The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Shan30]

Trying to convince my husband that we need goats too. I want Nigerian Dwarves what's not to love? They trim the grass, look cute, give us milk and protect other livestock!

Soooooo test results just came back positive for MG.

Well there's no looking back is there?

Moving forward there are a few things we need to figure out.
1) Method of cull for 22 birds (so far)
2) Method of disposal for birds, bedding, hay bales etc. during a fire ban?????
3) Disinfect and white wash
4) Blood tests on other flocks
5) Three week waiting period
6) Move birds from Grow Out pen if they test negative
7) Move birds from brooder to grow out

I will call today to see if the animal health office has any ideas on disposal because I have no clue.

On a side note they both had Round Worm despite ACV, garlic, yogurt and herbs. Anything else I can do for the surviving flock for prevention?

 

[echosrevenge]

Lynn - time, and some high-calorie, high-nutrient foods like raw liver, dark leafy greens, etc to get her weight and health back up. Since she's made it this far, I'd say she'll come around eventually.

Laying may take time - I have a hatchery buff orp that I took on for a friend, she was the sole survivor of several coon raids on the coop - its been nearly a month and she's not shown any signs of wanting to lay yet. Traumas can really throw off their systems. I've read about herbs like fennel being good to get them laying again, but haven't tried it myself.

 

[Shan30]

Thanks for the info lalaland,
   I have read that sulfur in garlic is what makes it work. Is sulfur cheaper than garlic? I was just about to do an online search for bulk garlic powder but maybe I need to be looking for just plain sulfur instead. Chopping up the garlic is getting old pretty fast.  

Here the sulphur is cheaper. We use both however, garlic internally and sulphur externally.

It was very effective for mites.

 

[aoxa]

Trying to convince my husband that we need goats too. I want Nigerian Dwarves

what's not to love? They trim the grass, look cute, give us milk and protect other livestock!

Soooooo test results just came back positive for MG.

Well there's no looking back is there?

Moving forward there are a few things we need to figure out.
1) Method of cull for 22 birds (so far)
2) Method of disposal for birds, bedding, hay bales etc. during a fire ban?????
3) Disinfect and white wash
4) Blood tests on other flocks
5) Three week waiting period
6) Move birds from Grow Out pen if they test negative
7) Move birds from brooder to grow out

I will call today to see if the animal health office has any ideas on disposal because I have no clue.

On a side note they both had Round Worm despite ACV, garlic, yogurt and herbs. Anything else I can do for the surviving flock for prevention?

Oh no

For culling, you could process them for their meat by slitting their jugular and letting them bleed out. Their meat is not tainted by MG from what I have read.

What terrible news. I am so sorry!

 

[echosrevenge]

Shan30, that's awful!

I'll second what aoxa said about processing them for meat - MG is not transmissible to people and doesn't taint the meat unless its REALLY BAD and the bird has died on its own. Even old egg-machine hybrid hens can be pressure-canned easily for delicious, tender soup and sandwich meat. That way you'll have a lot less to dispose of, too. Deep burial is recommended to dispose of them if you can't burn. Is the burn ban county wide or bigger - do you have a friend who isn't under the ban and would let you do the burn there? I had cocci rock through one of my grow out coops earlier this year, and burning the bedding & bodies was a miserable chore (of course it was on some of the hottest, most humid days we had this spring...perfect cocci weather).

We just had Nigerian Dwarf ribs for dinner last night, they are delicious! Way tastier than the dairy breed wethers we grew out with them last year. Though, I never noticed them doing much defending...the chickens lived with them, so we maybe avoided some small predators because of that, but goats are just as vulnerable to coyotes and other large predators as chickens are, so I wouldn't depend on them to the same level as an LGD or even a donkey. We dont have goats this year, but next year I think we will get a couple of Nigie wethers to eat brush and then be eaten, they are used mostly as a meat goat in Africa (where they are native to) and I now know why! The tenderloin was some of the best meat I've ever eaten in my life.

 

[delisha]

I have a question for everyone. I was wondering if there is anything else I can give my BR that was injured by the dog a few weeks back? She really has improved a whole lot. She now has established herself at the top of the pecking order. Her wound seems to be healing well too, she has put on weight too.

She still is not where she used to be. Her comb and wattles are shrunken still and her face is still pale. Is there any type of food or treats that I can give her to help her in the healing process or should I just continue to wait?

