Organic chicken keeping

[Fred's Hens]

Depending on what kind of worms you face, curcurbit has natural kinds of anti round worm properties. On our place, I grow truck loads of curcurbits, ie, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, watermellon, etc, so I have access to the "guts" of these vegetables. I scoop out a few squash, run it through a blender, and mix it, raw, with a scoop of their layer mash. They eat the mix readily. I repeat in two weeks, and then maintain with a monthly feeding of this compound.

You might also investigate the homeopathic use of black walnut tea. This is an age old remedy. I don't propose to be all knowing about this remedy, but the black walnut has been used for a very long time as a wormer.

 

[bobbi-j]

So to put it simply, you're talking about raising chickens the old fashioned way. Like Grandma did on the farm when lice, mites, worms, egg-bound and internal laying hens were probably never even heard of. Most likely (as has been stated by others) because the less than healthy birds were culled right away. I buy feed for my chickens, but have never used DE, dusted for mites, wormed, or given my chickens a warm bath. I feed them, water them, let them out sometime during the day and shut the run sometime after dark. If a chicken doesn't look right I try to observe it for a day or so. If I don't think it's going to live anyway, or appears to be suffering I have DH kill it. If it doesn't seem too bad off, I will sometimes separate it, sometimes not. One of two things will happen. It will get better or it will die. Now that they're done molting, I'm getting 2 eggs a day (for 12 hens - how eggciting!). I'm hoping the rest of the slackers pick it up a bit. DH is sharpening his ax....

 

[Tracydr]

Fred's Hens :

Depending on what kind of worms you face, curcurbit has natural kinds of anti round worm properties. On our place, I grow truck loads of curcurbits, ie, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, watermellon, etc, so I have access to the "guts" of these vegetables. I scoop out a few squash, run it through a blender, and mix it, raw, with a scoop of their layer mash. They eat the mix readily. I repeat in two weeks, and then maintain with a monthly feeding of this compound.

You might also investigate the homeopathic use of black walnut tea. This is an age old remedy. I don't propose to be all knowing about this remedy, but the black walnut has been used for a very long time as a wormer.

Can you explain how to use black walnut tea? If one doesn't have black walnuts on the farm can an extract or powder form be purchased to make it?
I feed lots of squash and melon guts. Probably my mainstay for deworming. I'd also like more information on using peppers. I grow some peppers but never have much excess. However, I can buy large bags of ground pepper at the Asian store, wonder if it's a worthwhile supplement?
Oh, I never blend my squash melon,or pumpkin seeds. My chciken's just eat them whole. I take the shell, after we've eaten our share, fill the shell with the guts and give it to the chickens. They eat it readily. In the summer, they get melons daily. In winter, they get squash probably twice a month. Maybe more, depending on how many pumpkins I bake and freeze.
I've also begun throwing our black/green tea leaves into the "chicken bucket" after steeping as I heard the tannins are a natural dewormer, plus the antibiotic, antioxidant properties ( including the other herbs) seem remarkable. Does anyone know more about herbs and teas, with respect to chickens or other farm animals?
How about nicotine? That's an old, old remedy, probably has a fairly narrow margin of safety. Does anyone use it remeber their parent/grandparents using it? I'm asking because my brother has the most lovely desert tobacco plants in his garden and I thought about adding them as ornamentals to my herb garden. We're non-smokers but the plant is lovely and the flowers are very fragrant.​

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Somewhat, although I think there are some things done with organic management that are more elegant than just culling. Such as herbal treatments, DE, pumpkin for deworming. Probiotics, Organic ACV, optimal nutrition.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Nicotine is too potent and I'd be concerned in using it. I'd have to do a LOT of research before even guessing a dosage. The Black Walnut tea can be purchased all over the web from homeopathic sellers of such things. Again, guessing the dosage would be difficult, but not impossible. People compute the dosage of most wormers used on chickens from the weight of hogs, goats, horses, etc, because the chemical they are using are rarely intended for poultry in the first place.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Somewhat, although I think there are some things done with organic management that are more elegant than just culling. Such as herbal treatments, DE, pumpkin for deworming. Probiotics, Organic ACV, optimal nutrition.

bobbi-j was not very elegant in describing how to deal with pathogens and parasites but in respect to long-term organic production, that is the way to go. Most of the herbal or otherwise organic treatments have not been demontrated to work and DE does not work. My co-workers are very much into finding ways to control worms of the gastrointestinal tract and control measures using "organic materials" have yet to pan out. Some nasties like nicotene and tannins like in your black walnut hulls will cause worms grief but not at rates most animals will consume.

How many acres do you have for this? Do you have other animal species present? One of my flocks does operate in an organic if not outright feral situation and it does produce some meat (10 fryers) and eggs. Acreage for 4 breeders is about 3 acres. They give eggs for about 6 months of year. Providing some grain is all it takes to double or triple meat production and still be organic. Another option is managing plant community so more edible natural eats are available.

 

[buckabucka]

This is an interesting thread. I did not know that curcurbits had natural anti-round worm properties. My chickens love squash and melon! I don't feed organic feed, but sometimes buy "all natural" which is non-GMO. Other times, I feed Purina, which is a much shorter drive than the store with the all natural.
I guess I treat my chickens the same way I treat myself, - many things I buy organic, but some things I don't, and occasionally I'll eat junk!

