The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[pigeonguy]

PG - on the Heritage RIR - Will these be started pullets or chicks? If started, how will you integrate them in with the existing flock?

They will be started pullets 4 months old. The firsts thing will be putting them in a building all their own except for 1 of my hens and leave till I am comfortable that they can be integrated with the others.
When I move them in with the others I will at first put them right in with the others if that does not work out due to to much fighting. I will have a run built inside of my existing run about 8 ft X 12 ft with a small coop just big enough to give them room to sleep in it. Let them live in there a week or so Till I feel comfortable. Then start free ranging them with the main flock and then hope for the best. I'm sure there will be some fighting as long as they don't draw bad blood I won't worry about it because it is natural.
So I would say about 2 months before they meet the flock. 1 month before I get them and 1 month here.

 

[Pozees]

Thanks to all who responded to my post about the Silkie with the wry neck. She is still chatty and strong. She really hates the Poly Vi Sol but I got a third dose in her this evening, some soaked crumble, and she ate scrambled egg by herself - which I consider a very good sign - I started by putting it where I hoped she could see it and wiggling it a little so she spotted it and as soon as she did she grabbed it. After helping her eat a few bits this way I put her in the crate with a bowl lid of it and when I returned to check on her it was gone, so I gave her more with some crumble sprinkled over it and she ate at least some of it - she has gone to sleep between the door and the lid, although she peeps whenever someone uses the bathroom, even with a towel covering the crate. Bob remarked how talkative she was

My sense is there is a slight improvement, so we shall see what tomorrow brings. I am relieved she is hungry and can fill her own crop. She has been held and checked on several times today, so if I have missed something and she dies overnight she will know we tried to help her. Bob held her while I cleaned her crate up and all the cats had to have a sniff, which didn't seem to upset her at all. The old man (Snowball) acted as if he wanted to mother her

Darned chickens.

 

[delisha]

Hey folks, this seems like the right thread to pose this controversial question.

I have 6 girls (3 pullets 3 young layers), from two different feed stores, that I've acquired in the past 6 months. I have been feeding them organic feed, tons of organic veggie scraps, and organic white feed corn. They appear very healthy! Raw ACV with the mother is in their water, as well as a sprinkle of organic cane sugar, to boost their systems.

Should I de-worm my girls? I've never thought about it, and I know nothing about worming. I live in ABQ New Mexico, so their coop is always dry, we live with 5-10% humidity at most. Would a healthy diet and living environment allow chickens to defeat or live healthy with worms? I haven't noticed anything moving in their droppings.

Any holistic tips on worms? I'm ok with using a chemical, but I wanted to ask fellow naturalists their opinions.

I have never wormed in 35 years..I try to keep a healthy balance. fresh water, good food, free range, fresh greens..proper nutrition. sunshine

Mummy, could you show me what you use to hold down your plastic on your hoop houses? I tried it this winter with pvc "holders" my husband bought, but the wind still blew the plastic off. I want to get a jump on the tomatoes and peppers and do more gardening in the winter. The chickweed did very well under it so I am hoping I can do one just for the chickens next winter.

I have a friend who has chickens also. For the last week she has had one hen in the house because the comb was pale and it was very lethargic. She did say that it wasn't pooping very much, and tried a warm bath, which she pooped well afterwards, but not so much later on. Anyway, the hen's comb got little brighter, but it isnt well and they cant cull it and don't want to spend the money at the vets. I get upset every time I think about this poor bird suffering so my question is should I offer to help her cull it? I have never done it before. I hate killing anything, except bad bugs that don't like to share, but I can't stand to see an animal suffer.

Thanks
Christine

Sorry..hugs

Quote: nope..feed them back to the chicks

Guess what came in the mail today??? My sixteen guinea keets! They were all alive and well, cheeping agrievedly, and are drinking and pecking at the fermented food. Hoping we don't lose any from the shipping stress or user error
.





they are VERY noisy. Which kind of worries me. I'm hoping that that doesn't mean that they don't have something they need. I think I've got the temp ok, they're not huddled under the lamp in a huge dog pile, and they're not spread out around the edges of it either, they're kind of spread out in a single layer under the warmth. Some of them seem to be panting a lot though, does anyone know if this is normal? I'm as nervous as a first time mama with a newborn. Actually, that was easier I think!

also, the only feed I have is about 16% protien. I was planning on just giving these guys raw meat every day to supplement to the levels they need. Anyone have any opionions about that? I know some of you do raw meat for chicks, about how much per chick should I give? I was thinking about 1/2 tsp per chick to start. cause they're so tiny.

panting..could be too hot..16% is pretty low..so 1/2 tsp of raw meat should kick that up nicely.

