Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Marie2020]

There are lots of things that are reputed to promote gut health in chickens. The site you linked to mentions some of them. But, if a chicken has a critical worm load none of them are going to do the job.
For you Marie in the UK Flubenvet is your best bet.
Ivermectin is no longer effective against some worms, maily because lots of people started misusing it.
There is no such thing as preventitive worming either. You could treat a chicken for worms on day 1. Finish the course on day 7 and on day 8 they can eat something and be reinfected.
The time to worm chickens is when they have worms.
I've read lots of posts from chicken keepers who say their chickens have never had/don't have worms because they give them this "natural" remedy or that. How would they know? You don't always see worm segments in the poop.
You need to get a fecal float done to test for worms. You can even get DIY kits for this.
It's a bit like antibiotics. People give antibiotics as a preventitive. There's no point. The time to give antibiotics is if there is an infection. If you want an infection preventitive then clean the problem properly and regularly.

I think I've used this before after this when Agatha Agatha started laying eggs with no shells

https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/s...iages-layers-pellets-with-flubenvet-10kg.html

 

[Marie2020]

I was stuck. I didn't want to buy chicken feed through Amazon. I really wanted to support either a local pet/livestock supplier or a feed manufacturer preferably local. I've found a couple but they are quite a distance and to ensure the stuff gets delivered I have to be at one place or another for what is often an unspecified period of time. There is a pet food place in the village close to the allotments. I am so not interested in carrying a 20kg bag of feed half a mile or more!
I've used a rucksack before. Even that is hard work.
My best friend offered me her shopping trolly. She needed it for a while when she couldn't drive. I hummed and errrd a bit. Shopping trollies; they're for old frail people aren't they? Well, I slipped past the pride bit and said okay I'll give the trolley a try.
View attachment 3028149
Yes I know it's pnky red. Yup I know it looks odd in a field. Yes the bag does come off and one can strap bulkier items than the bag will hold.
I'm getting to know a few of the bus drivers now and did I get some strange looks when I got on the bus dragging the trolley behind me.
Anyway, despite my reservations t worked. The trolley is rated at max load of 20kg but I could move one of my loudspeakers with it and that weighs 35kg. The trolley wasn't happy but it didn't break.
I picked up a 20kg bag of feed at the village pet supplies. After a bit of a struggle I got it in the trolley bag and headed off to the allotments. It did the job and some. It managed the rough field too.
End result.
View attachment 3028157
Even stranger, I think C must have come up on the lottery or stolen someones debit card. There are mealworms in the feed bin! and bird seed and some other stuff.
There hasn't been that much food in the bin since I've been doing the chickens.

 

[Marie2020]

I saw a beautiful picture of a chicken that has passed on as i went to reply the page changed.

I'm really tired after such hard work today cleaning out the coop run and perches.

 

[Ribh]

I was stuck. I didn't want to buy chicken feed through Amazon. I really wanted to support either a local pet/livestock supplier or a feed manufacturer preferably local. I've found a couple but they are quite a distance and to ensure the stuff gets delivered I have to be at one place or another for what is often an unspecified period of time. There is a pet food place in the village close to the allotments. I am so not interested in carrying a 20kg bag of feed half a mile or more!
I've used a rucksack before. Even that is hard work.
My best friend offered me her shopping trolly. She needed it for a while when she couldn't drive. I hummed and errrd a bit. Shopping trollies; they're for old frail people aren't they? Well, I slipped past the pride bit and said okay I'll give the trolley a try.
View attachment 3028149
Yes I know it's pnky red. Yup I know it looks odd in a field. Yes the bag does come off and one can strap bulkier items than the bag will hold.
I'm getting to know a few of the bus drivers now and did I get some strange looks when I got on the bus dragging the trolley behind me.
Anyway, despite my reservations t worked. The trolley is rated at max load of 20kg but I could move one of my loudspeakers with it and that weighs 35kg. The trolley wasn't happy but it didn't break.
I picked up a 20kg bag of feed at the village pet supplies. After a bit of a struggle I got it in the trolley bag and headed off to the allotments. It did the job and some. It managed the rough field too.
End result.
View attachment 3028157
Even stranger, I think C must have come up on the lottery or stolen someones debit card. There are mealworms in the feed bin! and bird seed and some other stuff.
There hasn't been that much food in the bin since I've been doing the chickens.

This is what I use, Shad. I'm a small woman & hefting a 20k bag around is pretty much beyond me. Your shopping trolley may work short term but after years of abusing the things on boats I know it won't take long to fall apart under so much weight. This is about the same size, folds down compactly, is allowed on our buses & for longer distances only requires an ocky strap to secure things nicely. Without it I couldn't get feed from the car to the back yard. [Our lovely produce people put it in the car so I only have to manhandle it onto the trolley & drag it through the gates.]

 

[Sortacountrychicken]

We had a good freeze last night and it's in the low 40s today. Only an inch or two of water.

 

[Shadrach]

What breed is Cloud?

She's a Marans and something cross I'm told.

 

[Shadrach]

Quite an adventure but if the food is ok I think it's wonderful that you will buy at the local shop. Is the trolley a gift, or is it a loan? In which case you should have to set the rest of your pride aside and go buy one .

They don't seem to be too upset, for the time being. Hopefully Chickadee will wait until things dry out to go broody!

Almost exact same story here! Though we didn't plant the mint, it's growing like crazy everywhere on it's own.
The best thing for us was using lacy phacelia as a cover crop, this is our pollinators paradise, it helps our soil and it has a long flowering season. Only downhill is that it's kind of ugly .

If it's not something stuck, also wondering maybe it's allergy season with all the pollen flying ?
That's typically the kind of situation where I wouldn't know what to do and would probably give them a thyme infusion with honey..like I would on myself. Doesn't hurt if it does nothing!

It's gift. I'm sure it will come in very handy. I may even go shopping with it instead of my 80 litre rucksack.

 

[Iluveggers]

She's a Marans and something cross I'm told.

She’s beautiful.

 

[Shadrach]

what do the chickens think of the squabs? Mine hate the pigeons that live in the garden, and I think the feeling is mutual. The pigeons seem deliberately to buzz the chickens and make them duck, and on the one occasion I've seen when a pigeon was caught on the ground, I had to rescue it from a ferocious attack by what was, ordinarily, a very mellow hen; I think there were years of pent up frustration being exorcised there .

The Legbars are not overly impressed with their presence. The RSL don't seem to care. Henry comes by and looks at them from time to time but they are closed in and don't engage with the chickens through the fence so I guess they're not a problem.

 

[Shadrach]

I am a proud roo mum. For the first time I caught Théo calling his bantam lady to give her a worm.
Every single time I heard him calling the girls before it was a trick to jump on their back.

He's very pleased with himself about that.