Ribbons, bamboo canes, and flags flying above the baby turkey pen.
It looks like a garden party - I love it!!!
The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!
- Thread starter Bulldogma
- Start date
It looks like a garden party - I love it!!!
My OEs are looking much better after 2 days of fresh water with ACV, clean shavings, and lots of organic crumbles. The little one, Gwendolyn, still has stinky tan/yellow poop - Kind of like the pictures of ceacal poop - but she does it every time. I added ground pumpkin seeds to help in case it is worms (no worms visible). But what if it is cocci? I was prepared to come home from work and find her looking sick, but she's not.. She's feisty!
Work is going to be insane this week so I can't take in a sample to the vet. If she looked sick, I was going to try and pick up some corid at lunch - but I hate to treat if they don't need it.
Osprey has tannish poop too, but it seems firmer and doesn't really smell. She is looking really good, calming down and doesn't scream any more when I pick her up. (Might have to change her name since she's not looking quite as vicious now)
Any ideas on how best to treat? Not sure how to get garlic down these wild things. Maybe I can mix a bunch in some plain yogurt and wipe it into their beaks? If I put it in their dry feed, they may just skip eating it. Powder might work.
Thanks for any advice.
PS: I'll be working way more than full-time this week, so any interventions need to be just once or twice a day.
Work is going to be insane this week so I can't take in a sample to the vet. If she looked sick, I was going to try and pick up some corid at lunch - but I hate to treat if they don't need it.
Osprey has tannish poop too, but it seems firmer and doesn't really smell. She is looking really good, calming down and doesn't scream any more when I pick her up. (Might have to change her name since she's not looking quite as vicious now)
Any ideas on how best to treat? Not sure how to get garlic down these wild things. Maybe I can mix a bunch in some plain yogurt and wipe it into their beaks? If I put it in their dry feed, they may just skip eating it. Powder might work.
Thanks for any advice.
PS: I'll be working way more than full-time this week, so any interventions need to be just once or twice a day.
wet your dry feed down with water and stir in the chopped up fresh garlic.
For some reason all of my chickens love garlic and some pick it out more than others do.
Quote: It is, and thanks Leahs Mom.
Quote: My experience in a nutshell: I'd only used natural methods from day one with my chooks, which involved garlic in quite large quantities, as much as they showed they wanted to eat (average of five cloves a day per bird; interestingly chicks have one of the biggest appetites for it, akin to a sick bird's); due to expense of money and time I whittled this down to what I found was the minimum average required to keep them in good health, which was one clove a day each.
I have used cayenne pepper an average of two to three times a month, sometimes steadily for a week straight, bearing in mind some are extremely hot and some very mild, there are many different types. I used what was termed 'extra hot' but in actuality is around middling strength. I would not use full strength chilli on any animal just like I wouldn't eat it, even though I have a strong tolerance for chilli, because the strongest ones are very caustic, and would indeed cause the effects Leahs Mom listed, as they cannot be eaten without burning; however they are not usually sold nor eaten.
In my experience chickens have a higher tolerance for some foods than we do, and hot foods are one of them; they can't seem to get enough. The prolonged usage of cayenne was to remove worms in birds brought in from outside, and always worked. I also added stuff like Clive Of India curry mix, as it has no salt and nothing but spices in it, and lots of turmeric. Black Pepper, of McKenzie's brand, was also wildly popular, and the last few days in fact I've been using that brand to treat a spasming muscle group in my sheep's back after she injured herself; also some of my siblings have MS and use that pepper as medicine to stop the spasms; this is the same pepper type used to stop epileptic ducks from having fits. It works like a charm.
Chicks in particular, again, loved the very hot spiced foods. As they were younger and I wasn't sure I would make them an unspiced mix as well and let them have both. The unspiced mix was unloved, lol. The adult birds were allowed to clean up after the chicks had had their daily ration, and they too preferred the spiced foods. It became a waste to offer unspiced mix. But I don't spice their mix all the time due to financial constraints; not sure I would even if I could afford to, because some of those herbs are strong cleansers, which is probably what Leahs Mom meant..