Quote:
What is the best way to dispose of the eggs that don't hatch. we buried ours this time. I was just wondering if that was the best thing to do.
I feed them back to the birds

Hello I'm back with a Health ? and safety ? for the 2 week old chicks (21 chicks)
I would probably not have known.. to be careful.. if not for the conversations here.. thanks for that.


I have a respiratory problem. with My 2 older Roosters. One has had it for a while.. and i didnt know what it was.
now 3 days ago.. i saw the other shaking his head... and that started me looking..

I'm reading on the NCK blog.. about wheezing now.. and i have administered VetRx.. to the older birds. for 2 days now.
and i wanted to post here.. too.

I've been washing hands.. and changing cloths if i handle the Older birds. before i feed & handle the younger chicks.

- and i had .. a new chick mom pannic over one of the chicks breathing.. what i thouht was hard.. last night..
<i separated s/he for a while and then decided s/he was alright> she was so... up set.. if it was a problem.. i fear i didnt do the right thing.
and this morning they all look fine. none look to be feeling bad.

My ???? I was wanting to take them out side for .. a while.. on good days.. now..
how do i consider.. where the older < free ranging > birds have been.. The older one has had this for over a month.

Comments on .. Older bird Treatment.. and Safety for younger birds..

You need to find out why you have birds with URI..Respiratory issue are not something to take lightly. You need to get your sick birds away from your healthy birds. Have you added any new birds lately? Been to someones house with birds? Been to the feed store? Do you observe bio security?
I would put the new chicks out in the sunshine. I would not put them any where close to where the sick birds have ever been. Try the front yard with a small temporary fence for now until you get a handle on your other birds.

Hey Everyone.

I have been reading in here trying to catch up but can't seem to ever get done before another hundred posts show up.

Very interesting reading and you seem like a very nice engaging group I must say.

I have some questions for you. I picked up my new chicks today and they absolutely refuse to eat FF. They tried a little, shook their heads to get it off their little beaks like it was vile and then refused to eat it. I gave them some dry chick starter and they ate it like they were starving. So what is the deal?

Even my 3 year old hen prefers dry layer mash to FF. She reacts the same way as the chicks did. I have been giving FF to my hen for a couple of months but now she won't eat much of it and I don't want her to lose weight as she is already skinny. I did feed some of the cheese type layer off the LAB I made and she went for it just fine. The first time she was more interested than the following times just like the FF.

Do these birds know something? Are they saying enough already I have other needs? OR are they just picky?

On that note, also my hen picks all the soft wheat and what she wants out of the layer mash and leaves most of the rest so she is not getting the benefit of the entire layer mixture. Actually her comb looks rather dry so she may be lacking omega 3 I would guess. Her eggs are wonderful though. I do give her raw organic sunflower seeds daily but it hasn't helped. Don't know what to think about it. Any tips would be much appreciated. TIA for your input.

~Dee~

Sounds like you need to add more feed to your mix..it is too strong

Please help I have 65 baby chicks with wet bellies never had this happen before. what should I do and what may have caused this.

If it is from them walking in the water..try marbles. It will help keep them dry.

Got any answers for this problem? I have also posted on the injury thread thought I would see if any old timers or natural chicken keepers had any responses that might help me.

