The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

Hi All,

I have been away from the thread for a couple of months and I am not going to pretend I will EVER catch up!! I was crazy busy with work and then I have been out of town... Finally getting back to a normal routine around here .... So a few things I thought you all might be able to help with or find interesting:

First before I left I noticed that my GLW, Caesar had taken to "napping" in the morning in the run & yard .... I didnt think much of it as she went broody this time last year... a few days later she did indeed "go broody" but after a few days gave it up as the nest boxes were crowded with 2 other broodies and she didn't want to share. She has still been doing her "napping" thing but I figured she id biding her time until a nestbox becomes free.... Well, yesterday I noticed that she was standing holding one leg up .... I watched her for awhile and she seemed to have a slight limp ... So I picked her up and she has the black callus of her footpad. It doesn't look particularly swollen and I of course forgot to take a picture of her foot before I wrapped it last night. She DOES NOT LIKE THE SPA I soaked her foot in epsom salts for 15 mins, applied nustock and wrapped in vet wrap. She has been trying to get the bandage off all morning!! When she was in the spa (read kitchen sink) She tried to jump out a few times and when I subdued her she was panting ... I am assuming she has bumblefoot? So my question is have any of you treated this successfully non surgically??? And how do I know if it is getting worse??

Secondly, just before I took a break from this thread my BCM started wheezing .... I brought her in the house and tried to boost her immune system with everything I could find. I tried the various respiratory teas, garlic, plague tonic etc etc ... She seemed to be holding at a constant wheeze & laying so I was hopeful... well after 5 days she took a turn for the worse and died a day later. I live in CA where UC Davis has a great free service to backyard chicken owners ... they do a free autopsy of your birds. So I took her in and got the results...


Upper respiratory tract inflammation, with:
- Rhinitis, multifocal to diffuse, lymphoplasmacytic, moderate, with numerous intraluminal hyphae consistent with Aspergillus sp.
- Tracheitis, multifocal, lymphoplasmacytic, moderate.
Other findings:
- Negative for Avian Influenza matrix gene by qRT-PCR; pharyngeal swab. Negative for Mycoplasma gallisepticum by PCR; tracheal swab.
- Negative for Avian Infectious Laryngotracheitis by FA; trachea.
- Negative for Salmonella by PCR; liver.
- Mixed flora isolated (rare); trachea, lung; likely incidental.
- Mixed flora isolated (rare); liver, small intestine; incidental.
- Heterakis/Ascaridia eggs present in the feces.
- Listed heavy metals and selenium in acceptable concentrations for this species; liver.

They do tissue tests on the liver for Lead, Manganese, Iron, Mercury, Aresnic, Molybdenum, Zinc, Selenium & Copper
They also test for MG, Infectious Laryngotracheitis, Salmonella, Avian Flu
They do Aerobic bacterial cultures on Liver, Lung, Tracheal & Small Intestine

Oh and I thought this section of the report was interesting:

Addendum 7/2/2013. Sections from the brain, nasal and paranasal cavities, right and left sciatic nerve, right and left brachial plexus, skin, skeletal muscle, lungs, air sacs, myocardium, spleen, liver, kidneys, pancreas, ovary, esophagus, proventriculus, ventriculus, and small and large intestine were examined.
Findings:
Nasal/paranasal cavities: multifocally to diffusely there were moderate numbers of lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates in the lamina propria. The cavities were partly filled with abundant amounts of mucinous material admixed with cellular debris, large numbers of heterophils, smaller numbers of macrophages and lymphocytes, and numerous lightly basophilic to transparent, elongated, hyphae that were 3-6microns in diameter, regularly septate, thin- and parallel-walled, with acute angle dichotomous branching, consistent with Aspergillus sp.
Lung: moderately congested. No other changes observed

It is an amazing service and I got a preliminary report in a few days!!! The tests & final report took a good 6 weeks.... but its free so who is complaining. If only they would attached pictures for all of us to learn from!


As soon as I heard your symptoms I said, yep that is a fungal infection. Gigi had that as well. That is what the Oxine cured.

 

[aoxa]

Hello Doodle.

