The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[salt and pepper]

Does anyone know the process to get NPIP certified? Plan on shipping eggs next year, and might as well do it legally haha. Also, what are the chances of a flock of less than 50 birds having AI? They are all acting fine, ( all laying again!! ) But definitely don't want to infect somebody Else's birds if they carry it. And can you test for Mareks on a LIVE bird? No moralities this year, and don't plan to kill a bird just to find out. Thanks!!

 

[countrygirl74]

My coop does have an odor. My grandson said last week..*I don't like the smell today, can I leave?*. I concluded I needed to add more shavings.He usually likes the coop so I know the rain has added to the odor. I have also been adding more LABS to the coop and that might have something to do with it too...I am not sure since I do not smell it.

I add the LAB to keep the smell down... it works wonderfully, especially with my duck pen.

Also, added vanilla trees and fly paper and the flies have greatly diminished...

 

[delisha]

Does anyone know the process to get NPIP certified? Plan on shipping eggs next year, and might as well do it legally haha. Also, what are the chances of a flock of less than 50 birds having AI? They are all acting fine, ( all laying again!! ) But definitely don't want to infect somebody Else's birds if they carry it. And can you test for Mareks on a LIVE bird? No moralities this year, and don't plan to kill a bird just to find out. Thanks!!

Go to your State Ag. Department website. They have forms for you to fill out and to schedule your testing and inspection.

Quote: I added the LABS too..I am not sure if that is what changed the smell or not..I have few fly's in the coop and I am pretty grateful..however it is loaded with skeeders with all of this rain.


Justine..

LABS is what you make to spray in the coop, garden and add to FF using anaerobic methods using lactic acid producing bacteria to ferment.
I used the recipie using rice water and raw milk.

 

[NanaLynn]

How are the birds doing?

Have you found the dogs owners?

I hear you on all the wetness. My run is pretty yucky..I don't lock my birds in it this time of year, so I do not worry about it.

Thank you for asking. I actually was dreading going out to the coop this morning because yesterday afternoon they were not eating for me and just looked pitiful. I had planned to put them out of the their misery today if they still looked bad and I was also afraid of what I would see in the morning when I went in the coop.

They actually both looked better today and my BR, Oreo was really working on standing and walking around and she ate a lot of wet food like she was starving. The BO, Big Mama also came to visit Oreo in the dog cage she's in and drank a lot of water and attempted to eat some of Oreo's food. She even seemed to pick up a speck of food on her own, so we are hoping that she is getting some food in her. Big Mama also walks everywhere and pecks when I throw treats down. The other 3 adult birds and the one 9 week old also came into the dog cage to visit as well. Oreo seems to eat better when the others are there trying to steal her food.

I opened the doors for them this afternoon and the four healthy ones ran out flying into the garden. The BO came out too and tried to eat a tomato from the garden and peck around. Oreo hopped out of her cage, but she can't get far yet so I carried her outside and put her on some grass and she practiced standing a little and then pecked the ground and some grass. Here are a few pics of the two. Were still not out of the woods yet with them, but we do have slow improvements. It's nice to think that they may actually pull thru.

About the dog, I did call the animal control, but I have not heard back. I hope they caught it.

Here are a few pics of the two. Not great pics, sorry

She is actually standing on both feet here which is a huge improvement. Her scoot has turned into a walk and scoot now and each day she stays up a little longer.


Here is Big Mama preening herself while out in the garden. She even flapped her wings a little. She acts pretty much like a normal chicken now but is just a lot slower in her movements.


You can see her eye here, it is now half open and not closed up. When I saw her this morning I thought I might need to clean it with saline solution, but by midday it was already looking better. You can see that she is still pretty plump, so we think she is actually getting some food in her. I know she's been drinking water with vitamins and electrolytes.

So today was a good day for them. Plus my EE is finally squatting and checking out nest boxes and the RIR has been squatting too. So maybe I'll actually start having eggs again!

That stupid dog killed all my hens that had already started laying eggs

 

[NanaLynn]

I fill the run with wood chips so essentially it's a deep litter. No smell so far even in the rain.

My run was pretty much deep litter until this rain started and never stopped. I had dry leaves and grass clippings in it.

I'll have to try the wood chips too.

I think we have one more week of this nasty weather.

