Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[okallthis4eggs]

We have had our current flock 4 years this spring. I also have had chickens in the past growing up on a farm, and when we worked on a farm when the kids were little, we also had a flock. I have NEVER gave worm medicine to a chicken. My husband mentioned shortly after we got our current flock something about dusting them with this powder. I just looked at him and asked why. Our chickens did not have any problems. So why should we use medicine. So we don't.

When I sell eggs, I stress the point, that our flock gets no meds, and no chemicals are used in our garden. And the farmer next to us, does not spray the field on our property line. Our hens free range in the afternoons.

Interesting. I have learned you get a wide range of opinions on almost any topic. I like your theory and will follow that unless I see obvious problems. I think W4W has seen all the signs of her birds having worms, and worms are a reality. I would probably do what she is doing in that situation. I hope that i'm lucky like you and not have to deal with it. What part of the country do you live in? That seems to play a role. Thanks for your input. I needed to hear that to reassure me no action is required at this time.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Venison Ribs....It's whats for breakfast. No not for me. The eight stooges out back. I'm coming Roger. Will you shut up!!

 

[cheeka]

ladytoysddream (LTD okay with you?)

and Welcome to what I like to call OK's Hen Party!

it's also nice to hear from yet another family who likes to raise their chickens as organically as possible! the one and only time I wormed my gang was when they were maybe 10 weeks old. I used Wazine, and did the 2 doses as prescribed... then went on a preventative route by giving them yogurt and curcurbits. I've yet to see worms in their poop. my cats on the other hand.... I have one who gets roundworm every year, sometimes 2ce. one gets tapeworm, and 2 that seem resistant. or maybe they are just not into eating their kill.

the wee gang endured another night perfectly well, their water bucket had a thin sheet of ice on top. I swapped it out for a fresh bucket of warm water. they spent the night on the other old roost, according to where their poops were lined up. maybe they remember being dumped on the ground? the new roost is in the same spot as the broken one... the big gang was extra sweet this morning, both Archie and Royce allowed me to give them a glancing stroke of the tail feathers on their way through to the feed bowls. the girls hadn't laid yet, I checked everywhere. and no one was nesting, they all wanted breakfast. Tonight I will give them lots of extra animal protein, as the temps will be steadily dropping throughout the course of the day and we're expecting higher than 40 mph winds. it's gonna be a very frigid night tonight...

 

[ladytoysdream]

Hi

Yes I take care of my birds as natural as possible. I wish I could do it organically but cannot afford the fees to get certified organic.
We have 2 acres here in central NY. Our little homestead I guess you call it. We have a decent size garden in the good weather. I can and freeze quite a bit. I would like to get a greenhouse at some point in time but again $$ play a big part in that decison.

We did give the puppy some worm medicine last year. Good thing we did. Other than his shots that is all he will need. I like simple.

Yes you can call me LTD. That happens to me a lot.

Thanks for the welcome

 

[cheeka]

LTD, I so want a greenhouse... and a big barn... probably will get a big steel building in a couple of years for the "barn", the greenhouse will come later, when I finally get to retire. I've never done canning, but I do freeze lots of the garden items. I get a lot of canned foods from my postal customers, I trade for eggs mostly... and I get my beef from the place where I keep my horse. totally organic pasture raised... it's so unbelievably good, and I'm not the biggest fan of beef. the stuff from the grocer is yucky (IMO). too soft, funny taste bc of all the corn feed they give. I am not a fan of giving my chickens corn, but with the cold snap coming, I figured the extra carbs would help keep them warmer.

we have a new museum exhibit in Schenectedy, butterflies! I have to go... it's open through April, and visitors are allowed to take photos.

 

[ladytoysdream]

LTD, I so want a greenhouse... and a big barn... probably will get a big steel building in a couple of years for the "barn", the greenhouse will come later, when I finally get to retire. I've never done canning, but I do freeze lots of the garden items.

Hi
We are real close to retirement. The chickens are part of my plan. I figure I can barter the eggs if worst came to worst with the economy. In the past few years, during the winter, I have gave away a lot of eggs. These last couple of months, I have been able to drop my price some and keep them moving. One guy takes 10 dz once a month if I give him the better price. Another guy, because his chickens seem to take a break in the winter, he needs to buy eggs, to keep his customers happy. So he gets a deal because he will take quanity. As soon as the weather breaks, I can go to market again once a week to get the better price for my eggs.

