Chickens loose weight fast and put on weight fast. Mine are over weight from winter lack of exercise. My ducks are eating and eating getting ready to nest. I can't fill them up. This time of year the poultry is starving for fresh spring greens. I am crack growing many grains for them. I wish that 40 degree would get here. I need that snow gone.
If your birds are lacking in weight and sharp keel bones there is a problem. Having thinner chickens is not a problem..many good egg layers are thin. Look your breed up and see how much they are supposed to weigh and weigh them. If they are supposed to weigh 5lb and they weigh 4..you have problems.
I take a fecal sample into the vets twice a year. I have dogs. I take chicken poo in too. My dogs sometimes eat chicken poo.
This all natural approach is the best way to go and it is for good maintenance. If your chickens are loaded with worms you might have to worm them with strong wormers if you have not been doing natural approach from the beginning. I never recommend using drugs on any animal. However some drugs can save lives. My birds are not loaded because they have been raised the same since day one. Tomorrow they may run across some worm load that was brought in by a neighbors dog or a coon. They are healthy and I rely on that vitality to keep them healthy. If, and that is a big if. i purchased a bird and it had worms. I would use a chemical wormer if the natural approach was not working. I would do this so they would not bring the problem into my flock. I am closing my flock after the delivery of the last of the birds this year. My flock is healthy with no disease and I want to keep it that way.
I picked up a really beautiful trio of Basque that originally came from GFF that I posted pictures of for a friend and they are currently in my garage. If you look at the males head shot you can see obvious signs of rooster damage, and slight frost damage. I thought. It is pox. If I had not had them in my garage..away from my flock my whole flock would be infected. These birds are going home Monday and I am so relieved. They are still in a contamination phase, and the new owner is now aware. Bio security. I always fed them last, and used different shoes. I am so relieved I followed the rules. It has been a stressful week, my Orpingtons were shipped stressed and I took them to the Vets yesterday. They are so much better today. He gave them some sort of vitamin boost for stress.
If your birds are lacking in weight and sharp keel bones there is a problem. Having thinner chickens is not a problem..many good egg layers are thin. Look your breed up and see how much they are supposed to weigh and weigh them. If they are supposed to weigh 5lb and they weigh 4..you have problems.
I take a fecal sample into the vets twice a year. I have dogs. I take chicken poo in too. My dogs sometimes eat chicken poo.
This all natural approach is the best way to go and it is for good maintenance. If your chickens are loaded with worms you might have to worm them with strong wormers if you have not been doing natural approach from the beginning. I never recommend using drugs on any animal. However some drugs can save lives. My birds are not loaded because they have been raised the same since day one. Tomorrow they may run across some worm load that was brought in by a neighbors dog or a coon. They are healthy and I rely on that vitality to keep them healthy. If, and that is a big if. i purchased a bird and it had worms. I would use a chemical wormer if the natural approach was not working. I would do this so they would not bring the problem into my flock. I am closing my flock after the delivery of the last of the birds this year. My flock is healthy with no disease and I want to keep it that way.
I picked up a really beautiful trio of Basque that originally came from GFF that I posted pictures of for a friend and they are currently in my garage. If you look at the males head shot you can see obvious signs of rooster damage, and slight frost damage. I thought. It is pox. If I had not had them in my garage..away from my flock my whole flock would be infected. These birds are going home Monday and I am so relieved. They are still in a contamination phase, and the new owner is now aware. Bio security. I always fed them last, and used different shoes. I am so relieved I followed the rules. It has been a stressful week, my Orpingtons were shipped stressed and I took them to the Vets yesterday. They are so much better today. He gave them some sort of vitamin boost for stress.
See her feet? The one on the left still has a scab, but she is finally walking all over and not laying down for the most part.