Regarding ACV: I sometimes give it in their water as often as daily for a week or two when disease seems it might be around, and give it once every fourth day or so on average. I've not had any problems and they did better when I had the ACV in their water nonstop, and fermented their feed. I've experimented with all the items I endorse and have found the minimums and averages that work for me.
Quote: Quote: Mixed with yogurt is a great way to introduce it. I've never had to force feed it, I don't think that's necessary. The poop colors you described can indicate Tuberculosis in turkeys, especially if they look greasy; but I don't know about chooks; I've seen about ten poops that color since I started with poultry and they never persisted.
Quote: My experience in a nutshell: I'd only used natural methods from day one with my chooks, which involved garlic in quite large quantities, as much as they showed they wanted to eat (average of five cloves a day per bird; interestingly chicks have one of the biggest appetites for it, akin to a sick bird's); due to expense of money and time I whittled this down to what I found was the minimum average required to keep them in good health, which was one clove a day each.
I have used cayenne pepper an average of two to three times a month, sometimes steadily for a week straight, bearing in mind some are extremely hot and some very mild, there are many different types. I used what was termed 'extra hot' but in actuality is around middling strength. I would not use full strength chilli on any animal just like I wouldn't eat it, even though I have a strong tolerance for chilli, because the strongest ones are very caustic, and would indeed cause the effects Leahs Mom listed, as they cannot be eaten without burning; however they are not usually sold nor eaten.
In my experience chickens have a higher tolerance for some foods than we do, and hot foods are one of them; they can't seem to get enough. The prolonged usage of cayenne was to remove worms in birds brought in from outside, and always worked. I also added stuff like Clive Of India curry mix, as it has no salt and nothing but spices in it, and lots of turmeric. Black Pepper, of McKenzie's brand, was also wildly popular, and the last few days in fact I've been using that brand to treat a spasming muscle group in my sheep's back after she injured herself; also some of my siblings have MS and use that pepper as medicine to stop the spasms; this is the same pepper type used to stop epileptic ducks from having fits. It works like a charm.
Chicks in particular, again, loved the very hot spiced foods. As they were younger and I wasn't sure I would make them an unspiced mix as well and let them have both. The unspiced mix was unloved, lol. The adult birds were allowed to clean up after the chicks had had their daily ration, and they too preferred the spiced foods. It became a waste to offer unspiced mix. But I don't spice their mix all the time due to financial constraints; not sure I would even if I could afford to, because some of those herbs are strong cleansers, which is probably what Leahs Mom meant..
Regarding ACV: I sometimes give it in their water as often as daily for a week or two when disease seems it might be around, and give it once every fourth day or so on average. I've not had any problems and they did better when I had the ACV in their water nonstop, and fermented their feed. I've experimented with all the items I endorse and have found the minimums and averages that work for me.
Quote: Quote: Mixed with yogurt is a great way to introduce it. I've never had to force feed it, I don't think that's necessary. The poop colors you described can indicate Tuberculosis in turkeys, especially if they look greasy; but I don't know about chooks; I've seen about ten poops that color since I started with poultry and they never persisted.
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Quote: I think possibly I'm the start of the various 'vilifying' statements being posted, since I was the first to mention vilification in regards to this circumstance. If this is the case, then this is a misunderstanding. I meant that if things go wrong (if his poultry die after you treat them) you may be the target of vilification; possibly from your erstwhile friend, or community; I did not accuse you of vilifying him, nor did I vilify or accuse anyone of vilifying anyone. I wouldn't vilify anyone for using vaccines either, despite my stance on them. Each to their own, we do what we believe is right. I think I often cause misunderstandings, just not wording things right, but I can't seem to figure out how is best, lol. Could just be a geographic thing...