You are a kind person to give this cockerel a chance at life. I don't know what is wrong with his feet but my first reaction to this image is injury. As if he was tossed from a car and hit the pavement feet first. Or he was in a fight and lost. I would clean and soak them in epsom salt bath. This foot looks like it needs first aid treatment.

Mumsy this Doodle reminds me of your Johnny and when you first came here. Do you still have him?

 

[aoxa]

After I soaked his feet in warm water tonight, I checked the bottom of his feet and didn't see any sores or wounds. Where can I get penicillin.
I just took this picture. There is a lot of bag balm on them.

if there is infection is more than likely in the boxed area, probably lower, but maybe higher on the leg. - again i am no expert here, just trying to help.

I agree. It looks inflamed and possibly infected. If you want to go al natural, try coconut oil (I sound like a broken record!) it seriously saved Margaret from infection when she had massive frost bite on her feet. It helps me personally when I get skin infections (I am prone to them).

I'd hate to give him penicillin

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: I thought the same thing

 

[lalaland]

Delisha, that was the best pic ever. are those mushrooms?



I did somethng bad last night that still has me shaken. Apparently with all the commotion of trying to get the chick set into the coop via the grown-up hens ramp,which involves catching skittish chicks and handplacing them on the ramp into the coop, I forgot to close the ramp. I am having nightly visits to the run by coons who get into the feed cans, and knock the ramp off to the coop. And I forgot to close the ramp door.

this morning, thankfully, all were safe. Everyone was running around outside the coop in the run. Coons had been there, the transcan lid to one of the bins was on the ground. I don't know why they didn't go in the coop and eat my hens. maybe sunflower seed was a better dinner.

I am having trouble with my electric fence, and misplaced the fence tester, and am too chicken to test it myself. clearly it isn't working! gonna get another tester today.

And, I can't figure out how to coon proof the lids. I've tried :
bungee cords (they just bite them in half)
chains (they work on them until they slide them off sideways)
combo of bungee, chains, and a big rock (no dice).

I could put the feed cans in the shed, but my chicken chores already take me half an hour or more and I don't want to add to it. **** coons! guess its time to live trap, I am not willing to borrow a gun and sit out there all night for their visits.

 

[Doodle777]

Thank you for every ones thoughts and suggestions. I was feeling very lost as to what to do.
I will do Epsom salt soaks every night and then continue with bag balm or nustock. And of course the fresh herbs.
I just hope he gets better!

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

Question-
Fermented feed? How do i go about this? steps, recipe?
How big do the batches have to be? How long does it last?
Please and thank you!

 

[armorfirelady]

Question-
Fermented feed? How do i go about this? steps, recipe?
How big do the batches have to be? How long does it last?
Please and thank you!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds/6560#post_11803292

here is a thread on here that has all the information you need

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

Awesome! Thank you thank you!

 

[delisha]

Delisha, that was the best pic ever. are those mushrooms? I did somethng bad last night that still has me shaken. Apparently with all the commotion of trying to get the chick set into the coop via the grown-up hens ramp,which involves catching skittish chicks and handplacing them on the ramp into the coop, I forgot to close the ramp. I am having nightly visits to the run by coons who get into the feed cans, and knock the ramp off to the coop. And I forgot to close the ramp door. this morning, thankfully, all were safe. Everyone was running around outside the coop in the run. Coons had been there, the transcan lid to one of the bins was on the ground. I don't know why they didn't go in the coop and eat my hens. maybe sunflower seed was a better dinner. I am having trouble with my electric fence, and misplaced the fence tester, and am too chicken to test it myself. clearly it isn't working! gonna get another tester today. And, I can't figure out how to coon proof the lids. I've tried : bungee cords (they just bite them in half) chains (they work on them until they slide them off sideways) combo of bungee, chains, and a big rock (no dice). I could put the feed cans in the shed, but my chicken chores already take me half an hour or more and I don't want to add to it. **** coons! guess its time to live trap, I am not willing to borrow a gun and sit out there all night for their visits.

When you trim the fat off your meats, or go to the butcher shop, you can ask for trimmings. Those are pork fat trimmings. All good healthy nutritional meat proteins....free. Know your butchers and give them eggs!!!