The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aaggjg]

So I bought a home lead kit. I couldn't afford the $30 one today. This one cost me $13. I can use it maybe for six tests.

I'll be interested to see what you find. Sorry the process has been so gruesome but at least we are all learning something from it. So thank you for sharing your experience!

 

[Mumsy]

I had a parrot that unknown to us had been chewing a lead curtain weight in the curtain on the windowsill he loved to sit on. He had seizures, lost weight, little appetite. I took him to our avian vet and he was diagnosed with lead poisoning. The vet did chelation therapy with him and he survived and thrived. I can't remember just how he was treated as this was 20+ years ago. Might try it with the roo if you think he has been exposed,

Thank you for posting this. If the home lead test on Binkus's organs shows positive tomorrow, I am thinking of having a blood draw taken from Stinkus and have it tested.

 

[TeriO]

Thank you for posting this. If the home lead test on Binkus's organs shows positive tomorrow, I am thinking of having a blood draw taken from Stinkus and have it tested.

Mumsy - I read an article on possible lead poisoning in chickens and they listed outdated water systems, brass fittings old pipes, etc. Could be a possible source for the breeder. Just an FYI

 

[aaggjg]

Thank you for posting this. If the home lead test on Binkus's organs shows positive tomorrow, I am thinking of having a blood draw taken from Stinkus and have it tested.

I'm wondering if you can just flush him as a precautionary measure with the Chelation like Delish mentioned... Is there and harm in doing a flush with chelation even if he is healthy?? I guess I need to look that up.... It could save your the money of the blood test if it is safe....

 

[Mumsy]

I'm wondering if you can just flush him as a precautionary measure with the Chelation like Delish mentioned... Is there and harm in doing a flush with chelation even if he is healthy?? I guess I need to look that up.... It could save your the money of the blood test if it is safe....

Yes. That is something I need to find out. Which would be the least expensive and still help find out about this mystery while helping the roo.

@TeriO: I was thinking the same thing about the plumbing at the breeders old barn! Excellent point. The more I have been learning about where lead is, the more freaked out this is making me. Eggs from lead poisoned hens are toxic to people and animals! This knowledge just makes me feel sick.

 

[delisha]

I read that chickens cannot tolerate milk. Is this true?

I would love to read that link

Raw milk is good to give chickens..great on feeds..great to use to Ferment grains

 

[Mumsy]

I called my vet and left a message. He won't be in the office until Monday. Asked about a blood draw for the mate I purchased with Binkus. I have read that if there is lead in the blood, it will fluoresce under black light. I am capable of pricking him and putting a drop of his blood on a glass plate and doing that myself. Oral Chelation tablets cost upwards of $40. They only work if the bird shows slight toxicity. It draws the lead from the bones into the blood and it can be excreted. The damage done by the lead to the brain, nervous system and body is permanent. Chelation will not reverse the damage but will remove the lead from the body to prevent further damage.

The test I am doing now is very interesting. My scientific best friend sent me this today:
""""""
" Lead dissolves in organic acids, and vinegar is watered-down acetic acid, an organic acid. So the lead is "going into solution" (dissolving) and taking on an ionic form - essentially this means it's being changed from its solid 'atom-balanced' state into a 'atom-unbalanced' state mixed into a liquid. This liquid containing the lead ions is then dropped on the paper. The paper contains another chemical (possibly a phenolthalein) that will react with the lead ions and change color (reddish), indicating the presence of lead."

"""""

So my tissue sample is dissolving in the White wine vinegar and I will test it tomorrow.

I have been reading a lot today. The rough, peeling, cracked, and green stained lining of the gizzard is indeed a symptom of lead poisoning. So is a blocked proventriculus. I rechecked the carcass this morning. It was clogged. Barely any space for movement of food at all. The proventriculus is like a sort of stomach. It is unique to birds. Mammals have nothing like it. It empties into the gizzard.


I'm sorry if I am becoming a thread hog with all this lead poisoning stuff. I do have happy news.

I let the bantam RIR and Johnny chicks outside into the grass and sunshine for the first time today! They loved it and followed me all around in a tight little flock. I showed them how to find worms and bugs. Not many. We have had a wet wet winter. It was fun. They are so ridiculous when a tweety bird flies over. They are all "RUN!"

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I remember on the other thread a discussion on whether suet would go bad. I always freeze mine too. I can rarely get it here unless I know someone butchering a cow.

Did anyone watch "how is it made" (I'm home I'll)? They did a segment on eggs. They said:

Chickens start laying at 19 weeks
Have 15 hours of light
Have a measured amount of food that moves along in front of them 3x daily
Watered like a guinea pig (my interpretation)
(You only see the chickens head). The rest is in tiered galvanized cells. So very sad
Life over at 72 weeks as eggs are no longer consumable
The eggs they produced have a store life of 35 days.

The middle 2 lines are mine but the rest was in the documentation.

Wow there are a lot of eggs in that video. It shows how the chickens were fed and watered but it skipped the part about waste. They must try to sell it off to fertilizer companies right?

 

[Bulldogma]

The conversation on lead led me to do some more research and share some of what I have learned elsewhere.

I had never thought about the prevalence of lead until now. I'm so thankful for this thread and the people here who are willing to share their personal stories to help the rest of us!

 

[countrygirl74]

Great job! Also, I checked out your link about your coop and it looks awesome!