Protecting Hens from Japan Fallout!

[ittibittirainbow11]

I'm sorry if anyone has said anything to this effect but this has become a very long thread and I don't have the patience to read thru everything. I just wanted to leave a link I found. www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/.../31913farmersnuclear_pdf I really hope it will relieve some concerns about what to do to help your flock in case of an emergency radiation situation. Not that I'm saying it will become a problem here in the US but you never know. I believe in being prepared. Hey even if nothing happens to us here you learned something new. I believe in the whole "knowledge is power". It can help with my peace of mind. I went looking for info on what they might be doing to protect the livestock in Japan, as I don't know sqwat about radiation and nuclear power plants. Well this is my two cents, take it as you may. I hope it helped in some way

 

[BlackBart]

Somewhere in between, the Government telling us we have nothing to worry about and the reports of core meltdown, is the truth.
I'm leaning towards the latter.
Anyway I look at it, it's bad news.

Radioactive levels have been found in milk but they say it is not harmful, yet raw milk is

 

[Hope49]

Hello, I'm Hope, and I'm new here. Not new to chickens, as my husband and I had a backyard brood of about 12 many years ago.

I have been searching for people who are like-minded, love their hens and fresh eggs, and who are also concerned with the threat of radiation from Japan. I myself live near an environmental watchdog with his own setup for monitoring the radiation traces as they as borne on the jetstream, and I'm a member of his chatroom. Many of us are concerned as this problem is not going to go away, maybe for months or longer. I want a few chickens again, as at least I would know where my eggs came from, but the hens eat everything and will pick up bit after bit of it, each bit with at least an 8 day half-life, continuing to irradiate the hen and its egg. Ingesting it in no way compares with "the radiation you get in an overseas flight", how could it? I believe we aren't hearing all of the truth, as I see some of you also believe. So if I may, just a few questions?

Can I build a coop that I can close down at night, thus cutting exposure in half?
Will they eat kelp?
My previous chicken area was quite large, had roosts about 4 feet off the ground, will they roost lower?
We don't have the space now - Could 2 chickens be happy in 10 ft wide by 3 feet deep? with something like bi-fold doors to close over the chicken wire at night?
One last thing, I have not found the secret to keeping their water clean. Maybe you could point me to a thread re this.

I welcome your help here. I'm in Southern California, just a concerned Grandma who wants to do this if it's feasible.

ittibittirainbow11, I wasn't able to get your link to work, sadly.

 

[wingsofglory]

Welcome to BYC, Hope49.

Kelp - yes, granulated or powdered kelp can be mixed in their food. I think it has been traditionally used that way, and is a good idea.

Yes, I think a 3 x 10' space would be fine for two chickens.

For keeping their water clean, search this forum for the 5 gallon bucket with lid and nipples screwed into the bottom. then the bucket is hung just high enough for the hens to stand under it and drink from the nipples. The lid keeps dust from settling into the water. Try "nipples" for search word.

Food grade Bentonite clay can also mixed in food. It absorbs toxins and radioactivity from the intestines as it goes through the chicken (or person).

 

[wingsofglory]

Hope49 - here is a link to a current forum thread on the nipple watering system to keep water clean:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=482896&p=1

Granulated or powdered kelp can be found at a health food store. You could also put drops of iodine in their water. Regular Lugol's solution, not the emergency type.

The folding doors sound fine.

 

[crazygoatlady915]

It's ok! Don't go that extreme yet! I am in the Western United States, thousands of miles away. If you're anywhere in the U.S., you're not receiving it in large enough quantities that you need to do that

 

[Cass]

Quote:
The idodine is to protect the thyroid gland from cancer causing radiation. Do chickens HAVE a thyroid? If they don't, then they don't need iodine and you risk toxic levels of something that they may not need. Kelp is high in Iodine and was recommended if you couldn't find iodine tablets to protect you, at least it was something for the thyroid to do intead of filling itself with radioactive iodine. If you are feeding kelp AND dosing with iodine you seriously risk an overdose.

 

[wingsofglory]

I'm hoping the winds scatter the particles sufficiently.

And, I think for myself on this situation, especially when I see so much scientific inaccuracy or just leaving out things in the news.

 

[Hope49]

Thank you so much for your responses. I wasn't sure how my questions would be received, as they are pretty general and sorta off-topic. But you helped immensely and we are going to go forward with this, thinking as positively as we must. This forum is vast and I'll be here a lot for awhile, just trying to absorb it. The things we do for our little chickies...

My hubby is gaga over the nipple watering ideas - thanks so much for the links.

 

[Azulegg]

1 drop of Radialgin in a gallon of water give to birds daily. Also a few drops of zeolite in a dish daily given to the birds also works. I have my flock on Radialgin.