LTD

 

[BullChick]

I do home made yogurt almost daily for the babies and me too

they do get some scraps from meats, all cooked and a lotta mealworms. I was on a huge guilt trip for the worming. Feel a lot better about it now, many of the websites are saying to do it on a schedule. The vets here are really not interested in poultry at all. Still trying to find one

Quote: SBM, I never get to put the Easter eggs away. The dog discovered how to open them, and get treats out. He then leaves them alone, or brings them to me to re-fill. Easters are funny, and Christmas is hysterical! He gets eggs in a stocking, and has to figure out how to get the eggs out. The toe of the stocking is the biggest challenge.
JCH, Yorktown is the closest Aviary vet I can see for you. The list I have mentions; Bloomington, Cedar Lake, Cicero, Evansville, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Merillville, Valparaiso, West Lafayette, and Yorktown. I have an Aviary magazine that lists all the vets in the U.S. if anyone needs an Aviary vet.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi

Yes I take care of my birds as natural as possible. I wish I could do it organically but cannot afford the fees to get certified organic.
We have 2 acres here in central NY. Our little homestead I guess you call it. We have a decent size garden in the good weather. I can and freeze quite a bit. I would like to get a greenhouse at some point in time but again $$ play a big part in that decison.

We did give the puppy some worm medicine last year. Good thing we did. Other than his shots that is all he will need. I like simple.

Yes you can call me LTD. That happens to me a lot.

Thanks for the welcome

Hi LTD. Welcome to the thread!

I agree with you about doing things as naturally as possible. We don't spray and use compost fertilizer. When we bought this place 11 yrs ago, the owner proudly showed us his spraying schedule (it was written on the garage wall) for both pesticides and herbicides. After we moved in, it took about 2 years for the lizards to come back (they finally had something to eat) and about 4 years before we saw any springtime frogs. Fortunately, I've never had to worm my dogs, but the rodent crunching cat needed it frequently or he'd be skin and bones. I'm treating my chickens the same way and like to follow the adage 'if it ain't broke, leave it the heck alone.' If your chickens aren't having any trouble, no need to worm them, they will be able to live just fine with any that they might have. (So you're okay, OK. No worries.) But if they are showing signs of stress or distress, as mine are, that is not obviously caused by some other problem, I'm gonna treat them the same as any other pet and give them what I think will help them. This has been a decision 3 weeks in the making, and it is not done lightly, as I never expected to have to make it. My little flock of 11 girls are pets, we will not be eating them even if they stop laying, and I want them to have the best chance possible for a long life. I'm glad your flock is healthy, and your plans for your place sound great! Hope you can share some pics!

We also have dreams of a greenhouse. When my boys were younger, we put up a big swing set in the back, but it's rarely used now so we will try to sell it this spring (it's one of those big wooden structures that we bought used from someone else). Anyway, the pad of pea gravel we put in for safety under the swing set seems like it would make the perfect floor for a green house. Maybe we would have better luck with tomatoes. Seems they just get going really well, and then our seasonal foggy summer mornings kick in and the tomatoes don't ripen, or worse, get end rot.

I looove tomatoes, and can't stand those anemic crunchy things they sell in the store. Maybe this year we can finally move greenhouse to the top of the project list.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I suppose I have been remiss in not worming my chickens, esp following the theory that they eat off the ground therefore likely have worms....but I haven't seen any signs. I had a recipes for a wormer using lye soap but all the places you'd expect to buy lye don't sell it....turns out it was being used to make crack. Can you believe that!? So, back to pumpkins. I really want a greenhouse too, but don't want the bill. I am thinking about using cattle panels and cover it with thick plastic sheeting I could roll up or down. Either way I need something to keep the chickens out of the gardens and flying is something they do pretty well, so even a fence would have to be very tall or completely enclosed. This spring, I'm not exactly planning out how many chicks I want to hatch ( yikes) but I want to make sure I have quite a few of my favorite pairs so I'll keep those marked and sneak them into the broody nest if she doesn't already have enough. I've decided to pretty much give God free rein since he's obviously done such a good job already, like I could improve on that.....just going to enjoy them and surprizes at the different colors and attitudes that pop out!

 

[BullChick]

You guys are making me paranoid about worms!

The temp is 5 with the windchill. I have gotten the floor of the coop covered, and one end wall up. The roost about broke my wrist. I finally found two screws that are about three inches long. Trying to get them to screw in even with the electric screwdriver took FOREVER! And then the roost started spinning. I went to the other side, and the screw stopped going in about an inch from the end. I was so stinkin' cold, I forgot to charge the screwdriver battery. I just ran in the house. I know I have to go back out today, but I don't want to!

The snow is blowing in my face, and the boards are heavy, and and and...

I will give it a shot, but I may be hurrying it up tomorrow afternoon when my husband gets home. I hate to think the trio will have to stay boxed up, but if they stay in a box overnight, it will be no worse than being at the fair, right?
I am taking pictures as I go along. Do I add them to the coop page, or with "my flock" which I already started?