I have a two year old hen who I noticed yesterday she wasn’t acting right. She is wild and won’t let us touch her so I don’t handle her much. I finally caught her today and found her problem. She has at least an inch deep hole on her hip...close to her vent. Well there are maggots in it. I However, the wound doesnt look fresh. Even thought i dont touch her I do look my hens over every day. I called our vet and he said all we could do is clean her up with dawn dish detergent and if it doesn’t help put her down. I had already cleaned her up and separated her from the flock but I can’t get the maggots out. I am pretty sure she is too far gone and is going to have to be put down but I am just concerned as to why this would happen and want to prevent this problem from happing to the rest of my flock. This particular hen was missing on Tuesday when I put them up for the afternoon in their run. When my husband shut the coop door that night he said somehow she found her way back in. We just wonder if something got after her and hurt her and she got away or if when she got back in she scratched herself but we never noticed a wound on her. She started acting funny yesterday. This hen also keeps nasty feathers covered in fecal matter on her bottom. She isn’t the only hen that has that problem but not all of my hens have that problem either. This has been going on for about a year now on and off...they had worms so i thought the nasty feathers was due to this so I have wormed them a few times and cleaned them up and I have also had to clipped off the nasty feathers but some of them are just nasty again the next day. I am going to take a fecal sample to the vet to be sure they don’t have any bacterial problems as some one had mentioned it could be vent gleet but i really dont think it is that. I did put a spray on there rear ends every day for a week before i knew for sure they had worms the spray is supposed to help with bacteria, yeast and all wounds and it didnt help either. I cant remember the name but it was something like vetacylin....They free range for most of the day and I check them every so often for mites and lice , I dust them down if I find any but they also have dusting holes in the yard and I have one in the run for when they can’t get out. I clean out the coop every 3-6 months. Its use less to clean up their rear ends because it’s just nasty the next day. I feed them layer pellets, a little scratch, Black oil sun flower seeds, and kitchen scraps and i dont give them any rotten food.... every so often I put probiotics and electrolytes in their water and I give them apple cider vinegar too. Does this sound like maybe she hurt herself and the flies laid their eggs in the wound or flies laid some eggs on her messy feathers? I really don’t know what else I could do to keep them healthy or keep there bottom feathers from staying nasty. What do you do?

Sorry about your birds injury, If you have a rooster he probably tore her during breeding..it happens. You need to clean her up as best as you can and try to get that infection out. NuStock works pretty good on injurys. I would keep her away from the males till she is healed.
Butts might be mites or gleet. gleet stinks How about a picture..that will help

Thanks everyone for your responses! I have cleaned her up agian and pulled out all the maggots that I could see, then I put neosporine on her. I will do it agian tommorrow and see how this goes. I never noticed a wound on her but like i said she doesnt like being handled.

Leahs Mom....as far as the vent gleet goes I have thought it was that but I am just not sure...I couldnt find any nustock before locally but I will order some. Thanks for the link. What causes vent gleet and is there something I can do to prevent it. The messy bottoms drive me nuts...last year they were all nice and fluffy and pretty and now some of them just look gross....I have wormed them because the vet said it that could be the reason...but it hasnt helped and its been a couple of months now. They said i could send in a fecal sample and have it sent off to see if its bacterial....but what causes it in the first place? I havent done anything differently since having chickens. I will read the "gnarly bunch" story too...Thanks so much!

The maggots will take care of the infection. They eat dead flesh. Gleet is a form of yeast infection.

great thread here- what is the best way to treat thrush in the throat?? someone suggest acv dabbed on and in the water?

it is yeast infection..the big question is why do you have thrush? antibiotocs? treatment will be determined on cause of thrush. Sometimes yogurt will work. But like I said..depends on the why. If it is from disease..getting rid of the thrush treats a symptom and not the cause.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

I do not use an ax. I am not coordinated
I have a tree with a rope tied to a limb. It has a slip knot on the end of it. I take the birds feet and slip them into the slip knot. The bird relaxes, I use a very sharp knife and slit the jugular vein right below the ear and leave after I see the blood it is running well.

I boil a large pot of water and dump it in a 5 gallon bucket. I add a candy thermometer and add water till it reads 180. I go get the bird. I hold the bird by the feet and dip the bird all the way up to my fingers and swish, and pull all the way out. I wipe my hand down the body and see if feathers come off. I repeat untill the feathers simply wipe off. It takes about 5 dunks average. I do not pull feathers..I wipe them. The only feathers I have to pull are the ones on the end of the wing.

This is the best out there and close to how i do it.

Your description is wonderful. I think this is how I have seen it done. I remember (was teen back then) watching them dunk and just wipe off feathers.

