The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

well, the little cream legbar chick didn't make it. She just quit eating. Different from any other ill chicken I've had because she had fairly ok droppings right up to the last 12 hours or so, and then it was no droppings. She was at that critical 8-10 week age when I think congenital issues seem to peak. I wasn't able to do a necropsy - I wanted to see if I could decipher anything from her organs.

Less than a mile from me, wolves took a calf and the feds were called in. Trappers got 9 wolves, the biggest at 96 pounds. Also got two coyotes, and a silver fox. The fox was released, the others euthanized. I understand totally but am saddened anyway. Wolf howls are one of the perks of living out here.

Tomorrow I will terrorize the youngest of the flock by mowing INSIDE the run. There's gonna be some squawking and panicing and flying, but it has to be done at least a few times during the summer. I'm a little worried because the two remaining cream legbar chicks have so far refused to venture out of the run and I would prefer they were well out of the way. I've been trying to coax them out of the run for the past week but have been unsucessful, they won't even venture out into the grassy area - probably just too open.

Wow. a pack of wolves can be very dangerous to man and beast.

Too bad on the little one Did you have any other CLs that made it?

 

[lalaland]

I think I'm not meant to have cream legbars. Y'all remember that last year I had ordered eggs to be hatched for me, and that order was all messed up, so I didn't get the correct breeds that I had ordered. So no legbars last year.

THis year, on the Minnesota thread, there was a woman a few hours from me that was hatching legbars. Her first hatch order from me went wonky when she had to be out of town for a funeral and the power failed while she was gone so the incubator was off. The second hatch was pretty much a failure too, so she had only two pullets and one iffy chick. Those are the three I went to get. The iffy was, of course, a cockeral. Now I have one pullet and one teeny tiny runt of a rooster. I'm fine with a little rooster but I hope it doesn't mean any problems for offspring.

I will see if I can hatch out more legbars next spring after the remaining pullet matures. Thats assuming that the cockeral turns out to be ok.

 

[lalaland]

Very Natural Bumblefoot cure:

I know some of you have had bumblefoot issues - I came accross this thread, and thought it was a really smart answer. take a look!


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/915880/bumblefoot-cure

 

[jime]

I think I'm not meant to have cream legbars. Y'all remember that last year I had ordered eggs to be hatched for me, and that order was all messed up, so I didn't get the correct breeds that I had ordered. So no legbars last year.

THis year, on the Minnesota thread, there was a woman a few hours from me that was hatching legbars. Her first hatch order from me went wonky when she had to be out of town for a funeral and the power failed while she was gone so the incubator was off. The second hatch was pretty much a failure too, so she had only two pullets and one iffy chick. Those are the three I went to get. The iffy was, of course, a cockeral. Now I have one pullet and one teeny tiny runt of a rooster. I'm fine with a little rooster but I hope it doesn't mean any problems for offspring.

I will see if I can hatch out more legbars next spring after the remaining pullet matures. Thats assuming that the cockeral turns out to be ok.

I do have the same luck with Swedish flower hens they for some reason can not make it in my house I tried eggs never hatch, other eggs hatch and will die in few days, then I order chicks from different places not lucy there they will die on me after weeks, I try adults as well from 2 different places including one from Colorado and they start to die on me little by little so I come to the conclusion that something in my property affects them.So no SFHS for me.

 

[misbhaven]

I have an injured Cornish cross from mating..she has about a 3 inch whole in her arm pit area..i cleaned it and just put blue cote on it my flies are horrible right now.. I know she is a project bird and probably won't live terrible long but she is 6 month's old and very active even jumped the garden fence yesterday to go hunting for bugs and well hold a sweet spot even with my husband who said he didn't want to eat her which says a lot for a man that eats anything..i make hen saddles and want to protect her at least a little last night she slept in with the bantam those boys run from her LOL.. thinking maybe a modified kids t-shirt or sweatshirt cut off the sleeves and slit the sides to slip wings thru as her injury is right where the elastic for a saddle would be. hmm i bet i couldn't take a chicken in to Salvation army to try on kids clothes LOL the are having a .69 cent sale .I bet it will be one of my sons not a toddler size she is a big girl and very very popular with the Roo's any other idea's ? I can't really pen her alone in a small area cornish x's generate a lot of heat and it is about 80 I think that would harm her more than letting her stay in with the bantams. There is no signs of infection I washed the area with soap and water yesterday..

 

[Leahs Mom]

Is it possible to have her in a crate in the garage a couple days until she heals? If you can get hold of some NuStock it has a pretty strong smell and seems to keep flies away too.

 

[mlowen]

Very Natural Bumblefoot cure:

I know some of you have had bumblefoot issues - I came accross this thread, and thought it was a really smart answer. take a look!


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/915880/bumblefoot-cure

This is awesome! Thanks for the link. What a great idea. Not so sure about the indoor/outdoor carpet, though.

 

[Turk Raphael]

Ever had scabies?
I'm pretty sure they are a typo!

It appears you are correct about the typo!

And no, I have personally never had scabies but it was only by sheer luck and determination. There was an outbreak of scabies in my high school and I simply refused to go to school for two weeks. When I first saw kids (starting with the younger ones) begin to scratch themselves raw, I thought they might have cases of body and or head lice...not that uncommon in that school district but when the administration was mum for a whole day, I went home and stayed there. It was on TV the following day that an epidemic of scabies had stricken Jefferson and surrounding county schools and several schools in Indiana.

They called out what was equivalent to the health department's 'national guard' and they began painting kids with something that looked like white shoe polish...all over their bodies.

My sister and I didn't get away scott-free. My grandpa sprayed me all over...literally. with Adams Flea and Tick spray for dogs...Sis got the same abuse from grandma.

I suspect grandma and grand pa sprayed each other, but they would never have admitted it....

 

[LindaB220]

I tried 2 different "natural" remedies. Actually 3.

I was using peppermint essential oil on my arm where I originally got it. Apply whenever it itches. This worked really well and healed things very quickly. Can't use on face, however, as it's too strong.

I tried jewelweed tincture made w/alcohol. It worked well to stop itching but I don't think it brought healing as quickly as the peppermint essential oil.

I purchased a "jewelweed kit" from these folks: http://www.altnaturestore.com/Amazing_Jewelweed/cat2666646_2355754.aspx It has glycerine based jewelweed soap; glycerine based jewelweed tincture spray; jewelweed salve. I got this late in the game but while my arms and ankles were still itching. I have been using the soap when I'm exposed and after a thorough washing with an oil cutting soap (either Fels Naptha or Dawn). Between the 2 it seems to have prevented more outbreaks. I also tried the spray on my arms. Feels great when you put it on.


Out of all of them, I think the peppermint essential oil seems to have worked the best. I also felt that the alcohol based tincture helped dry things a bit. I will likely keep using the soap and perhaps the salve as they suggest putting the salve on if you're going into an area where you might be working around PI as a preventative. Haven't tried it yet. (Then of course you would come in and wash as usual.)

So...there you have it.

Yea!!!! I just bought peppermint oil to make a DIY critter killer. ants, spiders etc. I'm highly allergic to PI and the only thing that saved me before was buying a cream that has fels naptha. The pharmacist recommended it . I wasn't crazy about $20 price but it stopped it dead in a day. Tell me about the peppermint oil. Just use it full strength?

 

[lalaland]

This is awesome! Thanks for the link. What a great idea. Not so sure about the indoor/outdoor carpet, though.

yeah, I don't like the carpet idea either. But I imagine in a raptor recovery center, you could at least hose it off and you could actually disinfect it if you needed to - which you can do with wood. But for chickens, uh....no.