The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[cywiar merch]

I am WAY late to this discussion been swamped at work ... so if someone else has already offered up this advice please ignore. My bantam cochins got sour crop when I switched to FF back on the old thread Bee suggested Olive leaf Extract ... I did try this and I'm not sure it worked... also I tried kyolic (aged garlic extract) BUT the one MIRACLE thing that I found after searching thread after thread was Red Wine .... You MUST withhold food or grain based food as Aoxa says its a yeast infection and sugars feed yeast. Give them a dropper full of Red Wine and wait .... I also massaged the crop in a downward motion blah blah blah.... Come back later and if it is not gone give them more Red wine ... The hen should be cured in 12-24 hours ... I gave mine yogurt too.... Another chicken owner had the same problem and I told her about the wine ... she was skeptical but emailed the next day say it was a miracle! So thats my 2 cents....

Aoxa - you might try a experiment and make some old-fashioned sour dough (fermented)... try making a pizza dough from it and see how it effects you. Many folks that have gluten issues find it's not an issue with the fermented dough.

(AM I STARTING TO SOUND LIKE A "BROKEN RECORD"?

)

I'm not a coeliac but I do have some issues with wheat and some other grains. I find I have less to no problems with sourdough so I have learnt to make my own sourdough bread.

 

[aaggjg]

Just a note on the ff and sour crop...

Some folks have encouraged using YEAST in the fermented feed. This is NOT good fermented feed practice and is likely the cause of any issue that someone may have w/ sour crop.

When fermenting feed, LACTIC FERMENTATION should be used - not yeast fermentation. There is a complete write-up on the differences of these on the blog.

If lacto-fermentation is used, you won't smell yeast or alcohol in the feed. Even if you haven't added yeast to the mix, natural occurring yeasts are in the air and on surfaces everywhere. The key is to keep the yeasts under control by having lactic acid producing bacteria having the upper hand in the mix. Balance is key.

This is just another reason that: If your fermented feed ever smells of Yeast/Mold or Alcohol DO NOT FEED IT!

I fermented with ACV no yeast or alcohol smell .... it was only my 2 bantams that got the sour crop ... everyone else was fine ... It was weird ....

 

[aaggjg]

We found this.....

What is it?!

Looks like the cocoon they pulled out of the throat of the victim from the river in Silence of the Lambs ....

 

[lalaland]

tiny chick question

The swedish flower hen chicks I have are tiny, 9 days old. They are in the group with other breeds, 9-14 day old chicks.
The tiniest is about the size of a ping pong ball - very petite. There are some small chicks in the group, but also some that are maybe three times larger even though they are basically the same age.



She has been spending a lot of time sleeping, more so than other chicks. Is sleeping just about every time I check on the chicks, at time when no one else is sleeping or maybe one chick sleeping too but never the same chick sleeping with her.

I am worrying that she isn't getting enough nutrition - she is so much smaller that she literally gets bowled over by the others.

There are multiple feeders and waters, but you know how it is with chicks - they seem to run as a herd.

I have been giving her chance to eat and drink when I am checking on them, and that has helped as her crop is getting fuller - is this a failure to thrive or just a tiny chick who can't compete with others? The other small swedish flower hen is probably a rooster, and a scrapper for sure - just gets right in there and eats.

 

[Bulldogma]

tiny chick question

The swedish flower hen chicks I have are tiny, 9 days old. They are in the group with other breeds, 9-14 day old chicks.
The tiniest is about the size of a ping pong ball - very petite. There are some small chicks in the group, but also some that are maybe three times larger even though they are basically the same age.



She has been spending a lot of time sleeping, more so than other chicks. Is sleeping just about every time I check on the chicks, at time when no one else is sleeping or maybe one chick sleeping too but never the same chick sleeping with her.

I am worrying that she isn't getting enough nutrition - she is so much smaller that she literally gets bowled over by the others.

There are multiple feeders and waters, but you know how it is with chicks - they seem to run as a herd.

I have been giving her chance to eat and drink when I am checking on them, and that has helped as her crop is getting fuller - is this a failure to thrive or just a tiny chick who can't compete with others? The other small swedish flower hen is probably a rooster, and a scrapper for sure - just gets right in there and eats.

Medicated or unmedicated feed? SFH often react poorly to medicated feed.
If you're already feeding unmedicated feed, you may need to separate her (just put her in with 1 other gentle chick) for a few days until she gets healthier. If she doesn't thrive after that, she's probably got some kind of issue.

 

[groverlvchx]

Thank you for sharing this! It's always good to have a variety of experiences and information!


For this particular girl, I would try a hen saddle until she is healed.

Thank you, Bulldogma!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Wanted to add. My ff, the birds just love. BUT, mine isn't really fermented. Each night I fill my pail with feed, water and ACV. By morning, it's swelled to the top and I feed it. The days that I forgot to get it ready, the birds are so disappointed. I feel they are still getting the benefits from the feed and ACV. I'm getting the benefit from feeding less feed and less waste. I also don't worry as much as to the weather. (rain)

Just soaking the feed overnight helps reduce the anti-nutrients that are present in the grains so it is still a good thing and helps make the nutrients in the feed more bio-availalbe!

 

[Mumsy]

After all the sad postings and necropsy postings, here are some gratuitous cutie pie Silkie pictures. Two of my Catdance chicks got their first bath and blow dry today. The sun came out briefly just in time for some updated pictures in the Potager garden amongst the strawberry plants, lettuce, and pansies. The two Partridge chicks are female. I am so glad. I am not particularly fond of Partridge male coloring. I want to put these two cuties with a Blue Split male and start a Blue Partridge project pen.



This little girl just wants to hide under that mop of a huge crest.



She didn't want to show off her fluffy bum or fuzzy feet.



Her sister doesn't have the huge crest yet but her feet are magnificent!



They are such fun. A perfect diversion after yesterday. They aren't very old yet. Still under three months.

 

[BlueMouse]

Ok. So, I got the cup waterers and my DH made a great bucket waterer. But the chickens are NOT using it. At all. Even though I filled the cups with a little water a few times, hoping they'd get the idea... any suggestions from people who use them?

 

[lalaland]

Medicated or unmedicated feed? SFH often react poorly to medicated feed.
If you're already feeding unmedicated feed, you may need to separate her (just put her in with 1 other gentle chick) for a few days until she gets healthier. If she doesn't thrive after that, she's probably got some kind of issue.

unmedicated, but I didn't know they react poorly to medicated feed. I was wishing I had a little hamster cage to put her in inside the brooder to give her a little safety and breathing room.
thanks, I'll see if I can come up with something to keep her in - only have one working heat lamp and they are still wanting heat. especially her! I can't believe how tiny she is.

She is also a little formed strangely, her tail end slopes outward under her vent, so her droppings go right on her feathers. well, fluff anyway no feathers there yet. I thought she was having a pasty problem but it isn't her diet it is her body form. she gets cleaned up twice daily as a result.