Here are before and after pictures of her:
Here is Oreo before, nice and plump and red. She was right at POL


Here she is today:




Any ideas? or just give more time?

Thank you! - Lynn

Lynn,
You are doing such a good job. If you decide to add anything, perhaps raw liver, cyanne, Oregano and greens that promote healing to her diet. She needs time to fully recover. My personal opinion is that it is good she is not laying yet. Egg production would slow her recovery and in likely hood would start laying problems and possible internal infection. Give her a good three months before you start to worry. Progress is all you are looking for. She is still not out of the woods.

Trying to convince my husband that we need goats too. I want Nigerian Dwarves

what's not to love? They trim the grass, look cute, give us milk and protect other livestock!

Soooooo test results just came back positive for MG.

Well there's no looking back is there?

Moving forward there are a few things we need to figure out.
1) Method of cull for 22 birds (so far)
2) Method of disposal for birds, bedding, hay bales etc. during a fire ban?????
3) Disinfect and white wash
4) Blood tests on other flocks
5) Three week waiting period
6) Move birds from Grow Out pen if they test negative
7) Move birds from brooder to grow out

I will call today to see if the animal health office has any ideas on disposal because I have no clue.

On a side note they both had Round Worm despite ACV, garlic, yogurt and herbs. Anything else I can do for the surviving flock for prevention?

I would bleed them out, skin them and boil them. If you are afraid to eat them, store them in the freezer after cooking and feed them out to your healthy animals.

Quote: x2

 

[Italia]

Here the sulphur is cheaper. We use both however, garlic internally and sulphur externally.

It was very effective for mites.

Thanks Shan30, I started doing some digging and found some interesting things about organic sulfur(MSM) and DMSO. I will post some about it after I collect all the info together. DMSO has been under attack by the FDA and other alphabet organizations for some time and can cure almost everything from cancer to many other life threatening problems, so it does not surprise me that sulfur has a bad rap and has been kept hush hush. It makes me wonder if the miracles that are from DMSO are really from the organic sulfur compounds?

Where do you buy your sulfur at?

 

[Alibabe]

Trying to convince my husband that we need goats too. I want Nigerian Dwarves

what's not to love? They trim the grass, look cute, give us milk and protect other livestock!

Soooooo test results just came back positive for MG.

Well there's no looking back is there?

Moving forward there are a few things we need to figure out.
1) Method of cull for 22 birds (so far)
2) Method of disposal for birds, bedding, hay bales etc. during a fire ban?????
3) Disinfect and white wash
4) Blood tests on other flocks
5) Three week waiting period
6) Move birds from Grow Out pen if they test negative
7) Move birds from brooder to grow out

I will call today to see if the animal health office has any ideas on disposal because I have no clue.

On a side note they both had Round Worm despite ACV, garlic, yogurt and herbs. Anything else I can do for the surviving flock for prevention?

so sorry. I am not experienced enough to answer your questions.

 

[NanaLynn]

Lynn - time, and some high-calorie, high-nutrient foods like raw liver, dark leafy greens, etc to get her weight and health back up. Since she's made it this far, I'd say she'll come around eventually.

Laying may take time - I have a hatchery buff orp that I took on for a friend, she was the sole survivor of several coon raids on the coop - its been nearly a month and she's not shown any signs of wanting to lay yet. Traumas can really throw off their systems. I've read about herbs like fennel being good to get them laying again, but haven't tried it myself.

Lynn,
You are doing such a good job. If you decide to add anything, perhaps raw liver, cyanne, Oregano and greens that promote healing to her diet. She needs time to fully recover. My personal opinion is that it is good she is not laying yet. Egg production would slow her recovery and in likely hood would start laying problems and possible internal infection. Give her a good three months before you start to worry. Progress is all you are looking for. She is still not out of the woods.
I would bleed them out, skin them and boil them. If you are afraid to eat them, store them in the freezer after cooking and feed them out to your healthy animals.
x2

Thank you both for the advice. I'll add some more high nutrient foods, I have plenty of fresh oregano in the garden too, I'll cut some for the chickens. I don't want to rush her to lay eggs, I just know that the combs, wattles and face are signs of good health.

I guess I am worrying too much, I do see progress, I have to remember that.

 

[camilleathome]

It was hard to get a good photo of her but here is Martha. She is the goat who is already producing milk.


And her baby Rose


Nibbling on My friends ear XD