Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[JShubin]

I have a high tension power line behind my house. The hawks sit up there all the time and watch my chickens. Mostly red tails. They ain't that efficient at killing chickens though. It's the little ones u gotta watch out for. Can you tell what kind of Hawks they are?

These two have been sitting up there for a couple days now. Even the mocking birds gave up trying to chase them away.

I think they are cooper's hawks. They will grab really small chicks but the older ones are safe

 

[roosterhavoc]

These two have been sitting up there for a couple days now. Even the mocking birds gave up trying to chase them away.

I think they are cooper's hawks. They will grab really small chicks but the older ones are safe

They look a little big to be coopers but I could be wrong.

 

[sdm111]

I can definitely yell the difference in the Albany and the roundhead chicks the Albany pay attention and think about what's going on and how one another moves and what they are doing and the roundhead are a lot more flighty always jumping and flying around when going after each other

 

[sdm111]

decided to keep this one as back up shes younger than the other 2

nevermind wont load

 

[sdm111]

.

 

[alroy82]

We've been over this before but how often do you guys worm your birds. I don't have any issues and have yet to find a worm in years of keeping chickens. If anything my birds are a little heavy, which isn't good eitheri know.
My question really is what the h*ll are people either doing or not doing that they need to worm their birds every month? I suppose some of it may be the location, weather and soil type but I'm not sure. What do you guys think?

keeping chickens in pens that dont move is more likely to get worms from bad soil being used over and over and fresh grass and soil is better to keep worms down . Is what I was told.

 

[B123]

I can definitely yell the difference in the Albany and the roundhead chicks the Albany pay attention and think about what's going on and how one another moves and what they are doing and the roundhead are a lot more flighty always jumping and flying around when going after each other

I don't have experience with either, is that generally typical of their style?

 

[sdm111]

I don't have experience with either, is that generally typical of their style?

the roundhead yes I'm not experienced with the Albany so I hope so.

Side by side by side comparison the roundhead are quick and flighty the Albany seem more reserved and smart and the blues want to be all up in your business and friendly

 

[sdm111]

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

We've been over this before but how often do you guys worm your birds. I don't have any issues and have yet to find a worm in years of keeping chickens. If anything my birds are a little heavy, which isn't good eitheri know.
My question really is what the h*ll are people either doing or not doing that they need to worm their birds every month? I suppose some of it may be the location, weather and soil type but I'm not sure. What do you guys think?

I kept chickens years ago, nothing special except for the JF, laying hens, meat birds, a polish... Everything I learned was from the feed store guy a friend (who gave us the Vietnamese JF), the vietnamese customers, and latter hanging out with the kids at the 4-H poultry meeting, I did not have internet... when I decided to keep chickens again I had the net so I ended up in BYC and was immediately shocked by all the issues everyone is/was having such as new horrible diseases, fertility issues, feed issues, growth issues, temperament or behavior issues and the immunization debates... I started asking the question... what the hell are people doing?

I have concluded that many problems with the birds are poor/ignorant keeping (and I don't even think I am all that knowledgable). I never had hens cannibalize others or be so aggressive they had to be killed, but then I was not over crowding the average chicken. Some of the breeds I kept successfully in the past a lot of people say are aggressive... but then I read how they where being kept and I just want to ask the humans how cranky they would get locked in a shed all winter with no room to move around, wedged up next to not your BFF and the person caring for you never cleaning up the poo and piss... animals have their mental breaking points too.

I check my birds for problems like mites, lice and worms or illness/injury of any kind, but if I see no evidence of cooties or worms I don't medicate them. So far they seem fine, I may give them an herbal bath this summer as part of a coop deep clean down.

I don't do the deep litter thing, I tried that the first time I had birds and hated it, felt it was dirty.

My current system is clean regularly, sweep and every so many months deep clean. My coop needs to be disinfected this month as a preventative, scrub the perches, wipe down walls and scrub down the brick floor, inspect it good. But every day I inspect the coop for issues an look over my girls.

I let the girls out in my garden as much as possible as I think it is healthier for them versus being locked up 24/7 in a small run. There is always the risk a wild bird or worm in the soil could infect them with something so I just look them over regular like.

It maybe people have worm issues with their other animals and then the birds get the worms or they where told to mindlessly worm monthly... I prescribe to the use meds when needed not as preventatives, and if I where to worm on a schedule I would probably do it once a year, but monthly seems excessive to me. Now when my kids did shows the birds where treated before and after the shows for creepy crawlies.

One year the Fair had to treat our birds and everyone's in the barn as an FFA club brought to the show 100+ infested birds to sell and no waterers or food for them in over 100 degree temp, my kids went to check on their animals and discovered the FFA meat project birds where dying in front of everyone and no one was doing a **** thing. All the professional adult show people where afraid to give the birds water as they said the would be DQed, so I got the Vet from the Cow Barn, & got permission for us all to give water (the show folks started helping then), the Vet called the Judges to come help as it was insane all those birds in distress just tossed into big dog portable fencing rings, they had to pull the weak or dead out... my son got fans from the 4-H Goat/Sheep projects to try and cool the birds, but as the judges where pulling out the over heated dehydrated birds that is when it was discovered every bird had a severe lice infestation. Meaning none of those birds where raised by the FFA kids separately but probably in the project leader's barn together, oh the Judges where ****** and the Vet livid, (my kids where crying watching the birds flop around and the dead being stacked up) this shut down the barn to the public, and no one from the FFA anywhere... the Fair finally tracked down one adult from the FFA who started cell phoning others, what was mind boggling is that when the folks responsible for the birds did show they tried to defend not having waterers, who cares if a few died in front of fair goers, and so on... that is when the fair officials informed them all their birds where DQed, no they could not just take them home as they needed medical treatment and all the fowl in the barn would be treated for lice and they where paying the bill! And no you can't sell these birds at the fair auction, keep fighting it and the next step would be animal control seizing the birds for neglect & abuse.

So if this is what can happen when clearly the project leader is an idiot, who knows what other issues people create by not understanding the Chickens or their real Health needs.

Long I know... but I think some people contribute to the disaster and others are so freaked out they over medicate, which then creates other problems... when in my experience all you got to do is pay attention to them.