Speckledhen's Ten Commandments of Good Flock Management

[Bawkbok]

Thank you for the clarification. Poultry seem susceptible to so many things.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you for the clarification. Poultry seem susceptible to so many things.

If you practice good biosecurity, never let folks tramp through your chicken yard, especially if they also own chickens, plus never buy started birds from auctions or flea markets and always question the health practices of whatever breeder you may buy from, you mitigate the risk. My flocks have never had anything contagious in the over 20 years I've owned chickens so it can be done if you are very cautious and understand the nature of disease and transmission.

 

[getaclue]

speckledhen, Please call me. This is Mark. getaclue's husband.

 

[speckledhen]

Folks, Mark in the post above on his wife's account was letting me know that his lovely wife, Cheryl, a good longtime friend to me and many others on the forum, has passed away. Those who know getaclue (Cheryl) will miss her terribly. Please keep her husband in your thoughts and prayers. She was amazing in so many ways.
~Cynthia

 

[Jmcintosh23]

Chickens may be livestock or they may be pets, but they deserve and desire attention and care. If you are going to maintain a healthy backyard flock, there are certain rules that should be followed. For those of you who frequently PM me for advice, or for those of you who are new to chicken-keeping, here is the "Speckledhen Method" in a nutshell.

Speckledhen's Ten Commandments of Good Flock Management

1) Keep a clean, dry environment...change bedding as needed, watch out for leaky waterers/windows/roofs, etc.

2) Fresh air/ventilation is essential..poop and respiration add moisture in the air. Ventilation overhead, not at roost or floor level.

3) Provide fresh water, daily. Would you take a sip out of the waterer? If not, clean it.

4) Give fresh, nutritious food, formulated for the age/function of the birds

5) Provide a safe, predator-proofed, uncrowded coop and run...they depend on you for protection

6) Periodically, check over each bird in the flock for lice, mites, wounds, etc.

7) Practice good biosecurity..disinfect shoes before and after visting the feedstore and shows, quarantine new birds, etc Under no circumstances, sell, trade, or give away a bird that shows sign of infection or has contacted another bird who shows signs of infection, or comes from a flock that has shown signs of infection, now or in the past.

8) At the first sign of contagious respiratory illness, i.e., discharges from nose or eyes or bad smell, cull, cull, cull...birds don't get colds, per se; they contract diseases, many of which make them carriers for their lifetime. That means they are able to infect others even if they seem to recover themselves. See Rule #7.

9) Do not medicate unnecessarily, including wormers and antibiotics

10) DO YOUR RESEARCH! There are numerous books and articles profiling poultry management and poultry disease. Read, study and then formulate a plan of action, should the worst happen, before it happens.


Happy Chicken-Keeping!

we have had a flooding issue and im just getting overwhelmed. we been using lots of hay and where we normally get it, its out of stock and well im going to have to look elsewhere but its just muddy and i cant collect these duck eggs. its just making me sad. im getting totes together so i can use those for their new nests and i have pallets im cutting in half to have better roosts. the chickens do have good roosts but the ducks would like it. just have to cover it with some leftover hay from the rabbits hoop house maybe...? any other ideas? its going to be hard working in the rain but i need to take care of these repairs. they were originally used as mobile houses but the wind damages the tarps on top and i wanted to use wood to build on top to finish it better and keep out the rain and its costing us so much more if we would have just bought some kind of house already made...but i cant change that its my husbands doing..wants to build things himself and so then we recently started putting in a dome over top.. to keep out other birds...and to keep are chickens from escaping. so im just doing to try and do some repairs myself and ive got a mile long list...its hard when im not bringing in the money.. but i just do the best i can and watch them see how they do and change waters and food and clean up the best i can. its just overwhelming but i wouldnt change having chickens ever the best decision ive ever made. i just hate getting so much rain. circleville ohio.

 

[speckledhen]

Not a fan of rain and muck, either. It's one reason we live on a small mountain, uphill, so that everything drains really fast.
I'm not really sure about your setup. I will say that you can sometimes get those old big satellite dishes and turn them upside down, maybe coat them with some kind of waterproof epoxy to make a shelter. Some of those old dishes are solid, not mesh, and most folks are happy to give them to you if you ask.
I can sympathize with having a very long to-do list and doing the best you can with your resources. You are right that rigging things is sometimes more work and expense than just building/buying a premade building. We built our first coops with recycled wood from the dumpsters of home builders on site (with permission). That may be a way to get supplies free or maybe you can get ideas by what you find in those dumpsters, lots of good wood and other building materials. Not sure this helps, but I wish you luck with your situation. Sounds like you're trying your best and sometimes, that's all you can do.