The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TurtlePowerTrav]

How was hawaii?
Go to any chicken shows?
Learn any new chicken keeping secrets?

It was good for a mostly "free" trip. We went to Maui a year and a half ago and loved it there. Oahu is just to much like Portland, big city, LOTS of homeless, seedy areas of town. But we had a good time. Pro Bowl was awesome, even though the game was not in the second half. Surfed in the rain, got some snorkeling done, got tan. The people in the service industry are on the rude side(which equates to lower tips, duh). All in all, we won't likely go back to Oahu. We want to go to Kuai and Hawaii(Big Island) in the future.

 

[Doubleyolker]

I guess Lionwizard is better than Loinwizard....

Sometimes I crack myself up.....

 

[delisha]

Hi Doubleyolker...welcome

 

[delisha]

I heard peeping in the coop tonight when I went to close up. The eggs are talking..they should hatch in the next few days..

 

[aoxa]

I heard peeping in the coop tonight when I went to close up. The eggs are talking..they should hatch in the next few days..

 

[Mumsy]

I heard peeping in the coop tonight when I went to close up. The eggs are talking..they should hatch in the next few days..

Yay!

 

[Uriel]

It was good for a mostly "free" trip. We went to Maui a year and a half ago and loved it there. Oahu is just to much like Portland, big city, LOTS of homeless, seedy areas of town. But we had a good time. Pro Bowl was awesome, even though the game was not in the second half. Surfed in the rain, got some snorkeling done, got tan. The people in the service industry are on the rude side(which equates to lower tips, duh). All in all, we won't likely go back to Oahu. We want to go to Kuai and Hawaii(Big Island) in the future.

whoa whoa whoa nobody talks crap about my beloved Portland

 

[Bulldogma]

I heard peeping in the coop tonight when I went to close up. The eggs are talking..they should hatch in the next few days..

How exciting! Hope you have a great hatch!!

 

[Mumsy]

those are all leg mites..that bump is an infection pocket from neglecting the mites. The scales get lifted and they walk in who knows what. Mite infection untreated in the worse cases can necropsy the legs completly while the bird is still alive. Chickens do not complain. They can be in severe pain and contine to eat and drink and survive until the day you find them dead. That is why knowing your birds and culling is essential. They simply do not complain.

I bought a Silkie hatchery roo at the farmers market years ago. I didn't know what leg mites looked like then. He infected my whole flock. I got it cleaned up on all the clean legged birds but nothing would help the Silkie. I finally culled him. He could barely walk. You don't normally see it on birds less than a year old. The older the chickens get, those old scales loosen up and then they can get infested. Usually over crowded filthy conditions spread it or an infested older bird brought into the flock. I won't be purchasing adult birds in the foreseeable future to prevent it from getting a start at my place again. It is very difficult to get rid of.

 

[Melabella]

I bought a Silkie hatchery roo at the farmers market years ago. I didn't know what leg mites looked like then. He infected my whole flock. I got it cleaned up on all the clean legged birds but nothing would help the Silkie. I finally culled him. He could barely walk. You don't normally see it on birds less than a year old. The older the chickens get, those old scales loosen up and then they can get infested. Usually over crowded filthy conditions spread it or an infested older bird brought into the flock. I won't be purchasing adult birds in the foreseeable future to prevent it from getting a start at my place again. It is very difficult to get rid of.

You just reminded me of a question I was wondering about. Can hatching eggs bring things into your flock? I mean, can the chicks that subsequently hatch from those eggs carry diseases? There are many times on BYC I have heard similar stories about people bringing in adult birds from somewhere, and Armageddon of diseases break loose. Makes me think I would never want to bring in an adult bird.

MB