The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[TurtlePowerTrav]

How young is too young to give yogurt to chicks?

While they're in the egg

. I have given it to mine as young as 3 days

 

[Leahs Mom]

Agree. I'm right now doing research for a blog article and have found studies that would confirm what turtle is saying...never too young.

 

[Sally8]

While they're in the egg

. I have given it to mine as young as 3 days

Agree. I'm right now doing research for a blog article and have found studies that would confirm what turtle is saying...never too young.

How about poults? Right now I have them together. I've never given the turkeys yogurt just the chickens. It should be ok, right? Thanks. sue

 

[Sally8]

OK Mumsy, my ignorance again. What makes these Catdance Silkies feathers above the next? Are you able to tell at this young age? How about the sex? I always thought females had poofy head feathers and males feathers kind of went toward the back.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

How about poults? Right now I have them together. I've never given the turkeys yogurt just the chickens. It should be ok, right? Thanks. sue

Never done turkeys, but I would think if they are on the same diet as chickens they would be fine

 

[aoxa]

thought about you today Mumsy - I went to the Monroe Poultry show. Had a lot of fun looking at tons of different chickens - got some pics - It'll be a couple of days before I can see if I can upload a couple for you all - -busy day tomorrow. Homeowner Assc community road work & St Paddy's party for everyone at our house! - green beer & green pop of course - have green cookies to bake & made green popcorn tonight.

so - learned something at the poultry show today - thought I'd share my - hmm - outrage is a little strong - but - here goes.

looking at the chicks for sale & I see 3 of an uncommon breed that I've been looking for --- not silkies - raised by someone in my area (omitting the telling details here so as to not disparage someone who's not here to defend themselves). -- - one roo, two hens - or more likely pullets as they seemed a little small.

I watched them for awhile & the rooster was doing this head tick thing. It stood out so I looked for some time & saw that it would open its beak – I was waiting for a crow – but it just gaped. I didn’t see someone – or at least anyone that appeared to be the person who owned them. so I wandered around until I found a chicken person who wasn’t busy (she was selling poultry stuff & araucanas) – I told her I was new to chickens & what did it imply if a chicken was shaking its head. She said ‘if it’s a silkie… I said no a large fowl – she said then that indicates an upper respiratory infection, especially if they are gaping. Your instincts are right. NEVER buy a bird with those symptoms & NEVER buy a bird that is in the vicinity of one that is behaving in that manner. When you do buy to add to your own flock, quarantine them for at least 6 weeks to observe if they have anything. In fact when I take my birds home from a show I quarantine them for 6 weeks to make sure they haven’t picked anything up. And yes those of us who show, do end up with birds that have become infected at shows. In fact I have known people who have had their whole flock decimated by bringing home illnesses from shows, not quarantining their birds and having it spread to their entire flock”

So this person, who sells ‘show’ chickens, several breeds – brought a SICK chicken to a show – exposed other peoples birds to a sick bird & was trying to SELL it! It was in a pen right next to 4 really beautiful banty somethings that someone else had sold to someone –so they are now exposed to whatever that rooster has. I showed up at the beginning of the show – so not like they’d been there a week & it just came down with something. They had to have known – if I, a novice, could see something wasn’t right…

So tell me what I'm missing - why would the show people not kick this bird out? Let me say this was not an occasional tick - this was several times a minute, all the time that I watched. & the gaping was distressing to me to watch. I won't be going to this farm to buy birds - the araucana lady said - buy his fertile eggs & incubate - but his show chickens didn't look that impressive to me. I'd rather buy feed store chicks... The possibly sick roo was in the for sale area - not the show area, else I would think the judges who were wandering thru the show area would have seen it & done something???

It was just distressing - but I learned something today - & quarantine is burned into my brain. Chatted with Araucana lady for awhile about closed flocks, & etc - liked her & her advice. She's a BYC person too.

Unfortunately I have seen the exact same thing... I went so far as to tell this guy that if he came back to the new show, that I would tell everyone what he was doing. He did not go.

Though gaping.. It can be a sign of URI, but could have been gape worms as well. and if you got the instinct he was sick, he probably was.

It's great you're introducing Henry to the chooks so early! They will become like family to him.

Hugs!

He was in there today as well. His fur + Shavings = bad idea. I have to thoroughly brush him before coming back in the house because it just clings to him! He is so calm right now it's the perfect time for introductions. I bet at 10 weeks he will sleep a lot less than he does now.. He is doing so well. I love him already!

Normally I would delete all the photos before telling you how beautiful your chicks are... but these babies are just too darn beautiful to delete!!! Oh Mumsy - I'm so happy for you! They are beautiful!!!

x2 They are gorgeous Mumsy! Which one is Clementine?

Never done turkeys, but I would think if they are on the same diet as chickens they would be fine

They will be fine. They will love it as well!

 

[armorfirelady]

Mumsy those chicks are so adorable

BDM ur lucky ur son enjoys the chics. Mine could care less and it took 2 months before he would even eat their eggs......now he loves the taste lol

We had the sun shining today & since I didn't feel like wrestling with the new electronet I decided to let the hens out to roam the yard. They came running out like they were being chased. Lol. I was working on getting new hardware fence on hoop coop so they were free to roam & roam they did!! At least my neighbors didn't stop to say my chickens escaped. They even were in the flower gardens turning them for me. They def will have full crops tonight. Had to bribe them back in the enclosure with ham scraps my mom dropped off for them.

Here she is with the girls who have decided she is the treat Nana since she always brings them something. (She also thought I was nuts when I got them but now she loves them)

 

[aoxa]

 

[Angelight]

Since this thread is so long, I'll ask.

While yogurt is considered safe and good for the bacterial strains, is it natural? I've been arguing with myself over my left overs that contain meat (or broth from meat) and dairy as I don't know that they would naturally eat those things in the wild. A chicken can't go to a cow and get milk. Would they eat dead animals? I'm struggling so hard over this.

 

[Pozees]

This is just precious, what a perfect photograph!