Quote: I mince it finely and mix with their grain mix. How much shouldn't be an issue. I'd offer anything from half a clove each to two cloves each depending on how much they want it. For bigger chooks I give an average of a clove each as maintenance and they can have more if they want it. Same deal, mixed with grain. Adults don't need it as finely minced or crushed as chicks obviously.
Quote: I will just add something in regards to using herbs to treat animals. In the wild, animals have the whole cornucopia of natural medicine at hand, and self medicate at will. In the case of garlic and onions, the Allium family grows wild in many places in many countries, and wild animals of all sorts partake regularly of these. All domestic herbs have their wild relatives; each country has its often less-known native herbs that fulfill the same purpose as the more common european ones we tend to use... Animals in the wild do self medicate; herbs are not something we invented, nor do they need to be prepared the way we prepare them to be consumed. Many of the herbs we use, if not most, were in fact discovered by our ancestors by watching the wild animals and their livestock, learning from what they used to treat themselves what would also work to treat those diseases and symptoms in humans.
In the case of kelp, wild animals that live far inland in many countries are known to make huge voyages to the ocean to obtain it. Sheep are even known to swim to get it as well as other seaweeds. Animals do go out of their way to obtain herbs for certain problems; like some macaws and monkeys seek out charcoal to eat after eating poisonous fruits, which is how they survive; similar to elephants visiting the ocean, and going underground into caves to get mineral salt, and females of many species seeking certain plants to be in the vicinity of during parturition, or lining their nests with them. Wild animals have great instinct concerning plants as medicine and many plants we think of as 'weeds' are in fact important herbs that save lives. Dandelion is one, couch grass is another, all the wild raspberry plants another example... The list goes on. Couch grass is used to stop hemorrhaging, and recently has been used in tea by some men to cure prostate cancer, dandelion can save an animal from liver failure, raspberry has a range of uses including being a lifesaving herb for females to consume during difficult births, etc.
The trick is for us to supply these natural remedies to the animals we keep in isolation from them. Even if they're free ranging they can't self medicate if all you've got is commercial pasture mix breeds.
Quote: Heritage breeds of rhubarb are more likely to cause death as far as I can see, as they are more potent on average; but it really does vary between strains and breeds. If the birds are eating yours and not dying it might be fine, but kidney failure can be slow as well as rapid. Interestingly, milk chocolate (not milk-free chocolate) causes oxalic acid crystals to build up in the kidneys, but some are far more sensitive than others. I think there are a few different types of people who get addicted to different things and have greater tolerance/need for some of the unique properties of each potentially harmful item they prefer... If I'm even making sense, lol.
Quote: I mince it finely and mix with their grain mix. How much shouldn't be an issue. I'd offer anything from half a clove each to two cloves each depending on how much they want it. For bigger chooks I give an average of a clove each as maintenance and they can have more if they want it. Same deal, mixed with grain. Adults don't need it as finely minced or crushed as chicks obviously.
Quote: I will just add something in regards to using herbs to treat animals. In the wild, animals have the whole cornucopia of natural medicine at hand, and self medicate at will. In the case of garlic and onions, the Allium family grows wild in many places in many countries, and wild animals of all sorts partake regularly of these. All domestic herbs have their wild relatives; each country has its often less-known native herbs that fulfill the same purpose as the more common european ones we tend to use... Animals in the wild do self medicate; herbs are not something we invented, nor do they need to be prepared the way we prepare them to be consumed. Many of the herbs we use, if not most, were in fact discovered by our ancestors by watching the wild animals and their livestock, learning from what they used to treat themselves what would also work to treat those diseases and symptoms in humans.
