The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Eggcessive]

I have done research on the different respritory diseases, and it's the only one that matches. They are gasping, and their faces are swollen around their eyes, and nose, they are also skinny, and small. My birds did have something, but it was just sneezing, and runny nose, and cleared up quickly. I'll be treating anyway, just to protect my own flock.

IBis the mildest of the respiratory diseases, and has much lower mortality--something like 0-25%. Chicks though will die, and it may affect egg laying or cause kidney damage in all. It's symptoms are lethargy, coughing/sneezing, nasal discharge--not the facial swelling and eye drainage and bubbling of some of the worse ones such as mycoplasma and coryza.. There really is no treatment since it is a virus, unless you get complications like pneumonia.

 

[Pozees]

I'm a little late for the country shout out, but here is a few for next week possibly

Uhh.. Who invited this goat to breakfast?





Bantam Ameraucana - Nora. Checking out the barn.



and Henry.. Being adorable.

It was so hot out today. All the birds spent a great deal of the hot part of the day in the barn or in the woods. The barn.. Oh it's amazing guys.. The insulation keeps it SO cool. I am in love. I can sit in there and cool off.. So awesome.

The pic of Susan and the goat is just priceless

Nora is lovely!

Every time I see a pic of Henry, I think, "That dog has THE most beautiful feet!" Seriously, those front legs/paws are just gorgeous. Not to take anything away from his precious face, but I just love those feet!

I have gone back and forth about insulating my new coop, I want to mainly because of heat. We have that famous dry heat, which I have to tell you, at 5400 ft of elevation is freaking hot due to proximity to the sun. We have temps of 100+F in midsummer. So far the hottest it's been this year is 105. The coop was hot, but not as unbearably hot as I expected, and not as hot as outside OR the smaller layer's coop that is insulated. I think the smaller coop needs more ventilation. I am hoping to get the new coop insulated later this year. Right now we have pens with 4 sides set up in there made of pegboard (hat tip to Mumsy) and 2x4s so the studs and inside of the T-111 doesn't get soiled before we get to insulating it. I was hoping to hear from someone that insulation made a difference in the heat so I don't feel I'm wasting money and effort to insulate. Long way to say, thank you for mentioning this!

 

[Pozees]

Thanks! I think I will wait it out, I feel bad cause she came with another chick that turned out to be a cockerel so she got left alone when we got rid of him. They won't let her eat either and I just saw a fight between them over her trying to sneak some food.

Sounds like they need more feeding and watering stations spread around. I put some 8 week old SS in with 2 hens, and I was surprised at how well they integrated, but I have 3 waterers and 3 feeding stations in the run, and when I bring treats they get strewn about the run so all have an opportunity to consume them. Pecking order is painful to humans, but it is natural for chickens, and they depend on that hierarchy for survival; the caveat is, you must ensure all have ample opportunity to eat and drink.

 

[stonykill]

I see BDM's new is up!

I recognize many of the stars

 

[Kassaundra]

Seriously posting on the NATURAL chicken thread and vilifying someone you don't even know b/c they don't use antibiotics to treat their chickens?.

If a disease has all the symptoms of a known deadly disease (one that share many many sx w/ non deadly diseases) but no chickens are dying, reason tells you that it is one of the many many non deadly diseases. IB has a near 50% mortality rate so if near 50% aren't dying it is very very unlikely to be IB.

Especially if this family eats the eggs from these chickens they need to know about the antibiotics, so many people give lip service to raising their own chickens so they won't have all the additives of the big chicken factories only to turn around and use the same chemicals they say they don't want in their food. Do you know why they haven't tx their flock? Is it they can't afford to, or is it an ideological decision on their part?

As far as his chickens infecting someone else's flock 1 mile away, that is extremely unlikely, since almost all chicken disease is transmitted bird to bird,(or direct contact w/ an object from an infected bird to a non infected bird (shoes, litter, gloves, etc...))the much more likely route of transmission is the same wild birds that infected his birds also infected the posters birds.