Stony - my kiddos all get to range after about 11:30 am until bed time. Before that, they have a good sized kennel (about 20x20) that they're stuck in. I may just let them out earlier than that before too long, but I've kept them in the pen until I get to the house which is about 11:30 - 12. They have a door on a time that opens about 8:00 am and they can go out into the pen are until I get home.

And - the hen that attacked RB when he was on the little girl was an RIR (hatchery) so maybe those reds like taking out the roos....

Now wonder if I should have gotten those three little RIR (prob production reds like mine) from Family Farm and Home. Was concerned about roosters.... though I think I would like one and a few more hens.

Glad I'm not the only one uncoordinated enough to use an axe!

I have seen a cockerel dance for a towel that fell off the clothes line. I still can't get that image out of my head. Oh how we laughed at poor Steve

Ditto. I've had chickens for 3 years now and have never wormed. Prevention is THE most important thing- other than healthy food and a clean (but not too clean...) environment is the key, as well as enough space. Free ranged birds are healthier for a reason- they spend less time confined to the same contaminated space, while gradually exposing them to other germs and pathogens to increase their immunity. To prevent, I do a variety of things- lots of pumpkin and squash seeds every fall into early winter (and I'm going to start saving pumpkins for them over the winter). Fermented feed itself is a preventative, I feel, because of the way it increases overall health, but also red pepper in the feed. Access to a variety of herbs that are both antimicrobial and vermifuge (kills worms) like oregano, wormwood, thyme, black walnut hull, etc so they can self medicate. And I put wood ash in their favorite dust bathing sites (that is mostly for external parasites). ACV in the water. Garlic in either the food or water. And culling- if I ever have a bird with a parasite load I can't deal with naturally, I will cull him/her. IMO culling is the most important and most often overlooked method of keeping a healthy flock... probably because 96% of us are women, and it's a lot harder for us.

I feel like worming is like antibiotics- once you use them, the birds will become more reliant on them since their bodies aren't learning to deal with the problem itself (the same reason I won't give my kids antibiotics...).

Very useful and informative. Thanks.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Thanks to all who responded to my post about the Silkie with the wry neck. She is still chatty and strong. She really hates the Poly Vi Sol but I got a third dose in her this evening, some soaked crumble, and she ate scrambled egg by herself - which I consider a very good sign - I started by putting it where I hoped she could see it and wiggling it a little so she spotted it and as soon as she did she grabbed it. After helping her eat a few bits this way I put her in the crate with a bowl lid of it and when I returned to check on her it was gone, so I gave her more with some crumble sprinkled over it and she ate at least some of it - she has gone to sleep between the door and the lid, although she peeps whenever someone uses the bathroom, even with a towel covering the crate. Bob remarked how talkative she was

My sense is there is a slight improvement, so we shall see what tomorrow brings. I am relieved she is hungry and can fill her own crop. She has been held and checked on several times today, so if I have missed something and she dies overnight she will know we tried to help her. Bob held her while I cleaned her crate up and all the cats had to have a sniff, which didn't seem to upset her at all. The old man (Snowball) acted as if he wanted to mother her

Darned chickens.

Yeah, they don't like it. But there are a lot of meds I don't like but know they are for my benefit. Make sure to continue treatment for 2-3 weeks total, even when it seems to have gone away. It won't hurt her at all.

 

[DeesHens]

I
Quote: Thanks. Those are good tips. Yeppers. They have tiny chick grit accessible at all times. Plus when they are 3 days old ... between tomorrow & the next day ... I am going to put a sod plug in with them as Leah's helpful article suggested. Love that idea! ~Dee~

 

[CoopChick719]

Catching up from 3 days ago....

I have:

3) 2 or 3 year old Bantam Cochins hens--Laverne & Shirley and Chiquita--they were free and DH said sure we'll take 'em. Now he's saying why aren't they laying? Hellooo....that's why they were free!!
2) 1 year old Sizzles--1 smooth light splash--1 rough dark splash--Janice & Blue
1) 1 year old Paint Silkie rooster--Marshall

The 3 month olds:
2) Barred Rocks--1 roo, 1 pullet--Flacco & Spot
1) EE--Chipmunk
1) Mystery pullet--Pitch--looks like LeahsMom's Miss Black

The 6 week olds:
3) Red Star pullets--Kitty Hawk, Dot & Speckle
3) White Leghorn pullets--Marshmallow and 2 un-named
2) Bantam Silkies--pretty sure they are both roos. My daughter calls them the drunken sailors because that's what they looked like walking around in the brooder. They were Straight Run.

