Preparing for my girls!

[ariadne]

...

My two look exactly like that. Makes me real happy! Thank you![/quote

Awesome!!

I saw you wanted to know about worming? Plant wormwood (and other bevefial herbs - Let me know if you'd like the list of safe herbs) and they'll do it themselves. For 10 years, all I've done is allowed my ladies access to plants that are good for them, and they happily eat as much as they need. Haven't had a single issue (apart from a small outbreak of what I thought might have been pox, but they got over it in no time) in the whole time. They are great at self medication (though I do wonder when I find the teenagers in there all day hahaha!). If you can get your hands on a book called "Backyard Chickens Naturally" it's makes it all so much easier. That book has been my bible, and I've got a 9 and a bit year old layer. Swear by it

I do hope your have speckled sussexes; handle them lots and you'll have the cuddliest chickens ever!

Like this.....

 

[callen0912]

...

My two look exactly like that. Makes me real happy! Thank you![/quote

Awesome!!

I saw you wanted to know about worming? Plant wormwood (and other bevefial herbs - Let me know if you'd like the list of safe herbs) and they'll do it themselves. For 10 years, all I've done is allowed my ladies access to plants that are good for them, and they happily eat as much as they need. Haven't had a single issue (apart from a small outbreak of what I thought might have been pox, but they got over it in no time) in the whole time. They are great at self medication (though I do wonder when I find the teenagers in there all day hahaha!). If you can get your hands on a book called "Backyard Chickens Naturally" it's makes it all so much easier. That book has been my bible, and I've got a 9 and a bit year old layer. Swear by it

I do hope your have speckled sussexes; handle them lots and you'll have the cuddliest chickens ever!

Like this.....

I try to hold my chicks a couple times a day so their used to handling. And yes, I would love to know what herbs can help with natural de worming. I had something about giving them pumpkin is a natural de wormer as well.

 

[ariadne]

I try to hold my chicks a couple times a day so their used to handling. And yes, I would love to know what herbs can help with natural de worming. I had something about giving them pumpkin is a natural de wormer as well.

Awesome, they'll love that!! You'll be thrilled with the way you become mumma chicken lol. It's adorable!!

Feel free to PM me; I make up lots of herbal mixes for chickens, everything from mite/lice treatment to worming treatments. I've tried poultry dusts and such, and find that they herbs are more effective.

I always give my ladies access to the following as a minimum:
Wormwood
Comfrey
Lad's Love (artemisia is the plant genus you want to keep an eye out for; it's the wormwood family and you can't go wrong)
Lavender
Chamomile
Peppermint
Marigold
Nausterium

Dried kelp and nettles are a fantastic feather tonic.

If you're in the US, there's a great company called Horizon Herbs who sell the most amazing herbs. We've been trialling medicinal and insect repelling herbs, so I can vouch for the safety of these plants. I'm also a qualified horticulturalist, so I carefully research what's safe and what isn't. I've also trialled all these herbs on friends' chickens, so I definitely know these are safe

Chickens are the best; you can look forward to years of happiness

 

[farm316]

Wow!!! I had never known about all of this information… We had raised 2 batches of baby chicks.. And we seemed to have no problems with them. all lovely and cuddly.. They didn't have any poop stuck on their butts.. And they are now over a year old!
Not saying that all this info isn't Necessary, we had no Idea. And haven't had any problems. They had no broody tho, they stayed in a medium cardboard box from home depot, with a heat lamp, we got chick starter feed and watched them grow!.. When their feathers and bodies got a bit bigger (Still had baby down) And wasn't started feathering at all, we moved them In a small dog crate- Note their were about 4- And our last batch last spring had 8- and every time we would change hay,water,feed. They were peeping to get out. Oh yes, on the clothes on the arms anything they could to get nearer to us! I don't think they were trying to escape b/c they loved their cage! (Even though sometimes it was a small hassle to get them back in, they were peeping to get warm again.. on the eight, the both of us, Me and my sis we would have 4 each, wrap them in towels and got to snuggle them until they finally went to sleep!. When they woke up, back into the cage! As they got older they got more wild, We wouldn't fondle them as much as we used to, and when they got into teenager stage they went on our back porch, with a light of course, we soon started weening them off the lamp but it was used when it got under (70% F) we thought that since they were losing their down they would be a bit more susceptible to the cold.. Until they almost fully feathered the guys lived outside in another cage and no more heat lamps, they were reaching around 3-4 months.. And then they lived there own lives in with the big guys, and now they have their new home! (About 7 months ago)

TTYL-Talk to ya l8r!

 

[linbee]

I have 20 babies coming in a couple of weeks and I completely understand the excitement. Who knew chickens could cause such a stir?? I'm planning new roosts with the drop boards - looks like a good idea to me. I only have 4 now, and they are great. The information in this thread is invaluable since I sort of "winged" it with my first batch of 4. They are almost 5 years old, still laying almost every day.

 

[rides2far]

If u use plastic bins check the heat level ahead of time. I put my 250 watt bulb on the hardware cloth on the top of the bin. In about 2 minutes it was 120 degrees. I will either have rig something to raise the bulb or try a 100 watt red bulb. Check things out ahead of time

and u should be fine.

 

[RooJi]

What if you used the clear plastic totes with the brinsea brooder thing? Then ypu could eliminate the need for a heatlamp right? Then ypu dont have to worry about it overheating and the chicks will be more active and in a more natural enviornment (simulates broody hen)

 

[nrempfer]

Yes we de worm twice a year. If you have small children this is a particularly important thing to do... (roundworms can cause blindness in children) look for Strike III @ TSC add to the feed no "lay off" for egg consumption. It is an important thing to do for the health of the flock. Remember you are now part of that flock.

At what age do you give the dewormer to the chicks?

 

[callen0912]

At what age do you give the dewormer to the chicks?

Don't quote me on this, but I've read 6 months. Hopefully someone else can say for sure.

 

[lazy gardener]

For what reason would you be worming them? Unless you see signs of worms, IMO you're wasting money on a problem you may not even have. If you see worms, if your chickens aren't doing well, then you can investigate, and take a fecal sample to the vet for testing.