So what are the essentials to a healthy flock?

[holderh]

I have had chickens for over a year now. I havent really done anything for them other than provide a coop, crumbles and water daily. They have always been fine. I grew up on a farm and we never papmered the livestock....but i love these little gals. However for awhile now i have noticed a few of my hens have feathers missing around the vents and their feathers are messy ..kind of like they laid a shelless egg and the feathers got sticky. so i checked them for mites and lice but i never saw anything. I have heard of "vent gleet" but everything i read on it made it sound like they would get really sick and mine have looked like this for over a month. I also havent noticed any discharge from their vents. I put some blue lotion on them to make sure nobody was picking, but that hasnt really helped. I checked them agian for mites/lice and i found some one one of my hens but it wasnt one with the vent/feather issues. so i dusted them down with eight dust (like seven just co-op version) that was 2 weeks ago and i checked her today and didnt see anything. I also dusted the coop and nesting boxes with it. I let them free range but a fox has been after them and for the past 2 weeks have been confined to a 16x32 run. I have never noticed anybody picking each other. I did notice today that several of them started sneezing. I called my vet and she said just to watch them for other signs of respitory illness but it could just be our hot/humid weather. I also asked about the chickens with the messy buts and she said it could also be parasites. She recomended a fecal exam. I dont like to worm or give antibiotics unless absoluty nessacery as i sell my eggs. So to prevent problems what do you do for your chickens?

Since having them confined to the run for two weeks i changed their feed to 22% layer pellets, added Black oil sun flower seeds and put Apple cider vinager into their water....However its vinager from the grocery store..not organic will it help at all?

I was wondering if i should put a dust bathing area in their run as well for when they dont get to free range. I was thinking of just buying some sand and i heard about the food grade D.E would that be okay to mix in with it? I have also heard about people putting the D.E into thier food.

Also, just so you know.....They are some what pets...they dont get special attention such as bringing them in the house, saddles, or anything of that nature but i dont eat my laying hens either. However i would cull if i had to for illness.....

So what are the essentials to prevent illness/parasites?

 

[HEChicken]

I can't answer most of your questions but I can help you with a couple.

First, on the apple cider vinegar. If it is the stuff from the grocery store and it does not say anywhere on the label that it contains "the mother" then it won't help much but it won't hurt them either.

Second, I wouldn't bother adding DE to their feed as it only works when it is dry, but adding it to their dust-bathing spots would be perfect.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

It sounds as though you are on the right track, adding the sevin to the dust bath would be the easiest solution to parasites....do you think the liberal dusting could have caused the sneezing? Is it more likely to be environmental than disease, since their 'habitat ' has changed a little? Watch and see, if they appear healthy and only have an occasional sneeze I wouldn't worry.