My 2 cents anyway

 

[pebcrb]

Sounds like they need more feeding and watering stations spread around.  I put some 8 week old SS in with 2 hens, and I was surprised at how well they integrated, but I have 3 waterers and 3 feeding stations in the run, and when I bring treats they get strewn about the run so all have an opportunity to consume them.  Pecking order is painful to humans, but it is natural for chickens, and they depend on that hierarchy for survival; the caveat is, you must ensure all have ample opportunity to eat and drink.

Thank you for the advise, I am new to chickens and I am trying to be sure they are all happy

 

[aoxa]

The pic of Susan and the goat is just priceless

Nora is lovely!

Every time I see a pic of Henry, I think, "That dog has THE most beautiful feet!" Seriously, those front legs/paws are just gorgeous. Not to take anything away from his precious face, but I just love those feet!

I have gone back and forth about insulating my new coop, I want to mainly because of heat. We have that famous dry heat, which I have to tell you, at 5400 ft of elevation is freaking hot due to proximity to the sun. We have temps of 100+F in midsummer. So far the hottest it's been this year is 105. The coop was hot, but not as unbearably hot as I expected, and not as hot as outside OR the smaller layer's coop that is insulated. I think the smaller coop needs more ventilation. I am hoping to get the new coop insulated later this year. Right now we have pens with 4 sides set up in there made of pegboard (hat tip to Mumsy) and 2x4s so the studs and inside of the T-111 doesn't get soiled before we get to insulating it. I was hoping to hear from someone that insulation made a difference in the heat so I don't feel I'm wasting money and effort to insulate. Long way to say, thank you for mentioning this!

The baby barn is not insulated and you can see a huge difference. So hot in there.. If the sun is out, it is a good deal warmer in there than it is outside, even with one door and the window wide open.

Thank you for the compliments!

 

[Quailsong]

We are friends, And I honestly don't think he even knows there's anything wrong with his birds. He definitely isn't the kind to take advantage of people, or depend on them, he's always worked hard for what he has, and continues to do so, The odd part are some in a different pen are perfectly healthy. I was contemplating treating them for my own birds safety, and then I saw them, and I felt so bad for them, and I didn't want him losing anymore birds, that I decided to treat them. I have the stuff on hand anyway, so it won't be much of a problem, I'm the kind that wants to fix things, and these birds need fixing! lol. I'm probably getting a rabbit out of this whole thing, because they know I take care of all my animals, and they don't want it anymore.

I'd say if you want to be a good friend you tell him he has a problem with his flock. There's an old & over-used saying that I think fits: "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime." If you 'treat' behind his back, he'll never know what's wrong. Say you move or whatnot, and by then he's taken on a bigger project since he thinks he's doing so well - what will he do when you're gone? It's better to be forward/open early then after the fact.

Aoxa, you and me both. I recall being bedridden in an armchair for 3 months straight from bronchitis. And that was already my 2nd time (or more) in with that. Ugh.

 

[Quailsong]

Yes, floor, too. It may rust out in a few years, but it's galvanized, so I'm hoping for awhile. I've got it over gravel and will be putting a good layer of loam on top and then leaves, hay, etc on top of the dirt. I'm almost 60 and may only live her for anther 10 or 12 years, so if it lasts that long--great. Then I'll see whether I do more "farming" or increase my laziness. I come from a crazy-long-lived family, so maybe I'll need to "re-floor" and keep going for another 20-30 years. lol.

Sounds awesome. My family is short-lived, and I move a lot, but I like to think of the long term. I think heavy rocks/gravel would do it, not only to keep critters out but for good drainage under the run area. Soggy runs are yuck. May your wire last many a decade, mlowen!

 

[Eggcessive]

Helloooo

I was wondering if anybody could help me out by telling me what the following 2 ladies are a cross of?

Is she a cross of maran or barred rock? I think she is laying more of a normal beige/brown egg and she has a very slight green tinge to some of her feathers.


I



Is she a cross with a maran or black rock? She has the slight green sheen to her feathers when you see her in sunlight. She is laying a dark brown egg.







Thanks all.

What color legs does the first chicken have? If they are a pinkish white the chicken probably is a cuckoo marans--if yellow then a barred rock.