Should I use products to prevent any diseases??or just wait??

[go-veggie]

diatomaceous earth? anything? I just don't want some nasty little bug or worm to attack my birds that I could have kept away. Thanks in advance to all of you experienced chicken people!

 

[ChickenToes]

A lot of people wait until there are signs of an illness/disease before they start any treatments. For example, why give your chickens a wormer if they don't have worms?

But it's completely up to you. You can put them on medicated feed and have them vaccinated if you want. DE is used to keep mites away. You could probably even worm them if you are worried about it.

 

[hinkjc]

We like to use natural products on a regular basis to keep nasties at bay.

Garlic - for immune system

Apple Cider Vinegar - for gut flora

Pumpkin seeds in the fall (just cut a pumpkin in half and lay it out for them to enjoy)

natural wormer

Red pepper flakes - also for worms

Yogurt - for gut flora and calcium

Vitamins and Electrolytes on very hot days and occasionally for stressful times (during moult)

I'm sure there are other things I'm missing, but it's a start.

Jody

 

[chickenzoo]

I believe some Vac's are worth using, such as for Mareks. It is naturally occuring, and all chickens will be exposed to it sometime in their life. Some can fight it of naturally , a lot can not. Others I would use if their is a problem with that diease in your area or if you tend to swap birds. Worming is a much debated issue. Some people only worm if their is a problem, in my experience it is sometimes hard to know their is a problem until your chickens start acting sick, losing weight and have some losses. If you only have a few chickens and hold them alot, look through their feathers often and monitor their weight and poo from time to time you'd prob. be fine without, but a large flock can be hard to monitor. I found out that the ground in my yard is a breeding ground for worms after a few losses and then going to the vet to get fecals. I didn't see worms in poo, but they were there. So, it's a personal choice pending on location, exposer to dieases and how well you can monitor your flock....

 

[go-veggie]

Thanks for all of this great advice and info! Someone told me a while ago about the apple cider vinegar, so I've added that to their water from day one---

!!!!! I'll try some other things too... I have no idea if our first batch of birds were given any shots when they were first hatched, and I don't feed them medicated food...oh, I hope I don't end up regretting it. Thanks again everyone!

 

[ambersparks]

Great suggestions! I am a chicken newbie and I just found this forum. I have no idea what I'm doing but my chickens, who are 3 months old, seem very healthy. On this forum I'm reading of all these illnesses and things the chickens can get and I'm freaking out!! I have never used medicated feed, just use Start and Grow. I got my chicks at a local feed store and I have no idea if they were vax'd or not and I've never given them any vax's. Should I be worried???

Also, "hinkjc" do you give those things to your chickens all of the time or on a certain schedule? How do you administer them? I love the idea of using natural things for the chickens. My dad always gave me apple cider vinegar when I had a cold/sore throat!! Never thought of giving it to animals!!