Please help, not sure what the problem is...

Is this the member that was saying food poisioning at first because that was not the case.

 

Because mine have free choice of dry pellets all day, I don't have to think about how much fermented feed to give them. I just put a dollop down and they tuck into it. If they don't eat it all straight away (within 10 mins) then I don't give them so much the next day. I ferment mine in my utility room in winter. I keep the fermenting bucket on top of the spare fridge, so it is up a height out of the way. I like the fact that I have to worry less about keeping water defrosted in winter since they need less because there is quite a lot of water in the feed. Everybody has their own ideas and things will work differently in different climates and pen layouts etc, so you have to be prepared to try things and adapt to what works best for you.
As regards deep litter, I wouldn't pass up the autumn opportunity of lovely free leaf litter, even if you don't use anything else in the run until spring. The leaves will help to condition the soil and break down the poop. Throw as much in as you can collect would be my advice. My run isn't covered at all and we do get quite a bit of rain so it can get a bit soggy in places but I still like deep litter and you can see how the soil improves with it, so don't feel you have to cover the whole run, but try to ensure that rainwater drainage is away from the run. You will still get compacted areas in the doorway etc where you walk in and pack it down with your feet but the majority will be significantly improved. The chickens also love to dig through a pile of leaves, so that in itself can help keep them happier and less stressed.

 

My chickens panic when I carry in arm loads of leaves. But I can hardly get back out the gate before they are pouncing to dig thru them.

 

I have roosters so I can breed from my survivors to replace losses but this year I bought in hatching eggs and I have one pullet and 3 cockerels from those that were broody reared and are about 12 weeks and 3 younger ones bred from my own flock which are 9 weeks so they are approaching the critical age to exhibit symptoms.
It is up to you to decide if, when and how you want to add to your flock. The responsibility comes in not passing any potential carrier birds on to others...... so if you hatch chicks then no rehoming surplus cockerels etc.

 

That all sounds great. I'm really pleased things have stabilised and everyone is happy and healthy at he moment.
The only thing I would suggest is not to get the two breeds you have suggested and perhaps get bantam cochins instead if you are looking for birds with broody tendancy or just some cute friendly pets. Silkies seem to be one of the most susceptible breeds to Marek's Disease and Polish like silkies, can be prone to problems due to their large crest and vaulted skull, especially when kept with large fowl birds that find their crests curious and a target for pecking. I find that my bantam cochins (we call them pekins here in the UK) cope pretty well being in with large fowl and so far have been one of the breeds I have not had obvious Marek's problems with.