 

[Kassaundra]

Tracydr, I'm with you on the state of antibiotic missuse!!!!!!! In humans as well as animals. I too am in the medical field and see it everyday. I had an anaphylactic reaction to an antibiotic when I was 14 so I am hypervigilant about absolutely NEEDING an antibiotic before I use it, and am over 40 and can count on one hand how many times I have used antibiotics since that reaction.

It is my understanding for walnut tea to work the walnut husks need to be green. You can buy the extract or oil but need to make sure it is the green version. I know of several people who use it regularly they leave it out (steeped green walnuts in water) and allow all their animals free choice (chickens, dogs, cats, goats etc....)

The cuburit seeds should be whizzed in the blender, they will eat the seeds whole but to benefit from any of the deworming properties they need to be broken (this is what I have read).

I am new to chickens (under 2 years) but I don't as a routine use the chemicals or antibiotics, not saying I never would, but the situation would need to warrent it. Some chemicals I would never use no matter what, especially w/ my garden or food (eggs/ chickens)

I have not yet processed my chickens for meat, I am wanting to get to that point, and am working towards that (mentally and emotionally). I have to say the choice for me for a sick or failing to thrive chicken would be to cull (as in kill) for a couple of reasons. I don't see any benefit to keeping bad genes in the pool, and a potential vector of disease to my healthy chickens. Nature has been culling the weak and bad genetics for a loooooooooooong time and it seems to work fine, if it's not broke then it doesn't need fixing. The other reason is I'm just lazy, I don't have the time, space, money, or inclination to spend all that time nursing a sick food animal to a somewhat healthy state. (there is a reason I'm not a nurse!!!!!

)

I am using my chickens to garden. I have intergrated my garden and chicken coops / runs into one. My coop is the center of a garden that has 8 radiating garden / runs out from the center, the chickens are allowed or denied access to them idividually depending on if I am actively growing veggies in that garden or if it is time for them to do clean up work. I have 2 of these set up now. I am planning on a third coop which will be my capon grow out for processing, a chickens moat (it will surround my current garden spots), fruit trees, and a new vining idea I got from a fellow BYCer. The total space will be 175 feet by 90 feet, it will be layers, capons, garden, orchard when I am finished. I don't do any chemicals in the garden, insect patrol is the chickens job, and fertilizing.

I feed my chickens layer pellet have no idea about gmo. I also feed them garden and kitchen scraps, I raise dubia's and meal worms for them. Right now I have 20 chickens and they get about 250 dubia's per week, I am working on growing my colony to give them even more. My meal worm colony isn't big enough yet, just started that a couple of months ago. I also sprout or ferment grains for them. The two systems I have take about 5 minutes a day at most for the insects and sprouting / fermenting.

 

[buckabucka]

I am using my chickens to garden. I have intergrated my garden and chicken coops / runs into one. My coop is the center of a garden that has 8 radiating garden / runs out from the center, the chickens are allowed or denied access to them idividually depending on if I am actively growing veggies in that garden or if it is time for them to do clean up work. I have 2 of these set up now. I am planning on a third coop which will be my capon grow out for processing, a chickens moat (it will surround my current garden spots), fruit trees, and a new vining idea I got from a fellow BYCer. The total space will be 175 feet by 90 feet, it will be layers, capons, garden, orchard when I am finished. I don't do any chemicals in the garden, insect patrol is the chickens job, and fertilizing.

Oh, I'd love to see photos of your garden/chicken set up! We have a large organic garden. The chickens are housed in a building that was already on our property, not by the garden at all. I would love to have the coop integrated with the garden. We do have 6 hens in our garden hoop house at the moment, but that is a temporary quarantine area for some new hens that we purchased.​

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Somewhat, although I think there are some things done with organic management that are more elegant than just culling. Such as herbal treatments, DE, pumpkin for deworming. Probiotics, Organic ACV, optimal nutrition.

bobbi-j was not very elegant in describing how to deal with pathogens and parasites but in respect to long-term organic production, that is the way to go. Most of the herbal or otherwise organic treatments have not been demontrated to work and DE does not work. My co-workers are very much into finding ways to control worms of the gastrointestinal tract and control measures using "organic materials" have yet to pan out. Some nasties like nicotene and tannins like in your black walnut hulls will cause worms grief but not at rates most animals will consume.

How many acres do you have for this? Do you have other animal species present? One of my flocks does operate in an organic if not outright feral situation and it does produce some meat (10 fryers) and eggs. Acreage for 4 breeders is about 3 acres. They give eggs for about 6 months of year. Providing some grain is all it takes to double or triple meat production and still be organic. Another option is managing plant community so more edible natural eats are available.

No reason for organic to be equivalent to feral. I think it's quite doable for the small chicken farmer to be organic. Is it really so inconceivable that a small backyard farmer raise chickens in an organic manner? I really don't believe this is impossible.
Perhaps big business ( think Purina) would like us to think otherwise but it is possible.
DE I agree, does nothing for internal parasites. It does work very effectively on insects and exterior parasites. I use it a lot in the garden against ants, aphids, even juvenile squash bugs can be controlled with DE.
So, why does the squash seed need to be blended? I'm not disagreeing, just wondering why the crushing action of the gizzard wouldn't do this before the intestines, where the worms primarily reside.