The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ramblinH]

(further question from 1st post above)

Should I just scratch the homemade electrolyte restorative solution & give them some water with ACV in it instead? I did add some additional water to the solution thinking maybe the garlic smell was to pungent...

Bulldogma, they are really going after the feed now that I put some dry on top of the fermented!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Just my opinion...but I'd just give them some plain water with very little ACV. Another idea - if you have a second waterer available you could keep your solution in one and plain in the other.

I always worry a little that when I put certain items in the water they may avoid it so, especially when they're really little I like to be sure they're drinking well before loading the water down with too many items.

Again..just my thoughts.

 

[arkansaschicks]

You guys need to be careful with giving drugs. You will also have to give added vitamins. It blocks the thiamin/b1 in your chicks. Give extra fresh greens. Prevention and getting chicks on FF and building immunities is the way to go. I know weather play a part of it..but even with chilly weather get the dirt to the chicks early.

One more question....so should I not treat the 8 week chicks since they have been outside on the ground for several weeks now. I was just afraid for them because they are living in the same coop as the sick birds. I really don't want to give them the Corid because I know the drugs are hard on their systems. Any thoughts?

 

[zinia8]

I wanted to do the epsom, but she was such a fighter I couldn't hold her, get the beak open and aim a syringe with the epsom salt dose.  I ended up giving her oil via soaked bread crumbs.  
She didn't make it thru the night, and I am going to do my first necropsy at noon on my lunch break (am working from home today because of the storm).  NOT looking forward to this, but I need to learn.  She was a 4 yr buff orpington from McMurray's.  Will post pics.

I will be waiting for your findings.
If this other bird continues to fail I plan on doing a neocropsy. I won't mind. She is mean at times I call her bitey b**ch.

 

[brandislee]

no..it is cocci..They should have seen dirt to help build immunities from day one.
I think everyone has recommended a dirt plug for new chicks. It really can save them. For everyone reading this...please take the time to dig up a small dirt plug for your new chicks. It takes seconds to do this.by the time you see blood they have had it for 3 days. They start dying on day 4. Signs before the bloody poop. huddling..crying, less moving and running.The smell is awful and it is unmistakeable. They do not gain much weight and crops are not bulging. That's a shame..sorry you are going threw this.

There are 7 types of cocci. Now that they have had one variety they will be susceptible to the other kinds. Build up the immunity now that you are medicating. Get them on the ground on sunny days for a few minutes every day.

I didn't know about the dirt plug, that's really good information. My chicks are totally healthy so far (knocking on wood) and I've never had issues with cocci before (and I don't use medicated feed, although I did with my very first batch of broilers because it was all I could get). They're a week old, is it too late to do the dirt plug thing? I know that's probably a dumb question... and just any ole' dirt from my yard, from the chicken run, or how do you choose? Sorry, I over think these things...

 

[delisha]

Quote: This is a quandry. I normally never recommend drugs..specially ones like corid, however. I would still give it for at least 4 days. Your sick ones will need to be on it for longer. I am not positive but I think it is 7 days. Look into it to be sure. Do not give it longer than you should. It damages the kidneys and liver and causes polio.

 

[lalaland]

ok, LM, here's the interior pics you requested. The rest of y'all can relax, knowing I've scored the "messiest storage shed" award, not to mention the award for the most utilitarian coop - nothing cute about it

this is the roosts, window is facing south and there are two more at the end of the long roosts that face north.




you can see the same roosts to the left in this pic. old steel nestboxes on the right. doorway into storage portion of the trailer. yup, it is a mess.
see below


view from other side of the door. there is a significant amount of room out of sight to the left of the pic - and that is where I will build out a quarantine quarter and a brooder coop.



last night's snow coming off the roof




early morning pic of snow on top of feed bins - you can guess that the girls decided to stay inside today.

posting these was good practice for the necropsy pics coming tonight. wish me luck!

 

[delisha]

Quote: no question is dumb. Cocci is every where. Mothers get her chicks out of the nest and on the ground at day three to help her chicks start immunities. As long as they are not confined the chances of getting over load of cocci is slim. Chicks and adult birds contract cocci when confined to areas that do not have a chance to air out or the sun to hit it to keep it down to lower levels..or..even the super clean get it because they are not given a chance to build immunities. Than when they are exposed to it ..wham. it hits like a ton of bricks.
It is never to late..dig out a small plug in the area you intend them to graze. It is never to late...

 

[BlueMouse]

So... My new hen will NOT lay in the nextbox. Nestbox has two fake eggs in it, and is in a pretty quiet private spot, but she keeps making a nest in the corner. I keep kicking her nest around and putting stuff on top of it, and she just makes a new nest as close to the original location as possible.

I only have one nest box, but I thought that should be plenty for just two hens. should i prioritize adding more nestboxes?? I had thought about taking her OUT of her nest and putting her IN the nestbox if I see her, but don't want to unduly frighten her. She's pretty flighty as is....

 

[Bulldogma]

OK - Update!!!

So I saw some pretty bloody stools and freaked out... because I'm cool like that...

None of the chicks (all 9+ weeks of age) seemed fluffed up or sick-looking... so I let them out to free range. Every last one of those little goobers ran or flew out to the grass and proceeded to chest-bump, run or fly in the sheer joy of their freedom. Not a one was left behind, and none has returned to the coop to hide.

Then I brought food out to them and was swarmed. Off their feed?? I think not! Now they're all running about with very full crops. Yes - there are some bloody poops in the coop. Retracing current history, there was some mold growth on one of my buckets so I tossed the yucky stuff over the fence. Later in the day I caught a few of this age group wriggling out through the fence (apparently they can just fit through) to eat the nastiness. Little jerks!

Another thing that happened in the past few days was I cleaned out a drawer and threw out some old dog heartworm meds that were outdated and meant for a dog we don't have any more. Well... my 9-year old (who is in the autism spectrum) found them in the trash and mistook them for meaty treats. She's seen me feeding the birds raw liver, so she took them out, broke them into pieces and fed them to the chicks! I almost died, but figured other people give their birds ivermectin all the time... and that's what this was. I also figured none received that much...

Perhaps one or both of those things caused some intestinal upset. Judging by the way they are all behaving now, they seem to be recovering just fine. Of course I'll keep an eye on them. (Read: I'm going to become a poop-watcher for a while... )

Great, will do! I also just elevated the feeder a tad & put a sod plug in - they are loving it!

Thanks for your quick response!

Oh & by the way, thanks also for all you do over at your NCK blog! That & Ussery's book have been such great learning tools. So excited to be implementing these methods from the get-go

So glad it has been helpful!! That's why we put it together.

Do they seem ill?

LOL!!! Um... no.

Bulldogma, they are really going after the feed now that I put some dry on top of the fermented!

Great news!!