The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[salt and pepper]

So what does everyone do for worm/parasite prevention? We don't particularly want to use meds. We ferment feed so they get good bacteria. Would garlic, cayenne, and de be sufficient to keep birds healthy?

Peppers

Chickens can't taste heat, but the chemicals in hot peppers kills and prevents worms. also yogurt, pumpkin, garlic, and cinnamon help.

 

[NanaLynn]

Well, we lost Google, my big BR around noon. So I am left with just 2 injured ones.

I had moved Google and Oreo, the other BR out to the coop with the others. I made a basket for Google and cut off the end so she could still have some support for her hurt side. She did not eat today at all and only drank water. I tried to feed all of them this morning after I put them out and went back out at noon and she was gone. I am glad that she is not suffering anymore. She also was the lead chicken.

Oreo goes back and forth, she eats very well, she does not drink much, but I have been giving her wet food, so she may get enough liquid in her from that. She has eaten lots of scrambled eggs, meal worms and wet and dry food. She does not walk around at all now, but she does move around and turn around okay. She also pecked at Daisy the White Rock little one when she came over to eat from her plate. So she is acting like herself, she was another top hen. Even the 3 healthy big girls are very sneaky when stealing her food; they're still scared of her. I consider this a good sign, just wish she'd walk around some more.

Big Mama, the BO stayed on the roost all night and she put herself up there last night. She is trying to eat, but it seems like she is having trouble seeing with just one eye open, plus she seems to not have full control of her tongue. While I was out there around noon I did get some wet food in her by putting it into the side of her mouth and my husband helped hold her while I gave her more. She did drink on her own, which is an improvement from when I had her inside. I did take her off the roost later in the morning, she was not happy with me and I kept following her around and putting a little wet food in her mouth and making her walk. I put her in the run and threw down some scratch and she went for it and I did see her get a piece of scratch or two and eat it. She also pecked at some wet food and meal worms at first and it was like she was doing the motions but not actually getting anything.

It's weird, but I think maybe she has some type of brain issue or something from the shock? We checked the eye that she keeps closed, I pulled down the lid and the eye looks fine and it opened easy. Could it be some sort of stroke maybe? She is walking more and scratching the ground and trying to eat and drink, a big improvement from yesterday. Her tongue also seemed to stay out a little when she was eating at first but I think it is staying in better now. She looks and acts more aware, not so dazed as before. I think and hope she is coming back to us. She also just walked from the coop into the run and is trying to eat again. She's a big girl and has some weight on her because she always loved to eat so hopefully that will help her out in this recovery.

If Oreo the BR does not look better tomorrow, I may need to explore other options, I actually was planning this for Google today, but thankfully she passed on her own. She ate so well this morning though, so I’m still holding on to hope and she does not appear to be in pain.

Has anyone ever heard of a chicken that pecks and does not really pick up food? Or one that temporarily lost control of their tongue. It is so strange.

Here are a few pictures of the girls, injured and healthy, not great shots, since they were taken form my phone camera:

This is Google the one who died earlier today with the healthy 19 week olds. Another BR(Pepper), RIR(Ash) and EE(Olivia)


Here is Oreo, the better health wise of the two hurt BR's


Here is Big Mama, the BO. This is the side where her eye is shut. She still is a pretty hefty weight. Her other side looks completely normal.


Daisy -WR, the 8 week old up on the top roost that she never was allowed to go to before.


Another picture of Olivia the EE - She had not started laying yet, but was checking out the nest boxes today.

 

[groverlvchx]

I always have chicks it seems. I have broodies in the winter as well. I always feed starter 18% protein. Non-Medicated. I would feed an all-flock, but they don't have it at all here. Four feed stores in my area and none of them carry an all-flock.

If you can get an all flock, and it's reasonably priced - that is a good option. I don't feed grower now because here it is too low in protein (15-16% - which is too low for chicks). I fed grower all last winter with no issues at all.

Ideally I would like to do whole grains and grind my own, but the options for grains here are very low. The recipes I find online look great, but I can't locate half the ingredients.

So either grower or all-flock all the time unless there are babies? I plan to ferment this winter again. They LOVED it last winter, but come summer they lost interest. There is lots more waste with chick crumbles, though.

 

[Eggcessive]

LynnEBC, I would worry also about a brain injury with having the one eye closed, but I would think maybe a leg would be weak on the same side. With a tongue control issue I might be concerned about her choking on food. Maybe wetting some food to make it easier? With the excessive rain problem many are having, I have often wondered why we don't have pipelines in our country to transfer water from areas where it always floods to dry areas where they always seem to have droughts or wildfires. I guess that is too simplistic, and of course it isn't a profitable commodity like oil, so it would never get done because it would be too expensive..

 

[aoxa]

So either grower or all-flock all the time unless there are babies? I plan to ferment this winter again. They LOVED it last winter, but come summer they lost interest. There is lots more waste with chick crumbles, though.

During the summer they really don't need any manufactured feed at all if they free range. I still feed my free range flock two scoops a day. They clean it up within an hour. I would feed them just one, but I'm trying to condition the geese for show, and they need the protein in the feed.

You can do grower, all-flock or starter all the time. Up to you

 

[aoxa]

Sorry to hear about Google Lynn

That was an awesome name..

 

[Eggcessive]

So what does everyone do for worm/parasite prevention? We don't particularly want to use meds. We ferment feed so they get good bacteria. Would garlic, cayenne, and de be sufficient to keep birds healthy?

Many people recommend pumpkin seeds (or squash and zucchini in the summer) because it contains curcurbita, a natural wormer. Many say that garlic and cayenne help too.

 

[cuckoo lover]

what breed is the first one in this post?

 

[cuckoo lover]

what breed is the first one in this post?

 

[bbdal]

Peppers Chickens can't taste heat, but the chemicals in hot peppers kills and prevents worms. also yogurt, pumpkin, garlic, and cinnamon help.

Thanks! Do you feed them daily all of these or each periodically? Can you use ground garlic and red pepper like you could get in bulk from Sam's? Or, minced garlic you can get in a big container? We are growing pumpkins for them but I wasn't wondering if seeds are fine either fresh or dry. Is this enough unless a bird actually gets sick? Should I be doing anything else? We have not seen mites or anything. They dust bathe and I believe some people give de for dusting. We don't but can if we should. Thanks again!