The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

@TeaChick and @cockoftherock
There were 2 answers to this already. Y'all must have missed them


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/28180#post_12807751

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...eeping-thread-ots-welcome/28190#post_12808072

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Thanks.

We had 3 responses to this. hotrodflash, @SallyinIndiana and Delisha. Here was the question:

Thanks I have read a lot of literature on the subject of egg binding....I just don't know if anyone I know has ever been successful in helping a bird with it.

So...what I'm asking is:

1. Have YOU ever had an egg bound hen?
2. How did YOU treat it?
3. What was the result..was is successful? Not successful?

Anyone else have experience?


Sally - Could you give more detail on what you did and how it went? I know you said it did NOT work for you. More details, please.

 

[delisha]

Quote: I do not swat my chickens or hit them..I know people give them a severe boot now and than. It bruises the meat and can cause injury. I do not want to do that to my food. I simply want my males to respect me and be a little afraid. I use the stick only when necessary and I have had chickens for such a long time I rarely need to do it any more. Usually my top male teaches young males to respect by example. The young males do not challenge me because they are busy running away from me. I have one now that does look at my boots once in a while and than runs when the older male arrives. I do not mind curiosity. I will usually pick them up and do an exam and they avoid me for a while. I will trim nails and beaks and they learn i am the big guy in the coop and its best to hide just in case i want to trim nails again.
The stick is a guide..you use it to poke the bird to go left or right..it is a tool to learn. It comes in handy and everyone should learn how to use one. Some days you need to birds in the coop before dark and if you take that stick out some of the bird automatically start running for the coop. You are not using the stick to harm or punish..you are using the stick to direct. The best way to practice is at feeding time.

Make sure you have a full day to do this

day one
take up all feed at 12pm

day two..you are going to feed outdoors......out of the tractor....the object is to let everyone eat but that one bird..use the stick to keep that one bird out of the feed with out disturbing the rest of the birds. Keep him in the tractor. Don't close the door..just keep poking him back inside..let him come out a little way..and make him go back in..
feed at noon..feed close to the door of the tractor so the birds can go back in the door..they will be uncomfortable being outside of the tractor so they have to be hungry...this will not work if you feed them early.

make sure the birds have access to water at all times...


After all the rest of the birds have eaten..allow that one bird to eat...

 

[aoxa]

Thanks.

We had 3 responses to this. hotrodflash, @SallyinIndiana and Delisha. Here was the question:


Anyone else have experience?


Sally - Could you give more detail on what you did and how it went? I know you said it did NOT work for you. More details, please.

I have had egg binding, while I got the egg out.. it broke in the process, and she developed a uterine infection and died.

 

[misbhaven]

Sally..don't give up ask your post office for the consumer relations number for your area. They should be able to give you the sorting offices phone number. Call the sorting office every few hrs. They may be in but missed an outgoing truck.

 

[ki4got]

good luck with your chicks mine were DOA again (i suspect it anyway hubby went the 90 min to pick up the box said it was quite..The sad thing is he took 4 of our 5 kids with him because i am a den mother and had a scout meeting to run.)... chicks shipped 500 miles due west ended up in Saint louis then back to Peoria via Truck...poor little fuzzies never had a chance.. and the USPS tracking still shows that they departed cleveland MONDAY and just stops there i think they lost the poor chicks..

any chicks thru st Louis seem to get stuck there for an extra day or 2... EVERY time I've ordered chicks. regardless of season.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Stick Training

Now another related question. How to handle this with HENS....

I have a BR that has always been a bit obnoxious and mean. It's fine when it is all adults but now that I have the 24 week olds in the mix she has started a bad habit and I am considering culling her from the flock because of it.

I wonder is there is anything short of culling that can be done such as a complete isolation for a few days then return to the flock at which time the pecking order may have been reestablished and may help quell the problem.

So here's the deal:
I've had the youngsters divided off most of the time from the older flock so they didn't get stuck outside in the extreme weather. (Some of the olders wouldn't let them back in the hen shed...this BA included...and it was too cold for them to be stuck in the wind and extremes.) Now that it's getting warmer I let them out with everyone else in the afternoon and they still have an area they can go to outside in the pen that they can get in but the others can't where they hang out most of the time.

When the rooster decides to mate one of the 24 week olds, this BA will run over there at the face end, look under and if it is a particular 24 week old, she will ATTACK HER WHILE THE ROOSTER IS ON TOP OF HER, PECKING AT HER HEAD AND RIPPING OUT FEATHERS, PULLING COMB TO THE POINT OF BLEEDING, ETC. This 24 week old can't escape because the roo is on top and the BA is attacking her while his weight has her pinned down.

So...how to handle?

Cull the BA?
She's a great egg layer. But I'm very tired of having this kind of behavior and certain ones making life "hell" for the others.

 

[aoxa]

Now another related question. How to handle this with HENS....

I have a BR that has always been a bit obnoxious and mean. It's fine when it is all adults but now that I have the 24 week olds in the mix she has started a bad habit and I am considering culling her from the flock because of it.

I wonder is there is anything short of culling that can be done such as a complete isolation for a few days then return to the flock at which time the pecking order may have been reestablished and may help quell the problem.

So here's the deal:
I've had the youngsters divided off most of the time from the older flock so they didn't get stuck outside in the extreme weather. (Some of the olders wouldn't let them back in the hen shed...this BA included...and it was too cold for them to be stuck in the wind and extremes.) Now that it's getting warmer I let them out with everyone else in the afternoon and they still have an area they can go to outside in the pen that they can get in but the others can't where they hang out most of the time.

When the rooster decides to mate one of the 24 week olds, this BA will run over there at the face end, look under and if it is a particular 24 week old, she will ATTACK HER WHILE THE ROOSTER IS ON TOP OF HER, PECKING AT HER HEAD AND RIPPING OUT FEATHERS, PULLING COMB TO THE POINT OF BLEEDING, ETC. This 24 week old can't escape because the roo is on top and the BA is attacking her while his weight has her pinned down.

So...how to handle?

Cull the BA?
She's a great egg layer. But I'm very tired of having this kind of behavior and certain ones making life "hell" for the others.

Man that BA is protective of her fella.

 

[delisha]

Quote: I would try the crate for a week first..I have had leghorns once in a while who are horrible to young pullets and i have had to isolate in crates for a week for some much needed attitude adjustment. I than put them with the hen they abuse..they seem to make friends just for the company.

 

[aoxa]

I would try the crate for a week first..I have had leghorns once in a while who are horrible to young pullets and i have had to isolate in crates for a week for some much needed attitude adjustment. I than put them with the hen they abuse..they seem to make friends just for the company.

I hear Pennies are like this... Mine aren't, but I guess I am one of the few who don't have issues..

I do have roosters who gang rape and they all go after the same one.. I hate watching that.. I end up rescuing the girl.. It seems to be my Naked Necks in particular they fancy...