The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

I want to share this trial of two calves - one fed raw milk and one fed pasturized milk. It's astounding.

And we are not allowed to choose what kind of milk we want to drink.. Unless of course it is our cow, or our goat.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: At that time we didn't have a truck so I strapped it to the top of my car and drove home. DH was so embarrassed, he ducked down all the way home.

The hen I've been aggressively treating for scaly mites looks horrible. She doesn't want to leave the coop anymore, she's thin and her feathers are so ruffled. I think it's her time. It's the first time I've had to make this decision. I think more is going on than I can see.

Funny...I'd be the one ducking in our family!

On the mites - I have a question for y'all.

Would scaly leg mites have made the bird so sick all by themselves - or would it just have been a contributor to her going down hill?

Not sure I'm making sense, but I'm trying to figure out if leg mites would make a bird so sick that it was not able to recover if there were no other problems? Or - is it possibly an older bird - or a bird with other issues - and the mites are just adding to the problems already there?

The answer to that question would change how I would approach leg mites if I ever had that issue.



Del - what are you using to treat for the lice/mites you mentioned?

 

[aoxa]

Funny...I'd be the one ducking in our family!

On the mites - I have a question for y'all.

Would scaly leg mites have made the bird so sick all by themselves - or would it just have been a contributor to her going down hill?

Not sure I'm making sense, but I'm trying to figure out if leg mites would make a bird so sick that it was not able to recover if there were no other problems? Or - is it possibly an older bird - or a bird with other issues - and the mites are just adding to the problems already there?

The answer to that question would change how I would approach leg mites if I ever had that issue.



Del - what are you using to treat for the lice/mites you mentioned?

I think it is something else in this case.

 

[Sally8]

Funny...I'd be the one ducking in our family!

On the mites - I have a question for y'all.

Would scaly leg mites have made the bird so sick all by themselves - or would it just have been a contributor to her going down hill?

Not sure I'm making sense, but I'm trying to figure out if leg mites would make a bird so sick that it was not able to recover if there were no other problems? Or - is it possibly an older bird - or a bird with other issues - and the mites are just adding to the problems already there?

The answer to that question would change how I would approach leg mites if I ever had that issue.



Del - what are you using to treat for the lice/mites you mentioned?

I also think it's something else. It's an EE, about 1 yr old. She's had the scaly mites for a while. Unbelievably, the only 1 out of 18 that has the troubles. I have been slathering her legs for over a month with NuStock. Sometimes I think she's getting better, she'll come out and eat. I'd like to isolate her and try a little tlc before but because I have 4 pens with chicks and poults, 2 coops with chickens and turkeys, 2 incubators set up in the bathroom, spare bedroom, screened porch and the 2 coops, I don't have any place for her. I do have an empty dog crate, just finding a place for it. I might give her another week with TLC, in the crate. I've never had to do much doctorin' with the chickens, mostly cats.
i'll take some before pic's today. Would you think I should keep her in a darker place? I'm not even sure that she's laying eggs. (I can't learn without trying). I have no ties with her without her name of Peckles. Just one more thing.

i'll add that the little poult that I think got beat up/run over by the bigger ones looks great. I'd been using the cat/dog eye antibiotic ointment on the swollen shut eye and feeding him with an eye dropper with chick food soaked in water with a drop of ACV and he's running around peeping away. One for Dr. Sue.

 

[dcba flock]

Made a batch of FF and my 6 week old chicks won't touch it! I put it in both their treat and regular dishes to try and entice them! When I went in a few hours later they screaming like they were starving and had ripped their cage apart looking for food?

 

[aoxa]

Made a batch of FF and my 6 week old chicks won't touch it! I put it in both their treat and regular dishes to try and entice them! When I went in a few hours later they screaming like they were starving and had ripped their cage apart looking for food?

Sprinkle dry food on top.

Or mealworms. That will get them to try it. Once they try it, they will love it. Or should. Never had one that didn't like it.

 

[chikenscratch]

This is what my FF looks like in the container. It must be covered with water.

This shows the consistency as I scoop it out to add to the food tray.

Here you can see my set up. The tall bag in the back is the food I use for FF. It is "all flock" this can be given to any age chicken (no additive). I scoop out some of it and add to my yellow bucket and water and stir. Always make sure that when all water has been absorbed that there is water covering the whole thing. Add a glob of ACV and stir. Eventually it will be FF.
So I take out some of the FF (and since I have it) I add chick starter to FF to thicken it to the consistency of wet sand/playdoo.

 

[chikenscratch]

I am trying to upload what it looks like when mixed up but my phone is having a moment

 

[krcchickens]

I am trying to upload what it looks like when mixed up but my phone is having a moment

I have issues with loading pics on here with my phone allot. Thanks for the pics I started my ff the day before yesterday so it helps

 

[Bulldogma]

Made a batch of FF and my 6 week old chicks won't touch it! I put it in both their treat and regular dishes to try and entice them! When I went in a few hours later they screaming like they were starving and had ripped their cage apart looking for food?

As Aoxa said - sprinkle dry food on top. I start all my babies on FF so there is never an issue, but it will take older birds a few days - up to a week or two - to adjust. Also make sure there is not too much vinegar in it.

Welcome to the thread, and welcome to all the other new faces I see out there!