The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

Off topic... How is it, with this thriving thread, that some people are visiting natural-solution-seeker's threads to say all natural methods fail as one can apparently see from all the threads on them, etc... I've always pursued the natural methods and found higher success rates than everyone I know who uses commercial/normal methods of poultry husbandry. So personally I vouch for natural as opposed to chemical 100%. But some people seem to make a crusade about chemicals as being the only way. I think the naysayers put a lot of beginners off what it in fact the best choice for their health and their animal's health. It's a shame.

I see this far too often... People pressing the chemicals. Especially worming medications and medicated feed.. Like our birds will DIE without it.

 

[chooks4life]

Regarding goats having to be wormed monthly, no, they don't. Nothing does. Not if it's kept in a healthy environment anyway...

I've also kept goats and sheep, and have an orphan lamb now. Before the advent of chemicals, livestock and their owners knew what to use to kill and prevent worms. Wild animals still know what to use; the only time you'll ever see a wild animal dying from worm infestation is when it was already struck down from illness or injury, or confined to an area that does not contain the natural wormers they need. Goats/sheep left to roam in a natural environment will consume the plants and sometimes dirt etc. they need to worm themselves. It's nothing short of a wonder the proponents of 'all things chemical as the only way' never stop to question how people farmed before chemicals, or how wild animals don't die out completely without their miraculous poisons! They go with the incredibly ignorant/history-blind idea that it was an unending deathfest. Must be true because the guy who sells me chemicals said so. Takes science to make chemicals. So it must be true because science is infallible, isn't it? Circular logic failure.

People tend to make much ado about the worminess of soil but DE was discovered because horses running on DE rich pasture just didn't need worming, as an example. On that topic I believe many people use the wrong grade so don't get good results; there are filtering grades as well as coarse grades that work by slicing parasites to death whether internal or external. The relevant discriminator is the size and strength of the diatomites.

I had an orphan merino cross I raised who ate a whole bush of wormwood of the artimissia family. I'd been told a few leaves was potentially deadly; a bush that big (kilos of leaves, bigger than her) would kill her, but she ate the whole lot and was worm free for years; in fact even dirt couldn't touch her, and she was born in and remained in the neighbourhood to truly shocking and abhorrent farming practices. You might not believe me if I told you! I never wormed her or any of my goats or sheep with chemicals. Carrot's a great wormer by virtue of the fibre, and the allium family's a great preventative as well as antibiotic and gentle wormer by virtues of the Allicin and sulfur, and goats if let to browse instead of being forced to graze will often eat such fibrous material the worms suffer and die; it'd be like us trying to eat telephone poles, lol.

In my experience, let the animals eat what is natural to their race's birthland environments, like their wild kin, and they simply do not need worming with chemicals as they are constantly preventing the external and internal parasites from thriving, through diet. A truly healthy animal can't be overrun by parasites. With my chooks, I maintain raw garlic at all times, and every few full moons, before it's full, I give something like tabasco sauce on bread to kill any worms there might be as they emerge from the tissues to breed in the intestines. I've done this for years. I've only seen a few worms in brought in outside stock so far. But I will keep practicing prevention as an ounce of prevention's worth a pound of cure. I've never had lice or mite or worm problems. Also it appears you can't lose chicks to coccidiosis if they have garlic. I swear by it for so many things. I recommend the books of Pat Coleby, and Juliette de Bairacli Levy. Neither of them is 100% right but they sure did know a few things!

 

[Quailsong]

I log in to see 100 new posts today! You guys are making it challenging to keep up - but don't stop!

Thank you to Leah (I believe) who gave info on the teflon coated lightbulbs. If I hadn't read about it here I may have used it on my hermit crabs one day or even my chicks. So big-big thank you as you may have saved some lives.

 

[aoxa]

I log in to see 100 new posts today! You guys are making it challenging to keep up - but don't stop! Thank you to Leah (I believe) who gave info on the teflon coated lightbulbs. If I hadn't read about it here I may have used it on my hermit crabs one day or even my chicks. So big-big thank you as you may have saved some lives.

Mind me asking why hermit crabs? Are they pets?

Hope that doesn't sound rude or anything. I'm legitimately curious.

 

[armorfirelady]

I used to be a poop watcher when I got my hens. Today I realized I am a chick watcher ..............Copper twice was fluffed up half laying on her side in the sun..............then Edie was doing it was before I left for work........then I realized duh they are just sunning themselves !!!!

Thank goodness I had to come to work I think those chicks are sick of me staring at them

Chooks great post and one that I believe as well. The only chemical I use is for my dogs and thats their flea/tick meds. We camp & hike so much I needed something that would keep them pest free. Plus if they brought fleas in the house then I would have 4 cats with fleas......I have battled fleas before and its not fun.

Aoxa- I was thinking of you today as I was taking pictures of the chicks. I finally figured out how you get such up close on the chicks level pics. You must lay down to take them ? I tried it and I think the pics were ok. lol But they will never will be as beautiful as yours. And I also cant believe you went somewhere without you camera

 

[countrygirl74]

Uhhhh, is it normal for a rooster to go in the hen house and make a nest and SIT in it while other hens are laying eggs or brooding???? >.>

This really makes me miss my "Chubby Cheeks" roo that I had to re-home. He would always make nests for the girls and cluck to show them. My silkie roo that was a brat to us would do it too - once he even laid on my broody silkie's eggs while she went out to take a break. When she came back in, he got off. Sooo cute!!

Mind me asking why hermit crabs? Are they pets?

Hope that doesn't sound rude or anything. I'm legitimately curious.

My daughter has hermit crabs for pets - not cuddly by any means, but definitely interesting! We got them by accident - she won one at a fair and then decided she needed a couple more and built them quite a little habitat with her allowance. They are interesting little creatures - they get bored like anything else, so she moves things around for them. They change shells occasionally as they out-grow their previous ones - there's even a "pecking" order with crabs and when you introduce a new one, it's fun to watch them work it out. It's amazing how even these silly little hermit crabs have their own personalities.

 

[salt and pepper]

Coop has mites again.... What is a fool proof way of getting rid of them? I've tried DE, permethrin ( powder, and spray ) and frontline, and nothing has worked!!! Does anyone have an idea what to use???? Thought it had to do with bedding, but they had mite no matter what, so I went back to straw, since I HATE shavings. Almost thinking they're baby spiders, because my chickens show NO signs of being ill, I just see little brown bugs in the coop.

 

[stonykill]

lots of new pics on my "thing" but just had to share this one. Loin...behave

 

[Alibabe]

lots of new pics on my "thing" but just had to share this one. Loin...behave

They are so cute, just love them.

 

[armorfirelady]

Coop has mites again.... What is a fool proof way of getting rid of them? I've tried DE, permethrin ( powder, and spray ) and frontline, and nothing has worked!!! Does anyone have an idea what to use???? Thought it had to do with bedding, but they had mite no matter what, so I went back to straw, since I HATE shavings. Almost thinking they're baby spiders, because my chickens show NO signs of being ill, I just see little brown bugs in the coop.

I've read on here that you need to clean your coop out completely, remove everything, white wash the inside walls, etc, & neem oil for the roosts & little spots you cant get the white wash into.

Wood ash is mite/lice preventive for the chickens.

And I believe that mites can be in straw or hay (I forget which)