Smelly Chocolate Brown Poop. Not Cecal poop.

[michellepagan]

Awesome thanks for the tip about the juice never would have thought of it.

 

[Michael Apple]

Wow Michael Apple! Thank you so much. I will start with remedy #1 and proceed down the list if it doesn't work. Jeffers livestock should have what I need. I'm probably one of their best customers.

I need a new waterer anyway.

I've mentioned to Dawg that he should write a book because he is so knowledgeable but said he isn't interested. You're up! A 'how to care for and treat your chickens' book would fly off the shelves. There aren't any sources (that I'm aware of) that has a simple chart that lists the symptoms and cures and dosages for chicken diseases. The majority of the books only tell half the story. How to start chicks, what to feed them in the different stages of growth and housing. A very small percentage tell you that chickens can get lice and mites and get crop bound and get worms and bumblefoot and so on. I don't think any of them talk about first aid.

My chicken first aid kit came together as emergencies or injuries came about. I wish I had put one together before I got the chickens.

Food for thought.

You're welcome. Jeffers has quite an inventory, but some of their prices are high compared to others. QC Supply, Valley Vet, and Revival Animal Health carry some of the same products, plus more, at a better price. It depends on what you like to keep on hand. Certain drugs, wormers, and antibiotics I like to keep on hand if a problem arises. If no problems arise before the expiration date of a product, I consider it good even as the expired product goes in the can. Good nutrition often seems to be the best defense in the long run.

I have seen some informative and some terrible literature published in regard to keeping poultry. Terrible because of lack of important and simplified information for people just getting started with a backyard flock, or old folk remedies that are nonsense, and perhaps listed for the author's own amusement. I saw a woman carrying a box of 12 chicks out of a feed store once and staff was getting ready to load a $500 dinky coop in her truck, that when assembled, sat about 5' off the ground with a long ramp. I asked her what breeds of chicks she had. She said they were Buff Orpingtons. I then asked if the coop was theirs. She said it was, and I told her the coop won't be sufficient for them. She began asking questions and to make a long story short, I gave a book recommendation, and a number things for her to write down. She didn't buy the coop, and bought the necessities for the first 5 weeks instead. I saw her about a year later and she was happy with her hens, and a good sized coop and yard. I also had a guy once ask me why his hens were bleeding out their vents after worming with lye!?! No joke.

Much of the things we learn are from motivation/taking personal responsibility to find the answer. Trial and error, legitimate sources of information are all acquired over time. I was fortunate to live next to an old timer who raised chickens when I was young and developing an interest in chickens. Our family did too, except he had much more, and was doing it for much longer. Some of my information may seem outdated to some, but I have found solutions to problems that I'd be happy to let someone else know about if the subject arises. I've learned a few things just from helping and seeing other people's methods that may be just as effective over the years. I see many new folks that relied upon bad information from someone at a feed store. Even the hatcheries put out bad to very limited info when it comes to someone purchasing their first batch of chicks.

There is some helpful literature out there derived from years of University trials and record keeping from pioneers of poultry keeping. Jull, Heuser, Hutt are a few of them. Strecker and Plamondon are a few newer authors. You'll never find an author you agree with 100%, but what you disagree with is the spark that causes more investigation, and perhaps a more practical but equally effective way to get the job done/maintain the health of your flock.