- Apr 28, 2014
- 239
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I have been raising chickens for only a year and have experienced quite a few issues with my chickens. Everything from bumblefoot, LOTS of respiratory issues, diarrhea, face swelling & lethargic... Lots of weird stuff like just a few days ago I had a hen that was walking with her butt close to the ground and sitting down a lot & having diarrhea (think she was egg bound but never saw egg come out?)... But another problem I have experienced twice while raising young chicks is one out of the group will be a lot smaller than the others and not as active. The first young pullet I had like that would fall asleep a lot and eventually something got her while she was asleep in the yard. Now I am raising young pullets again and two out of 17 are smaller than the others and not as active. I was letting them free range while I supervised and one of the small ones was doing good and eating grass with the other normal sized ones and then the other was hanging out by me just standing beside me not really doing much. What causes this to happen? It makes me think they are sick or something is wrong with them other than that they aren't getting enough to eat.. We refill their 3 feeders usually twice a day, plus I throw handfuls of grass in their pen for them to eat on which they love! Do you think if I move some of the older, bigger ones out that the two small ones will grow more since they won't have to fight as much for food? Any one else have this problem?
Also (sorry I know this is a long post), does everyone else experience this many problems with their chickens? My neighbor has chickens as well and his never get sick! I am constantly trying to find new ways to get them healthy, we have tried ACV in the waterers, oregano in the food, antibiotics... I just want them to all be healthy and not have to worry about problems all the time. I know that is part of it and animals are just like us and get sick but I just feel bad that mine are sick a lot while my neighbor never has any problems with his.
Any suggestions for keeping them healthy?
Also (sorry I know this is a long post), does everyone else experience this many problems with their chickens? My neighbor has chickens as well and his never get sick! I am constantly trying to find new ways to get them healthy, we have tried ACV in the waterers, oregano in the food, antibiotics... I just want them to all be healthy and not have to worry about problems all the time. I know that is part of it and animals are just like us and get sick but I just feel bad that mine are sick a lot while my neighbor never has any problems with his.
Any suggestions for keeping them healthy?