Preventative measures, any recommendations?

[Ribh]

X4 @Shadrach

In all honesty keeping a clean, well ventilated coop & plenty of exercise space would be my best preventative advice. I deep litter my run but clean out my coop every few days, depending on weather & amount of poop. I do use ACV in 1 water tub out of 3 because my girls like it. Nothing likes living in a grubby unhygienic space ~ not even pigs~ so I do my best to keep things as clean as possible ~ not always easy with chickens but they do appreciate it.

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree, I have had them for more that 12 years and do none of the stuff on your list. I just provide dry bedding, feed, scratch, scraps, and water. I do provide space, hideouts, good ventilation and dry bedding.

Mrs K

 

[LCG Chicken Coop]

I agree, I have had them for more that 12 years and do none of the stuff on your list. I just provide dry bedding, feed, scratch, scraps, and water. I do provide space, hideouts, good ventilation and dry bedding.

Mrs K

That’s good to hear. I was just afraid I was missing something, but I’m getting a better idea of what to prioritize.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know that I have my list prioritized. Most of mine is what others have said.

As much room as you can reasonably give them. That keeps the poop from building up so much and keeps concentrations of other things down.

Keep them as dry as you reasonably can. Wet is bad, dry is good.

Expose them to their environment as much as you can as early as you can. Strengthen their immune system, don't worry about keeping them in a totally sterile environment. There is nothing wrong with dry poop. Wet poop is bad. That's important enough to repeat, wet poop is bad. Don't let the poop build up to ridiculous amounts but as long as it is dry some poop is not bad.

Protect them from predators as well as you reasonably can. For some reasonable might mean keep them in a Fort Knox. For those that free range realize you are exposing them but still monitor and manage predators as best you can.

Provide them shelter from the weather but let them decide if they want to use it or not. They know what they need better than you do. This includes good ventilation and shade.

Clean water. That's important enough to repeat. Clean water.

A balanced diet. Feed different things in moderation.

I don't pre-treat mine for anything. I only treat when I see something that needs treating. I have no desire to create super-bugs that cannot be treated when they really need something.

My priorities for the things you list

-apple cider vinegar in water .................. zero
- probiotics.................... zero
- periodic deworming .........................zero
- vitamins i.e. rooster booster type product ......................zero
- DE for dust bath setup .........................zero

 

[tuesdaylove]

I have heard pros and cons for all those things you listed, OP, so I think these are matters where you should do some research and decide what you think sounds best to you.

My two cents are that I pretty much raise my chickens very naturally - very little added anything. I have tried probiotics and ACV in water multiple times - no noticeable difference. I have only dewormed one flock one time, when I found a worm in their poop - otherwise, I've never seen any worms. Never tried vitamins, and I've heard slightly more negatives than positives about DE so I don't use it.

Chickens gain a fair amount of immunity from their living environment - these are animals eating dirt and walking in poop.

I'm not at all dissing any of the above listed things - some people swear those work for them!

The basics of keeping your chickens safe and healthy are: a very secure and clean coop/run, plenty of clean water, and plenty of feed. If you don't know of a chicken-friendly vet in your area, see if you can find one and have the phone number handy just in case. I have treated all minor chicken wounds with Neosporin.

 

[igorsMistress]

I don't use DE or ACV. I give my chickens Rooster Booster Poultry Cell 2 or 3 times a week during the summer when their food intake is down. I keep electrolytes on hand and give those in summer a couple times a week too. The rest of the year they get the liquid vitamin once a week.

Worming should be done after you get a fecal float test to see if your chickens have worms, and if they do you need to know what kind. I realize not all have access to testing and some people worm once or twice a year as a precaution.

Permethrine is good to have on hand. You can use it in your coop, on the chickens, and it kills ants. Blu-Kote is also good to have around and won't break the bank. PRID as well.