The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

You too, Jockey!

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have been on this site for a while now......... I "found" this thread this morning.

I only have to catch up a little

2305 pages . . . .

But, the information appears to be very good reading !!

Glad you found it! And you're welcome to post before you read all that!!!

 

[lindz8504]

I have been on this site for a while now......... I "found" this thread this morning.

I only have to catch up a little

2305 pages . . . .

But, the information appears to be very good reading !!

You might as well jump on in and catch up as you can! This thread moves so fast that I don't think you can ever catch up!!!!! I started reading last week, and I think they have added at least 20 pages since then!

 

[lindz8504]

My new layers took a couple of days off... but look what I found this morning.... And in a nest at that!!!!

 

[4Hgirl]

I am struggling with the thoughts of vaccinating our chickens. We have some hatching this weekend, hopefully, as its our first time doing that. I had a few with fowl pox this summer. I bought some chicks in the spring that were not vaccinated and I was glad about that. Until they got pox! Now I want to protect the new babies from it. I also keep reading about Merek's and that seems terrible too. We have wild birds in the yard all the time, and my daughter shows a couple 4H shows a year. I just don't know to do it or not. I am aware of the issues with vaccines and try to avoid them to a point. What do you all do for your chickens? Thank you.

 

[aaggjg]

Thank you. The HRIR strain I'm raising trace back to Robert Bosl Mohawk birds. These heritage chickens were brought back from the edge of extinction. Five years ago they were in such decline, Mr. Bosl had little hope of a resurrection of these gorgeous dual purpose birds. Due to his efforts and a handful of dedicated breeders, they are making a strong comeback. Bob Bosl helped many many people get started by sharing his vast wealth of knowledge. Many he helped then went on and helped others. Ron Fogle shared his flock with me. Someday I hope to do the same. Right now I'm still a beginner with this strain and learning to set up my first breeding pen.
They bear little resemblance or have little connection to what is sold in hatcherys and called RIR. I started with twenty two. Fourteen males! I raised them together. They never fought with each other. At seven months old, the males are just now getting pink feet and chasing hens when they get the chance. The pullets are the sweetest things. They are all one big contented happy flock. As you can see. The littlest bantam can eat side by side with the largest of my HRIR pullets in peace. They even sit in the same nesting box and lay together. I've raised many many breeds of chickens over the last forty years. Bantam and LF. Hatchey and purebloods. I feel incredibly lucky to get a chance to own and breed these magnificent big old reds. I hope to do Mr. Bosl and Mr. Fogle proud. I have a good ten years left in me to try.

I promised an updated picture of my fluffy little ones too. What does thirty five White Silkies look like? Well.....A whole lot of poofy white fluff. That's what! Babies behind the fence are a month old. The big kids are three and four months.

Mumsy I have a Silk Floss tree and when it shed's its fluff my yard looks just like this

I'd much rather have it full of WHITE SILKIES!!!

 

[aaggjg]

According to the Merck manual:

As a treatment for Manson's eyeworm, a local anesthetic can be applied to the eye, and the worms in the lacrimal sac exposed by lifting the nictitating membrane. A 5% cresol solution (1–2 drops) placed in the lacrimal sac kills the worms immediately. The eye should be irrigated with sterile water immediately to wash out the debris and excess solution. The eyes improve within 48–72 hr and gradually become clear if the destructive process caused by the parasite is not too far advanced.

But is also says that the symptoms are inflammation of the eye (which Nugget does seem to have), tearing, cloudy cornea, and blurry vision. Hard to tell what her vision is, but it doesn't look like she has tearing or a cloudy cornea. Also, it doesn't look like her eye bothers her. Oh, and I don't know where you live, but eyeworms are said to be tropical, so in the US, only the warmer, southern states would have them. So I guess I'd want to be sure she actually had eyeworm before trying to squeeze one out of her eye. Maybe she just has an eye infection or inflammation for another reason. I would imagine the warm compresses are a good idea no matter what. Maybe you could have a vet look at it?

Also, is she still rubbing her belly on the ground? We kind of jumped from that to the eye thing, but I'm still curious what that was all about, and if it's related to her eye or not!

Here's the link to the page in the Merck manual that talks about helminths (which both eye worms and gapeworm are):

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...ons/overview_of_helminthiasis_in_poultry.html

So I looked at her closely this morning and I don't see any kind of worm in her eye.... I "soaked" her eye swabbed her with VetRx as I read that helps expel eyeworm if that is what she has.... She doesn't seem to be scratching it ..... She is still walking crouched I haven't seen her walking backwards today but she spent most of the time under a shrub hiding from me after I "soaked" her eye

Silliy chicken... I even bribed her with some salmon when I was done..... She takes off running when she sees me approaching. I can't blame her I bet all those feathers coming in are tender.... I had her wrapped in a towel and she fought to no end while I was treating her! For a tiny little girl she is strong!

 

[aaggjg]

Oh and PS I live in Southern California .... so not tropical but warm.

 

[lindz8504]

My first three eggs from my Golden Comet girls! They were 4 weeks old when I got them in June, and the first chickens we had!

 

[delisha]

Quote: I would not squeeze her eye. The compresses are to help get what ever is going on ..out. The worm is difficult to see. It is like a tiny little thread. It might be mistake for just eye color. The yellow you see in the video is infection.

Quote:
Good info. Thanks! I'm also interested in hearing what's going on with the belly!
It is not a jump at all IMO. I think she has a vision problems and she backs up to try to see and to avoid things she can't see clearly out of fear of the unknown. If you watch the video, she favors her right side and walks to thinks on her right side. If she want to get somewhere and her left eye is needed, she backs up and ducks down(belly rubs).

Quote: Love those silkies to pieces..

Happy Halloween

Right back at ya..and to everyone else..BOO

I am struggling with the thoughts of vaccinating our chickens. We have some hatching this weekend, hopefully, as its our first time doing that. I had a few with fowl pox this summer. I bought some chicks in the spring that were not vaccinated and I was glad about that. Until they got pox! Now I want to protect the new babies from it. I also keep reading about Merek's and that seems terrible too. We have wild birds in the yard all the time, and my daughter shows a couple 4H shows a year. I just don't know to do it or not. I am aware of the issues with vaccines and try to avoid them to a point. What do you all do for your chickens? Thank you.

I do not give vaccines. A closed healthy flock with good bio security measures helps to keep disease and illness away. Knock on wood i have not had a personal experience with disease. I would gather eggs and cull my flock. Unless it was a disease that was egg/embryo transferred. Than I would just cull my flock.

Quote: glad you keep on trying..hopefully the soaking helps. I really do not know what else you can try. I would be tempted to take the information above to a vet and take the bird in.