Quick stupid question

[Mygirls20]

ya ivermectin she told me to just to like a pea size amount. I always spray my chickens down with that lice/tick/flea spray once a month and deworm them like every other month.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

If these birds are new to you and you have a positive diagnosis for worms (evidence in their droppings or by a vet check) then by all means go ahead and deworm. I would, though, not deworm, delouse everyother month just profilactically. IMO these chemicals can become less effective in your flock, create an expense for you that's not needed. There's some great literature available by google or threads on here on the success of natural remedies, for example pumpkin seeds for worms, etc. that your birds might appreciate more.

Do your birds free range or are they in a coop or run all the time? If they're free ranging they'll probably stay pretty healthy (keep parasites in check if any at all) without much intervention. I hope I don't sound too bossy or opinionated.

LOL. But have read alot on keeping things natural as possible for birds and these birds seem to run into less complications down the line and thrive for many years.

 

[Mygirls20]

If these birds are new to you and you have a positive diagnosis for worms (evidence in their droppings or by a vet check) then by all means go ahead and deworm. I would, though, not deworm, delouse everyother month just profilactically. IMO these chemicals can become less effective in your flock, create an expense for you that's not needed. There's some great literature available by google or threads on here on the success of natural remedies, for example pumpkin seeds for worms, etc. that your birds might appreciate more.

Do your birds free range or are they in a coop or run all the time? If they're free ranging they'll probably stay pretty healthy (keep parasites in check if any at all) without much intervention. I hope I don't sound too bossy or opinionated.

LOL. But have read alot on keeping things natural as possible for birds and these birds seem to run into less complications down the line and thrive for many years.

My chickens have a coop and a outdoor area plus a fenced in covered run. ( I have hawks falcons, bobcats, mountain lions, bears, coyotes, and foxes.) I am to scared to just turn them loose. They have a 75 foot by 75 foot area that is safe (hopefully) for them to play around in. I am worried about ticks (I am in the mountains) so I do spray them down probably more then needed)

 

[Mygirls20]

and dont worry you dont sound bossy I am new at all of this and need all the help I cant get (as you can see from my retarded questions lol)

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I hear ya about predators. We have a few around here too. We've had a raccoon (Hungry Momma and then later babies) casing our coop during daylight hours, and fox and timberwolf just at the end of our driveway on different mornings. I don't know how or why I changed the "open pop door schedule those days"...but i was lucky. I free range but I was a nervous Momma about doing it at first that's for sure. I found the Rooster does an amazing job ducking them to cover (pic nic tables, brush, deck, under our RV even and keeping alert most of the day for the girls). 75 x 75 is a great sized pen however and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I get and understand that.

We have dog ticks and deer ticks around here, and I know you've got some nasty ones out west there. But I haven't found one on my birds, and find that I haven't had a tick on me since they've been grazing in my yard. Chickens notoriously hoover those guys down. I'm guessing too they can get them climbing through their feathers to their skin tho' too.

I don't think you're retarded, btw. To me, not asking questions when you've got a concern is retarded. There's some great anatomy pics around the threads on this website. And it's pretty interesting to see where the birds lungs are, crop, where the hen's ovaries are and their reproductive tract, etc. Just in case you need to check for things that don't seem right. Helps you get an idea on what could be wrong if you run into some problem.

Good luck with everything. have no fear asking those questions. Lotsa smart chicken people on here.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

 

[dobbyfreerabbit]

Wow, that's a great diagram and a real eye-opener. Lungs in their back - who knew!? (Well, probably most people here

)

 

[gryeyes]

And that's one reason why it's cruel AND dangerous to hold a chicken upside down for any length of time.

 

[Mygirls20]

wow thats a great pic and that lump makes alot more sense now. I did check them this morning when I let them out into their run. No lumps a TON of poo and now they are back to eating everything in sight... Hope they will slow down soon maybe fatten up some lol

 

[Bogtown Chick]

There's some great threads on here to search regarding Fermented Feed that can help your feed go farther with your flock while they get most nutrient value out of it. It's a little bit of a process, but once you get it going and part of your routine it's not too bad at all--but the results would probably impress you. Helping your birds gain weight faster and more efficiently. I tried it for a bit this late fall until the temps started dropping and it was freezing before they ate it. Some folks use heated dog dishes to keep it warmer. I noted a little bit of frost bite though on my roos' wattles so discontinued. But probably will resume this spring again when temps are fairer--condition my birds back up for the spring and summer months so to speak. The yolks of my eggs during those two weeks of Fermented were HUGE by the way and the feed wasn't kicked all out and on the ground--waste was non existant. And I know this sounds weird but their poop wasn't as stinky. In fact the coop and poo boards didn't smell hardly at all. Kind of weird. Kind of amazing.

Yah. I like that picture. Their anatomy is fairly simple in comparison to other animals. You'll see they have no diaphragm muscle seperating the organ load from their lungs. So if held upside down or on their back their respiratory system is impaired.