The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[cluckcluckluke]

Dog food?

Oh, I don't know that answer. I actually want to know.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Well that all sounds good to me

.


Here's one for you. How would treat a respiratory problem in chickens naturally???

What are the symptoms specifically?

Is the chicken lethargic/droopy or acting pretty normal?
Coughing/sneezing?
Any mucous from nostrils?
Are the symptoms continual or do they happen at specific times?
If specific times, what's going on at those times?

Any other information you can give.

 

[armorfirelady]

I zip,tied the screens to metal shelving I had sitting around. All these greens are just what I picked tonight, the girls even got a few handfuls it's my 2nd cutting in 2 weeks!

Babies tucked under Momma Sophie for the night. The 5th is under Lucy. I wonder how they figure out who has what chicks which night?

Here are a few things I noticed about broody raised chicks.
-They are eating grains I didn't grind up. Momma either breaks them up or picks up little pieces and calls them. I mix the chick feed in with the grains before I feed them. Everyone eats the chick feed but I don't necessarily see the mommas specifically having the chicks eat the chick feed.
-The chicks perched on the edge of one of those black rubber feed bowls to drink water. I didn't see it but my friend who was hen sitting did, he said they were about 3 days old. Yes they did have a chick waterer but I'm guessing Momma showed them the water in the bowl.
-Chicks are very active running, flying, hopping around all day. And I've never seen them do the run around and around then flop down to sleep like I've seen in other pics people have posted of their brooder raised chicks. Yesterday momma Lucy had them under her when she was laying under the A frame but I figured that was because she had them foraging in the rain & when it rained harder she called them under her to warm up. Tho when I looked at the chicks they didn't even look wet and the hens all looked like they went swimming they were so wet. I'm guessing chick down is water resistant
-the mommas put the babies to bed early. They are all bedded down in the nesting box a good hour before everyone else.
-I swear these chicks grow like weeds.

Question? I just realized that yesterday & today I only fed out chick feed once in the evening. I don't have a bowl out during the day. Kind of pointless the piggie big girls would eat it all anyways. Do you think I should make up a chick creeper to keep chick feed in?

Momma has them out foraging all day. Between the grass, clover, Dirt & compost pile they make the rounds. The chicks all look very healthy & active. They all get a handful of greens daily also. Plus meat every few days and today had hard boiled eggs.
@delisha any thoughts?

 

[delisha]

I zip,tied the screens to metal shelving I had sitting around. All these greens are just what I picked tonight, the girls even got a few handfuls

it's my 2nd cutting in 2 weeks!

Babies tucked under Momma Sophie for the night. The 5th is under Lucy. I wonder how they figure out who has what chicks which night?

Here are a few things I noticed about broody raised chicks.
-They are eating grains I didn't grind up. Momma either breaks them up or picks up little pieces and calls them. I mix the chick feed in with the grains before I feed them. Everyone eats the chick feed but I don't necessarily see the mommas specifically having the chicks eat the chick feed.
-The chicks perched on the edge of one of those black rubber feed bowls to drink water. I didn't see it but my friend who was hen sitting did, he said they were about 3 days old. Yes they did have a chick waterer but I'm guessing Momma showed them the water in the bowl.
-Chicks are very active running, flying, hopping around all day. And I've never seen them do the run around and around then flop down to sleep like I've seen in other pics people have posted of their brooder raised chicks. Yesterday momma Lucy had them under her when she was laying under the A frame but I figured that was because she had them foraging in the rain & when it rained harder she called them under her to warm up. Tho when I looked at the chicks they didn't even look wet and the hens all looked like they went swimming they were so wet. I'm guessing chick down is water resistant
-the mommas put the babies to bed early. They are all bedded down in the nesting box a good hour before everyone else.
-I swear these chicks grow like weeds.

Question? I just realized that yesterday & today I only fed out chick feed once in the evening. I don't have a bowl out during the day. Kind of pointless the piggie big girls would eat it all anyways. Do you think I should make up a chick creeper to keep chick feed in?

Momma has them out foraging all day. Between the grass, clover, Dirt & compost pile they make the rounds. The chicks all look very healthy & active. They all get a handful of greens daily also. Plus meat every few days and today had hard boiled eggs.
@delisha any thoughts?

sounds like what you are doing is working. I do not do any thing different than you are doing this time of year. The bounty is plentiful this time of year and moms know how to feed chicks. Tons of bugs all over..they will be healthier with out the processed feed.

 

[delisha]

Quote: This is just my opinion about respiratory issues
the best fix is an ax. Respiratory issues are usually contagious and not worth the risk to the whole flock. Unless it is a chicken with grain or blockage of dirt in nares. Vet RX the nares and in the roof of the mouth. If no improvement....ax

 

[armorfirelady]

Thanks Delisha. I didn't think I needed to change anything. But I just realized I had not been leaving chick feed out as often as I did with the tots last year. Of course they didn't have mommas here to raise them either. Guess I could of saved some $$ and not purchased that chick feed if I would of known they wouldn't need it

And I also realized I never posted a pic of the screen dryers without greens on them. Oops !!

Probably a lot easier to see what I did now

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Quote:
I have already got a Vet prescription medicine but I just wanted to know if there are any effective natural remedies If I ever have to deal with it again.

The chicken is an 8 month old Yokohama rooster. He is fully alert, eating, drinking and running around.
He is sneezing quite a bit (less now then what is was before I started using the medicine).
He has discharge only from one nostril now. Before the medicine he had discharge from both nostrils, mouth and eyes.
The symptoms are continual.

Mr Yokohama contracted his respiratory problem the day after I had just cleaned out his roost area. So there were probably lots of particles still floating around.
One day he was fine then the next day he was sick. His other half, a Yokohama pullets (same age), had no symptoms so I put her in with the other chickens away from Mr Yokohama.

The rest of my flock have no signs of illness. They are only about 3 metres away from Mr Yokohama's coop, but he is locked up inside the close part. I imagine his sneezing particles can probably still get out into the main run though.

Hopefully this enough to go on

.

 

[aoxa]

It's NATURAL for our brains to wander to off topic conversations.

 

[aoxa]

Second Generation Meat King (CX) cross at nearly 13 weeks.

She's older now. Nearly 17 weeks.

 

[armorfirelady]

Second Generation Meat King (CX) cross at nearly 13 weeks.

She's older now. Nearly 17 weeks.

She looks great Aoxa