 

[loveourbirds]

Does anyone know the process to get NPIP certified? Plan on shipping eggs next year, and might as well do it legally haha. Also, what are the chances of a flock of less than 50 birds having AI? They are all acting fine, ( all laying again!! ) But definitely don't want to infect somebody Else's birds if they carry it. And can you test for Mareks on a LIVE bird? No moralities this year, and don't plan to kill a bird just to find out. Thanks!!

it differs from state to state. typically you call the department of agriculture, not sure in GA.

AI is very rare in the United States. you are fine with that more than likely - unless you've imported birds from banned countries.

I don't think mereks disease can be transmitted through the egg, but I have been wrong before. anyways here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marek's_disease

I am a member of NPIP in OH, for me they came in and tested 10 or 15 birds for pullorum, then throat swabbed 30 birds I think. I have around 400 breeders at the moment. he did mention there was a lot of pullorum in turkeys. mine tested clean

.

in OH it is a $50 fee for a one year membership. there is some paperwork involved, but all in all its a simple process.

 

[salt and pepper]

it differs from state to state. typically you call the department of agriculture, not sure in GA.

AI is very rare in the United States. you are fine with that more than likely - unless you've imported birds from banned countries.

I don't think mereks disease can be transmitted through the egg, but I have been wrong before. anyways here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marek's_disease

I am a member of NPIP in OH, for me they came in and tested 10 or 15 birds for pullorum, then throat swabbed 30 birds I think. I have around 400 breeders at the moment. he did mention there was a lot of pullorum in turkeys. mine tested clean

.

in OH it is a $50 fee for a one year membership. there is some paperwork involved, but all in all its a simple process.

Thank you!! Haha, and no, haven't illegally imported any birds

Thanks for the link

400 birds? And I thought I had a lot! Thanks for the help!

 

[armorfirelady]

Well I tried again to to get the plug out of greens foot. Actually got more scab off this time. Squeezed her worse foot and got some pus out. Since its 85 and high humidity she got stressed so I didn't poke that long. She did enjoy the cool foot soak tho. Since the temps won't be going down for a few days I am just going to leave her dressing on for a few days before I try again. I really don't won't to stress her out in this heat. She panted during the poking and afterwards for almost a half hour, I also ordered on of those biopsy punches today that Leah's mom spoke of. I am hoping I will have better luck getting the scab off.

When I tried to pull the plug out it pulled in the skin on the side of her pad. Have others had this happen when trying to remove it? It's like it's attached in there. I was afraid of doing more harm than good?


The tots are not enjoying this hot weather, they were all panting horribly even in the shade. I refilled all the waters, added another and put ice in them. Put out a couple bowls with water and ice in them out as well. Sprayed the grass in the shade down so it would help cool them off and gave them some frozen veggies I found in the freezer. They certainly overheated from lack of water lol. This weekend I am going to get a few watermelons to freeze. They love it and it has so much water in it that it helps keep them cool. Big girls were panting and walking around with wings out. And the heat is making them crabbier towards the tots. And red was out in the full sun dust bathing while everyone was in the shade. I walked over to her and she was panting horribly. I scooted her over to where I put the fruit and veggies out hoping she would stay in the shade :/

I am glad the rain stopped but the humidity can go to lol

 

[Eggcessive]

Well I haven't managed to catch up since our weekend away but I will.

When we got home a few birds were sneezing, now a few are gurgling and one has bubbly liquid coming from both eyes. Sending a few to the lab this week and I'm afraid they have mycoplasma.

If they test positive I will have the second flock tested and the chicks. If all are infected I guess I am about to cull around 60 birds.

I just want to cry. Never thought I would be so attached to chickens not to mention the cost of this many birds. Just seems so hopeless.

The two coops are about 200' apart and none of my Amerecaunas are showing symptoms. I hope they have been spared but we had stopped being super careful once they were older.

Has anyone been through this?

Sometimes there can be more than one thing going on. If you lose any I would definitely get it necropsied by officials--many times mycoplasma has false negatives because it is hard to isolate. My good friend is head of microbiology at our local hospital and has had mycoplasma himself told me that it is hard to culture--many false negatives. You don't necessarily have to cull, but you could have a closed flock. MG is not a death sentence--I have read a lot of threads where their birds are okay after initially treatment. It is a personal choice. I overheard a couple of docs talking recently about mycoplasma being absolutely everywhere in the environment, so I think that we are lucky that we all don't have something like this going on in our flocks.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

My coop does not smell too bad, but the run does with all the mud. Part of it is covered, but with all this rain, it is all wet.

I have to agree it is the mud that smells in my run.