My hatch completed today!!!! 30 eggs went in the bator, 28 made it to lockdown, 26 hatched, I think I will loose one maybe two of the new hatchlings.

Kassaundra-Love your feather duster surrogate broody mamas!!

ROOSTER SURVEY

-Do your roosters "dance" for the girls and wait for the girls to accept their advances? OR Do they just grab and attack against their will?

-If they dance, at what age did they begin that behavior?

My guy dances...I call it "The Curly Shuffle" (3 Stooges reference). I got him when he was a year old and was dancing then. My 3 month old BR Roo has shown no signs of dancing but I will keep an eye on him. Not sure if I'm going to be able to keep him since we are in town (would love to since I've got a pullet as well). DH has said We don't need 2 roosters crowing.

 

[countrygirl74]

It's called Pithing, and you can mess this up as well.

Any of these methods can be botched.

I find cutting the jugular the easiest and the most pain free way to kill them. They really don't feel it.. Think of a time you received an injury.. did you feel it instantly? Usually it takes a while for the pain to kick in. By the time the pain would kick in, they are already dead.

The most traumatizing part for the bird is being handled by you before you are to dispatch them.. unless your bird likes to be held of course... I have only processed roosters and dispatched unthrifty hens.

With small birds I take the head right off with a sharp knife - easy. With a large bird the jugular is the easiest way for me. Everyone is different - I don't use the axe method because I have botched it.. twice... I have botched a neck breaking as well.

I do hold the neck in place until they start to convulse. I find they go quicker if held so the blood drains faster. Once they start to convulse - I know they are already dead so it doesn't bother me like it did in the beginning.. though I had one chick that convulsed for 3 -4 minutes strait. She had her head cut off so was definitely dead.

X2 on cutting the jugular - death is fast and from what I understand, their blood pressure drops immediately and they pretty much are not aware of much. Ours were completely gone in about 30 seconds and that was without holding the neck to bleed faster. This method also is good for draining all the blood from the body - there's no blood left at all when plucking and processing - very clean.

 

[countrygirl74]

Can anyone help my Arizona friend with this bird? Her name is Button. He is prepared to cull if necessary - probably on Saturday if no one has any positive ideas.

Information from the owner:
She hasn't always been this way. It seems to have started when I released her into the main run.
She is about 9-10 weeks old. And the issues started about 2-3 weeks ago.
Her toes aren't always curled, they just end up that way sometimes, like she has little control over her feet. She stumbles around and seemingly trips over her own feet.
She was not vaccinated for anything that I know of.
She is eating and drinking as much as she can get.
The whole flock was on grow crumble until about 3 weeks ago when I switched to lat crumble. The whole flock gets various fruits, vegetables, weeds and/or meal worms every day, multiple times a day. I spoil them

She's showing no improvement and I think I will cull her tomorrow unless you come up with something solid.

She's been on poly-vi-sol for a couple days and I think he was going to try to get some raw liver...

 

[Pozees]

Can anyone help my Arizona friend with this bird? Her name is Button. He is prepared to cull if necessary - probably on Saturday if no one has any positive ideas.

Information from the owner:
She hasn't always been this way. It seems to have started when I released her into the main run.
She is about 9-10 weeks old. And the issues started about 2-3 weeks ago.
Her toes aren't always curled, they just end up that way sometimes, like she has little control over her feet. She stumbles around and seemingly trips over her own feet.
She was not vaccinated for anything that I know of.
She is eating and drinking as much as she can get.
The whole flock was on grow crumble until about 3 weeks ago when I switched to lat crumble. The whole flock gets various fruits, vegetables, weeds and/or meal worms every day, multiple times a day. I spoil them

She's showing no improvement and I think I will cull her tomorrow unless you come up with something solid.

She's been on poly-vi-sol for a couple days and I think he was going to try to get some raw liver...

Go back to grower, too soon for layer. I don't know if that is what is causing the problem, but sure could be.