For those of you interested in a natural approach to caring for emotional and physical health of your birds, you might check out the book Holistic Care for Birds by David McCluggage, DVM. He's our holistic vet and when I was in his office the other day with our dog, I noticed the book and thumbed through it. While it's written more with a slant toward exotic birds (parrots, macaws, etc.), I asked him if the same principles would apply to chickens and he said of course. (He LOVES pet chickens, BTW).
I haven't received my copy of it yet, but some of the areas I know it covered were stress among the birds, pulling out feathers, general health problems, etc. Sorry I don't have more specifics; perhaps Amazon does. I do know that he covered such things as the use of flower remedies (i.e. Bach Rescue Remedy and others) and I think homeopathics, too. Again, if this is something that interests you or you already do this for yourself and/or your other pets, then this might be right up your alley.
BTW, Dr. McCluggage is quite well known across the nation for his holistic approach and travels to lecture on the subject. You can read more about him, his practice, and see the products he has available at his website, www.wellvet.com.
Just FYI: My chicks won't arrive until the end of the month, but told him we planned no vaccs, unmedicated feed, etc. He did recommend adding Rescue Remedy in their water upon arrival for a few days to help with the stress. Good idea! I've used it for my dogs when they are ill, injured or under a lot of stress, so makes sense to use it with the chicks!
I haven't received my copy of it yet, but some of the areas I know it covered were stress among the birds, pulling out feathers, general health problems, etc. Sorry I don't have more specifics; perhaps Amazon does. I do know that he covered such things as the use of flower remedies (i.e. Bach Rescue Remedy and others) and I think homeopathics, too. Again, if this is something that interests you or you already do this for yourself and/or your other pets, then this might be right up your alley.
BTW, Dr. McCluggage is quite well known across the nation for his holistic approach and travels to lecture on the subject. You can read more about him, his practice, and see the products he has available at his website, www.wellvet.com.
Just FYI: My chicks won't arrive until the end of the month, but told him we planned no vaccs, unmedicated feed, etc. He did recommend adding Rescue Remedy in their water upon arrival for a few days to help with the stress. Good idea! I've used it for my dogs when they are ill, injured or under a lot of stress, so makes sense to use it with the chicks!