In the case of kelp, wild animals that live far inland in many countries are known to make huge voyages to the ocean to obtain it. Sheep are even known to swim to get it as well as other seaweeds. Animals do go out of their way to obtain herbs for certain problems; like some macaws and monkeys seek out charcoal to eat after eating poisonous fruits, which is how they survive; similar to elephants visiting the ocean, and going underground into caves to get mineral salt, and females of many species seeking certain plants to be in the vicinity of during parturition, or lining their nests with them. Wild animals have great instinct concerning plants as medicine and many plants we think of as 'weeds' are in fact important herbs that save lives. Dandelion is one, couch grass is another, all the wild raspberry plants another example... The list goes on. Couch grass is used to stop hemorrhaging, and recently has been used in tea by some men to cure prostate cancer, dandelion can save an animal from liver failure, raspberry has a range of uses including being a lifesaving herb for females to consume during difficult births, etc.
The trick is for us to supply these natural remedies to the animals we keep in isolation from them. Even if they're free ranging they can't self medicate if all you've got is commercial pasture mix breeds.
Quote: Heritage breeds of rhubarb are more likely to cause death as far as I can see, as they are more potent on average; but it really does vary between strains and breeds. If the birds are eating yours and not dying it might be fine, but kidney failure can be slow as well as rapid. Interestingly, milk chocolate (not milk-free chocolate) causes oxalic acid crystals to build up in the kidneys, but some are far more sensitive than others. I think there are a few different types of people who get addicted to different things and have greater tolerance/need for some of the unique properties of each potentially harmful item they prefer... If I'm even making sense, lol.
- Nov 1, 2012
- 1,499
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aoxa- Do you use your Brinsea EcoGlow for ducklings? Some people on another thread I am on were asking. Is there a limit of ducklings per unit since they are bigger? What's your experience?
Does anyone else use the Eco Glow for ducks?
Thank you for your help.
Does anyone else use the Eco Glow for ducks?
Thank you for your help.
While you're talking about the ecoglow - do you have the larger one or the smaller one? How many chicks are you fitting under it comfortably?
I have the one duck right now, but it can be used for turkeys, ducks, geese, pheasants, and exotic birds. You would just have to consider the space requirement. You could very well use the ecoglow for khaki campbells at the same # of birds under it as chicks. Same with call ducks, or runners. If you are talking Pekins.. I'd put 10 under it. By the time they are too big, they don't need it anyway. My Pekin X (who is MASSIVE) didn't go under it at all after 1.5 weeks. Just snuggled to the edge of it. I took them all of the ecoglow at 4 weeks old. I needed it for other chicks. Nights get down to 5-10 Celsius (40-50F) and they are all fine. I'm sure it's a bit warmer in the barn than it is outside. So lets say 50-60F inside the barn.
My only regret with them is that I didn't get at least one of the 50 chick ecoglows.
I have 70 birds due to come here on June 28th. I'm going to have to do a heat lamp. It's going to be very secure... and as soon as they are 2 weeks old, no more heat lamp.. I'm raising meaties and layers. In July they really shouldn't need much of the heat anyway.. only at night and for the first week.
I comfortably fit 20 under one. Just like it is intended for.
I'm using two for 35 chicks, and they have plenty of room. They are between 1-3 weeks old.
- Nov 1, 2012
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My kids are almost all out of the house now too, so I can relate. I work from home and I have to remind myself to get back to work since the chickens and garden are so inviting.Thank you. Your words are very kind.
After all these years, I still smile when a chicken will come up to my leg, peck my cuff and squat when I pet her. I know it means she thinks I am head of the flock in her world. I laugh when they shake after our encounters. I aways comment out loud, "Was that good for you?"
First eggs are the best. Take a picture to mark the occasion.
My garden and flock get a lot of my attention. All the children are grown, married, and gone. My husband still works full time. Rain or shine, I'm outside puttering.
I guess I am head of my flock too, it seems all of them are squatting now. I will be celebrating that first egg and showing off like the new chicken owner I am.
Thank you for your quick response. You're really going to fill up that new barn quick. That's a lot of birds!
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