The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[delisha]

I used corid..some of the chicks exibited *wry neck* like symptoms on day 5 of treatment. I almost lost my female silkie. I gave foods high in thymine, like many eggs daily and in a week most had recovered. One never did and died on day 12. Three took longer. One I just culled. They probably did not have cocci and I gave poison to my birds. I am pretty mad at myself. Who knows what long term effects and damage I did. That is why I am investing in a microscope. It will save me money and lives in the long run. It only cost me $40 a year for fecal tests, that alone will pay for the equipment.

Quote: Corid. I read about side effects of corid after I treated. I was so stupid.

Quote: I had it occasionally in my meat birds a long time ago. Same with pectoral myopathy. It can show up in any type of bird. I feel it is genitic and can't be fixed.

Quote: I agree..I am watching them like a hawk in this weather. They are already compromised from being ill. I have added dry powdered milk on the top of food to force more water drinking (Elecrolytes). I have stopped giving them FF free feed and only give them a smaller portion. They now have dry available at all times. FF once a day. The only ones I am worried about are the ones I took off the property and treated with corid. I am pretty stressed about now. I was thinking about taking a video and see if anyone can see something I do not.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: If you are only planning on keeping 1 roo for every 10 hens then you just need a temporary solution to last until you can pick the roo that you want. If your sister wants the roo, she should keep it separate from her flock for 30 days. In 30 days, her birds will be close to laying. It might be the perfect time to give your sister a roo. The only thing is you have to choose which roo you want. Now since the other roo is going to your sister, the choice is not as important as it could be if the roo was going to freezer camp. After all if your roo turns out to be not breeder quality or for some reason can't produce fertile eggs, then you simply borrow your sister's roo. Just remember to separate from your flock for 30 days first. All of this separation is so the bird can build up immunities to your property before being exposed to your hens. Every property is different sometimes a bird can get sick just by going to a new place with new people. Then that sickness spreads.

 

[delisha]

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: They are quite tasty even when small...

I used to cage separately when I was still figuring out the best way to fatten them and keep a peaceful flock, but really it seems best done through breeding, and free ranging them until cull day is best for our health. I maintain a steady adult population of both genders and any misbehaving teens of either gender will be punished by the adults. I used to have rampant cockerel issues for a very brief time but haven't had for many generations; I started blaming the fathers for the sins of the sons, so to speak, and it seems to apply. Roosters who mistreat or disrespect hens tend to breed those notoriously bad cockerels. Originally I too thought it was just puberty. Breed gentleman roosters and you get very well mannered boys. Win-win!

However while you're figuring out how you feel is best to deal with your issue there, caging them in sight of the hens is probably best, it'll give them something to look at besides eachother. If too bored too quickly they may start turning that bad behaviour on eachother. If you're going to release them once incarcerating them, they will be a blight on the flock, best to maintain freeranging or caging. One or the other. One nasty cockerel I culled young would not let the other boys off the perch to feed, defeating the whole purpose of caging to fatten, which I found doesn't work well anyway... Not for me.

Quote: It is a very thick tarry liquid, not like the tar used on roads, but not like water though it gets quite runny on hot days. I thought it would stain and dirty feathers and fur but have found it absorbs straight in like it was never there, bar an after-scent. I don't use the diluted stuff, just pure Stockholm tar. Costs $9 a liter and so far a liter has lasted me three years and is still about a fifth full and has saved a bunch of lives as well as healed human injuries and infections. It's nowhere near strong enough to remove feathers.

Quote: For all the reasons SallyinIndiana said, and also because I have multiple family lines that I cross carefully and need multiple roosters to avoid inbreeding; if I had only one rooster at a time, my girls would get old waiting for their best usage as breeding hens, but with multiple roosters, during each hen's breeding lifetime I can identify the best matches, make trial breedings, inbreed when I need to investigate a defective sign that's cropping up, etc... Also if you keep just one rooster, when/if you decide to breed for meat or get more to breed, there will likely be strife, since even roosters from a multiple rooster home can become intolerant of other males really fast when kept with only hens. I invest in their future offspring's attitudes by maintaining multiple males.

Random off topic idea: selling 'pre-loaded' flock-starting hens. I have done this before and wonder if there might be an industry niche for it. You basically sell a hen that's mated with one or more roosters, if multiple then in fairly quick succession. If she's a proven broody and mother, that's the start of someone's chook farm, lol! Since a hen can be 'pregnant' with the offspring of many different roosters at once, for the purposes of those wanting random surprise babies, it's been kinda popular. I've also sold combos of proven chook hen mothers with turkey chicks they've just hatched, for those starting their turkey flocks. Some people sure have some random requests...

Quote: And will mate with many more than he can fertilize the eggs from, in my experience.

I have only encountered one rooster who could fertilize as often as he mated, and he was a full-size silkie crossed with a mongrel. He and the hen that liked him the most could mate in a split second, literally; he would come running across the yard, she would do a spin-about on the spot to present her rear to him, sit, and he would go flying over the top of her and it was done. He didn't hold on, didn't put his feet on her, didn't even touch her beyond the 'cloacal kiss' --- he literally ricocheted over her. Split second matings, no exaggeration! I was inundated with his offspring, lol, good eating, but I still can't believe he managed to breed with basically every single hen for as long as I kept him (a few years). None of the other boys, despite their efforts, got a look-in.

