The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Here are the fiberglass composite (pipe) fence posts. If you are interested I can ask the fence guy for the proper name for these things.

They use a larger pipe for the gate posts; smaller diameter for the fence itself.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Aoxa - do your girl babies chest bump? I do think I saw the cockerel bumping with the other hatchmates when he was little like that...even though all the others were girls.

 

[delisha]

My girls do it worse than the boys (chest bump)

 

[delisha]

Those look like drain pipes

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

My girls do it worse than the boys (chest bump)

Same. My roos all have their place and don't fight.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Those look like drain pipes

They are fiberglass composites pipes used underground.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Quote: I love creativeness in everything. It becomes art when its the creative.

 

[armorfirelady]

Aoxa - do your girl babies chest bump?  I do think I saw the cockerel bumping with the other hatchmates when he was little like that...even though all the others were girls.

My girls do it worse than the boys (chest bump)

Edie & Lucy do it all the time as well. It's quite amusing to see them run at each other, wings out & BUMP . To me it seems like they are playing not fighting. Never any squeaks when it's done. Only the tots do it. I have never seen the big girls do it, I figured they are just playing

 

[aaggjg]

I had been raising chickens on and off for 35 years. I came on here and heard of stuff I never heard of before. I read every day about chickens. I have an extended library on chicken diseases and illnesses. Knowledge is a tool and learning about chickens and how they work and why things happen is in my opinion all part of animal husbandry. I have stitched up more animals than many people. I have set bones, done surgery, and learned something new everyday. I know very little about chickens. I still have problems and I still strongly believe in culling. If I did know more I would probably do a little too much experimenting on my birds and not get the hard work done. I can look at a chicken and know something is wrong and its frustrating that i don't always know what it is. That I still have to guess. Right now I have two blue Orpingtons I am *experimenting* with. I will eventually cull them, but for now I am just trying different things. They have a neurological disorder. It is from the same breeding and I hatched out a few eggs to see if it is a repeat in these new chicks or if these two blue chicks got into something. They are always together and I think they might have done something. I hope so anyway. I hate to have to cull my new blue hen. She is stunning, but, I will cull if this shows up again. I have them on super high meat protein this week. I am giving them 2 oz of meat a day. They are gaining weight, but they still have a problem walking. Very weak legs. They trip over stuff really easy. All the chicks they are with are fine and show nothing. Normally I would have culled them and learned nothing. I am trying different things to see if this is heriditary or environmental.
The eye worms is just something I came across in my reading. It is not a common thing and the chickens eye looked familiar. I think flies leave the presents behind. So it is something to be aware of. We all have flies.

Thanks Delish! I try to read as much as possible about chickens, their diseases and good husbandry... Especially as I live in a city and there are no old timers to ask for advice! Knowledge is power! I am only just starting my 3rd years as a chicken owner so I am a TOTAL NEWBIE and I am always learning. I try to be prepared for everything but I know that is not realistic but I'd like to be prepared for most things.... So WHAT DO I DO TO NUGGET??? Do I squeeze her eye??? I read something about using Vet RX .... hmmmm gotta get back to goggling eye worm... oh right ummm I mean work

 

[aaggjg]

LM those are all girls.

Delisha, I have heard of eye worm before and watched that video before. I'm not as grossed out as others. I find it fascinating. Very uncommon type of worm. It does look familiar to the pullet in question, and worth a try before dosing her with anti worm meds.

You want to come give her eye a squeeze

JK... I too am fascinated ... Nature is an AMAZING thing... never fails to surprise and intrigue me. So to be clear from what I have seen online, I should be looking for white or yellow in the corner of her eye??? If I do not see that do I still squeeze??? THOUGHTs???