that use hot water to "pop" the pellets and then mix up a rather sloppy mixture with water and a little honey in it.

Or you might try feeding this mixture to him.

To help a bird recover from illness, they need extra protein.. this formula really helps them with thier recovery

My Treatment is this

“” This amount feeds one bird””

Feed the birds three times a day for three days a mixture of

This mixture is what you will need for the entire three feeds…. It is not 3 egg yolks and 3 teaspoons of honey etc…. divide the contents into three

½ to 1 x egg yolk….. give the whites to the other hens mixed into their seed or pellets (depends a lot on the size of the egg yolk)

1 teaspoon honey…. .given for energy

2 x tablespoons yoghurt…. Given for calcium and also to make the bowel go back into normal production after this upset
Only use the plain yoghurt never the one with fruit or extra sugar in it, not good for the bird

¼ teaspoon calcium powder (if you can’t get the yoghurt)

3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats…. To give substance to the feed, or use chicken crumbles or layer pellets but soften them with some boiling water first

Sprinkle of multi vitamin powder (only if you are not already giving it to them in their drinking water, don’t overdose) just a few grains will usually be enough for this size mixture

2 to 4 table spoons of apple sauce or grated apple, it must be grated not chopped up for ease of digestion

Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny

If the bird is not eating you will have to force feed... roll into small pellets the same size as a layer pellet.... and force feed, and then massage the neck in a downward motion to get it down into the bired crop, make sure your keep the neck straight, its really hard getting someting down a neck that is bent or curved, the bird may be too weak to eat or have lost the desire to eat…. Don’t hold back…. The longer it goes without this the worse it will get

If you must give it something to drink – only give drops onto the beak or use the crop tube to get fluids down the throat, don’t try and pour any fluid down a chickens throat, it will more than likely go into the air passage and into the lungs and end up drowning the bird


This will give the bird a large dose of Vitamin D, C and A

After 3 days cut back to once a day for 2 weeks, you should notice the difference in 3 or 4 days

Give other food also, chick crumbles, grower crumbles or layer pellets depending on the age of the bird etc
Also have fresh water at all times for the birds to drink in easy reach, remember it is not well so it may not go looking for the food and water, so put it just about under its nose so it can’t miss it


One more thing, have you ever used a crop tube?. It can be made from a syringe and some soft, pliable rubber tubing. Since a bird breathes through a hole at the back of it's beak when you insert a tube it will go into the crop. You can easily confirm this by feeling the crop.

Before inserting the crop tube be sure to fill the syringe with feed and once in the crop gently squeeze the contents out and into the crop.