My seemingly most virile rooster, on the other hand, was about 95% infertile. He would mate over and over and over again in a minute with the same hen, and it took me years to get a grand total of one chick from him, and she wasn't anything great. He came from a Black Australorp, Buff Orp, Light Sussex, Leghorn (and a few others) breeder and was a mix, black and pale gold, very fancy but effectively useless.

Quote: Some genetic issues can be fixed, but it takes time, patience, resources, knowledge, and a host of other attributes most of us (myself included) do not have in sufficient quantity. I have bred out a bunch of issues but with some I just join the cull crew... Way too time consuming, too far gone, too difficult to fix, etc. I applaud and admire the efforts of those maintaining and rebuilding heritage breeds of anything but personally it is something I would need to read another few libraries' worth about before I feel game to tackle it. Keen but too busy otherwise. Too new, got too much to learn right now. Etc.

 

[aoxa]

Random off topic idea: selling 'pre-loaded' flock-starting hens. I have done this before and wonder if there might be an industry niche for it. You basically sell a hen that's mated with one or more roosters, if multiple then in fairly quick succession. If she's a proven broody and mother, that's the start of someone's chook farm, lol! Since a hen can be 'pregnant' with the offspring of many different roosters at once, for the purposes of those wanting random surprise babies, it's been kinda popular. I've also sold combos of proven chook hen mothers with turkey chicks they've just hatched, for those starting their turkey flocks. Some people sure have some random requests...

This reminded me of this really interesting post I read from Ridgerunner.

When a successful mating occurs the hen fluffs up and gives a shake. This fluffy shake moves the sperm to a tube inside her body at the start of her internal egg laying factory. When the egg yolk first starts its journey through the hen’s internal egg laying factory it is fertilized as it passes that tube.

The eggs are not fertilized before they start that journey. That just cannot possibly take place. The hen’s body is a perfect incubation temperature. If the eggs were fertilized before they started their journey, they would be developing. The hen would lay eggs with partially developed chicks already in them. That just doesn’t happen. They are fertilized as they start that journey, not before.

The sperm in that tube normally lasts about two weeks, but yes, it is possible it can last for over three weeks. I imagine four weeks might be possible but that would be really rare.

The sperm in that tube operates on a last in – first out basis. The last rooster to mate with the hen is probably going to be the father of the chick, at least until his sperm is used up. I don’t know how often a rooster needs to mate with a hen for his sperm to always be on top. It probably varies some between hens and roosters.

While it is possible the old rooster could be the father, it is highly probable the new rooster will be.

 

[Mumsy]

I used corid..some of the chicks exibited *wry neck* like symptoms on day 5 of treatment. I almost lost my female silkie. I gave foods high in thymine, like many eggs daily and in a week most had recovered. One never did and died on day 12. Three took longer. One I just culled. They probably did not have cocci and I gave poison to my birds. I am pretty mad at myself. Who knows what long term effects and damage I did. That is why I am investing in a microscope. It will save me money and lives in the long run. It only cost me $40 a year for fecal tests, that alone will pay for the equipment.
Corid. I read about side effects of corid after I treated. I was so stupid.
I had it occasionally in my meat birds a long time ago. Same with pectoral myopathy. It can show up in any type of bird. I feel it is genitic and can't be fixed.
I agree..I am watching them like a hawk in this weather. They are already compromised from being ill. I have added dry powdered milk on the top of food to force more water drinking (Elecrolytes). I have stopped giving them FF free feed and only give them a smaller portion. They now have dry available at all times. FF once a day. The only ones I am worried about are the ones I took off the property and treated with corid. I am pretty stressed about now. I was thinking about taking a video and see if anyone can see something I do not.

I'm looking for a microscope too. It sure would have come in handy during those necropsy I did over the past six months.

I really do know how you feel about what is going on with your birds. You will get a handle on it.

I will not use Corid. Went that route twenty years ago. Only made things worse in my flock. I don't do much of anything different or feed much of any thing different no matter the weather. Birds in my flock have to make it or not. Those that make it and thrive get to reproduce themselves. If they are great representatives of their kind.

My starter Catdance Silkie flock and starter HRIR flock and Blue Slate turkeys are the only varieties I am raising. The odd ball here and there are for eggs right now. Anybody with a wimpy constitution, does not fit the Standard or has genetic weakness will simply not get to reproduce. It makes choices for my breeding program much easier to pick. This also makes my freezer have no lack of good meat. I simply do not have the property or funds to do it any other way.

 

[delisha]

did you watch the chick video of mine? Anyone see anything? I am worried about that S. laced Wyandotte and that silkie still.

 

[midnightroo]

I did, but I wasn't sure what I was to be looking for. I will watch it again.

 

[midnightroo]

I am not good at noticing things. The Wyandotte I saw seemed fine, I saw it eating. The silkie appeared to be just resting and that happens all the time at my house. Not saying their isn't anything, but I am not experienced enough if there is anything wrong.

I hope someone more experienced watches and I hope they are all ok.

 

[delisha]

I did, but I wasn't sure what I was to be looking for. I will watch it again.

Just if someone notices something..They look OK to me but the two birds. Most of the time they act normal..just sometimes they look..off.