The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[jtn42248]

Hope everyone is surviving this arctic blast............. it was -8 this am when I went out at 7 this morning. The girls were very quiet & the peepers bedded down in the DL. I ran to the feed store & got a bale of hay for them. Half is in the coop. Besides giving them something warm to nest in they will keep warm scratching thru it to look for the scratch underneath

The sun is finally out................its very deceiving. But the girls did venture out to their old run. The proved they are hearty since they get no heat and the window is open about 6 inches all the time. Some warm oatmeal & a fried egg with left over turkey was quickly devoured & at least I felt better they had something warm in their crop.

Tonight and tomorrow is suppose to be even colder with the high of -1 & wind chills -30. If I didn't have to work tomorrow I would be permanently next to the wood stove all weekend lol

I sure am ready for spring to be here

Ditto about being ready for spring. No where near that cold here but cold enough when it is cold. Near 80 today and tomorrow then another drop into the 20's and below freezing for 2-3 days then back up again. The weather, always unpredictable, seems unable to make up its mind this year.

 

[potagergirl]

Ditto about being ready for spring. No where near that cold here but cold enough when it is cold. Near 80 today and tomorrow then another drop into the 20's and below freezing for 2-3 days then back up again. The weather, always unpredictable, seems unable to make up its mind this year.

I think the weather has been mixed up the last three years. Spring seems to be later this year in MO. last year by mid February you could actually plant a garden out. Then came the rain until June. Weather is definitely fickle. Can't wait for the cold spell to be over so I can let my girls free range outside the run again.

 

[lazy gardener]

We're supposed to hit a low of *17F below this weekend. Blizzard due Sat night through Sunday. Oh joy! My DL is a frozen mass. No way to break up the poop mountain on top. So, I guess, I'll have to bury it under an other layer of shavings. At the rate things are going, that mountain will be as high as the perches, by the time it thaws out enough to break it up.

 

[CoopChick719]

My chics I'm brooding are just rotten. They were having a fit this evening so i put my hand in and they all cuddled up under my hand to sleep. I've never had a bunch so friendly. I usually have scared runners. I might just have to keep them all, lol

Awww, I bet they were adorable!! I usually have a bunch of runners too! "Ahhhhh the giant hand!!!"

We're supposed to hit a low of *17F below this weekend. Blizzard due Sat night through Sunday. Oh joy! My DL is a frozen mass. No way to break up the poop mountain on top. So, I guess, I'll have to bury it under an other layer of shavings. At the rate things are going, that mountain will be as high as the perches, by the time it thaws out enough to break it up.

Here we go again, LG!! Why are we always on that cusp? Are we getting 14-18 or 18-24? I guess it all depends on which way the wind is blowing!! I have poopsicles in the DL in the pen which the dogs just love...oooo frozen treats...but in the coop it's still workable.

 

[lazy gardener]

I think I'm in the 18 - 24.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Ok, I went back and searched for info about treating sour crop and found info with something I have on hand. Coconut oil. I have been watching one of my girls for the past 4 days. She is drinking but not eating. Three days ago, I checked her in the am and her crop was full and squishy. I turned her over and squeezed out the contents. She didn't eat at all the night before so this had to be from 24 hrs earlier, at the earliest, maybe longer. I don't know. Anyway, today she doesn't seem to even want water so I will try the coconut oil. Any recommendations on how much?

 

[CherMoz]

Ok, I went back and searched for info about treating sour crop and found info with something I have on hand. Coconut oil. I have been watching one of my girls for the past 4 days. She is drinking but not eating. Three days ago, I checked her in the am and her crop was full and squishy. I turned her over and squeezed out the contents. She didn't eat at all the night before so this had to be from 24 hrs earlier, at the earliest, maybe longer. I don't know. Anyway, today she doesn't seem to even want water so I will try the coconut oil. Any recommendations on how much?

Check this out - http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com/2013/06/natural-treatments-for-sour-crop.html

 

[Leahs Mom]

Ok, I went back and searched for info about treating sour crop and found info with something I have on hand. Coconut oil. I have been watching one of my girls for the past 4 days. She is drinking but not eating. Three days ago, I checked her in the am and her crop was full and squishy. I turned her over and squeezed out the contents. She didn't eat at all the night before so this had to be from 24 hrs earlier, at the earliest, maybe longer. I don't know. Anyway, today she doesn't seem to even want water so I will try the coconut oil. Any recommendations on how much?

This is the "prescription" for the coconut oil.

1. Remove all grain-based feed.

2. Feed only coconut oil (in it's solid form). As much as they want to eat.

3. Fresh water. Can add a probiotic powder to the water, if desired, but nothing else.

So...
Basically this becomes a fast where only coconut oil and water is fed. Do this for a minimum of 3 days. Most people find that 5 days is best before starting to re-introduce other food. If you can give them some quality raw meat to start it will be better than grains.

@hoosiercheetah is one of the people that had success with this approach after trying several other things that are often recommended that DIDN'T work. This is what I would do if I had the issue here.


Remember that sour crop is a yeast infection (candida). You need to remove all things that encourage the growth of candida yeast. You should also check the vent for any signs of gleet (also a candida yeast infection). If you find a problem at the vent, the same coconut oil fast will take care of that as well. You can also topically treat with coconut oil or NuStock as well.

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: Please do NOT massage the crop or turn the bird upside down. If they aspirate the liquid, it will kill them. This has been experienced by at least one of our thread members here and there are warnings everywhere NOT to do that. Many birds have lost their lives with that procedure.


If you find that she regains her appetite earlier than the 5 days and you are feeling like you're being mean not to give her other feeds, you can give some raw meat... but NO GRAINS AND NO CARB FEEDS. The yeasts thrive on the carbs and they need to be withheld until she is stable and back in balance. Also - NO ACV during this time also.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Thank you.

I didn't turn her over immediately after emptying her crop. I made sure her windpipe was clear but I do understand the danger. I figured I didn't have a lot to lose. If I can't get this under control, she will die anyway.