The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: My opinion is that you DON'T always have to use surgery. I try other things first and have had good luck with others of my birds without the surgery.

There was a thread here on BYC where there was a vet recommendation for an antibiotic that is used for fish that folks use to soak the feet in. Problem with that is you have to do it over a several week period...most folks that are working and/or have a large flock don't have the time for that. But the stuff does seem to work!

Besides that, there are other things that can be used as well...NuStock/Drawing Salve, etc.

Sometimes they work; sometimes not. My MO is to always try the least invasive ways first.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Kefir is a live bacteria that looks like cottage cheese. It's like a grain.. Is it a grain? I'm not sure.. But it looks like lumpy cottage cheese and grows. You put it in milk and leave on the counter for 24-48 hours. Depending on how thick you want it, and how sour. The longer it sits, the more thick and sour it is.

You can google it for more info. There are water kefir grains as well. I like the milk kefir for smoothies.

I have been lurking on this thread for a few weeks reading all the way through, but had to comment on how totally weird that yodeling guy video is. Although there was a very handsome (welsummer?) roo in there. This thread is a wealth of knowledge. Thanks so much everyone.

Glad you came and let us know you're here! And it WOULD be that crazy yodeling guy that drove you to comment...that really was a strange one

 

[MumsyII]

Holy carp! Husband was swinging his golf club in the back garden. The only place the chickens avoid. He comes to the back door and says, "Remember you telling me we probably have another hornets nest somewhere in the jungle? Well, I found it and your not going to believe where it is!"



In the Taurus Rhododendron! We walk by this shrub everyday! It is on the edge of our picnic area. Neither of us noticed it at all until tonight when the hornets started getting agitated! Bald Face hornets can be very aggressive.

It's about the size of a football. We are thinking of just leaving it alone for now. I've had my fill of fighting hornets for a while.

 

[lalaland]

Maybe some waterproof silicone around them would keep the water out? I would do it both on the outside & inside.

We just use bungee cords on ours........you apparently have much smarter coons than we do

They make plastic locker totes that have latches and holes on them for locks. Maybe something like that would work? Or plastic garage cans with locking lids?

I didn't think of the silicone - I could do that around the bolts. I did search online, which was full of spraying the outside of your can with bleach or ammonia, but since the cans are in the run, I don't want to use those. Apparently bleach sprayed on the outside of a garbage bin is very effective against bears!

That reminded me of Delisha's advice about ammonia and predators, so I am going into town tomorrow and buying some ammonia to put where I think they have been getting in the run. and I will have more time to work on the electric fence, too, so maybe that will resolve it.

 

[armorfirelady]

OMG Mumsy you guys are so very very luck. Is this plant tall? I have never seen a hornets nest in a rhodendum but I figured thats because they are usually not very tall plants around here. It seems to blend in very well :/

 

[Leahs Mom]

Whatever you do for those hornets, do AFTER DARK WHEN THEY'RE ALL INSIDE the nest.

If you spray it then, they all die at once. No swarming because it's dark. Works like a charm. None left outside to live and rebuild.

 

[armorfirelady]

Leah's mom what other non surgical ways have you used that worked for bumble foot? Green still has black scabs even after 2 weeks of almost daily surgery. I haven't done anything in a few weeks except spray blue kote on her feet. I really need to do something before it gets worse.

Country girl how long did you leave your ducks feet wrapped with Nustock before the bumble foot left? Did the scab just grow smaller as it disappeared?

When I wrapped her feet I put the vet wrap up her legs as well. It caused the scales to raise. I am guessing I should just stick to wrapping her feet only?

The funny part is she is my friendliest big girl. Even after weeks of digging in her feet. She greets me every mornings at the gate flying up against it like she is trying to open it

 

[armorfirelady]

Whatever you do for those hornets, do AFTER DARK WHEN THEY'RE ALL INSIDE the nest. 

If you spray it then, they all die at once.  No swarming because it's dark.  Works like a charm.  None left outside to live and rebuild.

I prefer having a Bon fire and throwing it in there to burn. Ok not me personally since I prefer to stay out of the ER but someone else doing it. No chemicals and the hens have ash for dust bathing

 

[MumsyII]

OMG Mumsy you guys are so very very luck. Is this plant tall? I have never seen a hornets nest in a rhodendum but I figured thats because they are usually not very tall plants around here. It seems to blend in very well

I told my husband he was fortunate to see it when he did. He mows the grass up close to this shrub and the hose and faucet to the back yard is next to this shrub too. Rhodies can grow to the size of small garage around here. The nest is hanging about five feet off the ground. Face level! We think it is new this summer. We just had a family picnic with our table and chairs up against it and never saw it then. I've seen the hornets collecting wood all summer long. Now I know where they were taking their building materials! It really gives a person a chill to come across something like this unexpected.


The hornets nest is around to the right of the wheelbarrow hanging in the Rhodie shrub. You can just make it out. This shrub is about seven feet tall and as wide.

 

[hotrodflash]

Leah's mom what other non surgical ways have you used that worked for bumble foot? Green still has black scabs even after 2 weeks of almost daily surgery. I haven't done anything in a few weeks except spray blue kote on her feet. I really need to do something before it gets worse.

Country girl how long did you leave your ducks feet wrapped with Nustock before the bumble foot left? Did the scab just grow smaller as it disappeared?

When I wrapped her feet I put the vet wrap up her legs as well. It caused the scales to raise. I am guessing I should just stick to wrapping her feet only?

The funny part is she is my friendliest big girl. Even after weeks of digging in her feet. She greets me every mornings at the gate flying up against it like she is trying to open it

I'm not Leah's mom but what I do once I have the core out, if there is a core, I just apply neosporin or a drawing salve. I don't wrap them, if the scab is really dry looking I will loosen it up but not take it off and apply the salve. It gets rid of the scabs in just a few days and it is something I can do by myself by holding the chicken under one arm, like a football, turned backwards which allows me to lift their feet in a natural motion, they fight less, and put the medicine on them. If the black scab is small, I just apply the salve for a few days and it makes the scab smaller as it heals from the inside out.