The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[armorfirelady]

Lynn so glad to hear your hens are doing better. I have used blue kote before and it covers very well and last a few days. Just watch your fingers on the sprayer. I ended up with purple fingers for several days

Lala- I so envy you. While I do get deer in my yard it surely isn't as pretty as a momma and her twins in a meadow

 

[Eggcessive]

Yesterday we had thunderstorms and a flash flood in the creek around our house. I think one of our speckled sussex hens got swept away in the rising water where she likes to hang out in the afternoon. Then last night a raccoon somehow opened a very difficult spring-loaded latch on my large broody-breaking pen and got my last remaining silkie. Three ameraucanas escaped into the garden to hide, and my buff orpy was just sitting there this morning with the gate open. We found feathers where the silkie was dragged over a fence into the woods. I have used that pen for a couple of years to raise chicks and break broody hens. This summer I think I have had to break 20 broodies. We are going to try the raccoon trap again, although we keep catching our cats over and over.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Wow. So sorry to hear that.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Question for Kassaundra on the iodine.

Did you purchase a specific brand of iodine? I think one of my kiddos may be presenting a bumble (have to wait a couple days to be sure). If she does, I thought I'd try the iodine sugar.

How many times did you put it on? Did you cover w/vet wrap? How long? Was that the only treatment you used?

 

[beccasev]

Bad news. I've caught up to the entire thread. :-( Now I will have to find something else to do- like laundry or dishes or some such nonsense.

 

[delisha]

Bad news. I've caught up to the entire thread. :-( Now I will have to find something else to do- like laundry or dishes or some such nonsense.

sorry to hear of the silkie loss eggcessive.

Lynn,
Glad your chickens are recovering

 

[delisha]

Justine,
How are the chicks doing?

 

[Kassaundra]

Question for Kassaundra on the iodine.

Did you purchase a specific brand of iodine? I think one of my kiddos may be presenting a bumble (have to wait a couple days to be sure). If she does, I thought I'd try the iodine sugar.

How many times did you put it on? Did you cover w/vet wrap? How long? Was that the only treatment you used?

Nope just plain old first aid iodine.

No vet wrap, didn't have any still don't, duct tape works great.

I did it 2 or 3 times w/ the sugar/iodine paste, I think it was 2, but I had been messing w/ it for weeks before trying the surgery, squeezing, triple antibiotic ointment, Epsom salts bath (which I still did prior to the iodine sugar wrap)

First time left it on for 3 days second time right around that amount maybe a day or so longer (got real busy ) then it was healing enough not to need any more treatments.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I have found having wet hair help some, also wearing one of those neck cooling scarves helps a lot. They say not to freeze the scarf but I still put it in the freezer for 20 minutes to quickly cool them down. When all else fails I will wear damp clothing, or even turn the hose on myself. Now we have air but there were a few weeks last summer we did not or that the air just could not keep up.
A dehumidifier can help too but only to a point.

I just had my first 100% hatch rate. It was only 9 eggs but still after all of the trouble I had with shipped eggs it made my night tonight to come home and see that last one out of the shell.

 

[Pozees]

Bad news. I've caught up to the entire thread. :-( Now I will have to find something else to do- like laundry or dishes or some such nonsense.

Ewwww!

Lynn, very glad to hear your remaining survivors are recovering.

Eggcessive, bummer. What does raccoon scat look like? We are beginning to think there may be one hanging around, finding odd scat about, today's was full of black beetles. We never see whatever it is.