The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[mlowen]

Wonderful!  How much do those weigh?  I keep thinking it would be heavy to tote out there.

10 pounds...maybe. Just may be a bit awkward to carry. Mine doesn't have a solid bottom; I didn't have any plywood, so I put several small boards across the bottom. That gives me a nice place for my hand and makes it easier to carry.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
all eggs have that white spot... the fertilized one will be larger and more of a bullseye look. the unfertilized one will be smaller and solid, no center portion.

 

[Jewelwing]

all eggs have that white spot... the fertilized one will be larger and more of a bullseye look. the unfertilized one will be smaller and solid, no center portion.

Cool - I never knew that. Obviously!

Since I have no rooster, I don't have to wonder about fertility. But I do wonder who laid me that double yolker!

Of the five possibilities, I know that one of the Welsummers is laying, but I don't know if any of the other four suspects are (another Welsummer, two Australorps, and a Brahma). Both my Sussex are laying, as well as one Brahma and my lone Faverolle, but all four of those had already laid an egg earlier that day, so I know it wasn't one of them. Of course, I took down the trail camera when it got really cold, or I could have seen which one did it!

 

[FridayYet]

Hi everyone, would like a bit of advice on how to treat a listless chicken. She's a 9 month old Cream Legbar, and today I went out to let the chickens out to forage in the yard and noticed her standing in the corner all alone and quiet. I picked her up and put her under the tree with the others, and she pretty much just stood there while everyone else went crazy scratching through the leaves for bugs.

I checked her over, no sign of discharge anywhere, no bad smells, no labored breathing, no signs of anything out of the ordinary except for a droopier-than-normal comb. Stands with tail drooping down. Couldn't feel her crop, no obvious swelling or deformities anywhere. Seems kind of thin.

She wouldn't eat or drink for me, (not even freeze-dried mealworms) so I made her drink 3cc of water from a syringe. She swallowed fine. She spent the rest of the day in a dog crate curled up in the corner. Poop seems watery. At bedtime, I stuck her beak in the waterer and she drank a little, then I put her on the roost in the coop to sleep with the others.

Tomorrow I'll isolate her again and try to get her to eat. But starting Monday I'm back to work and won't be able to fuss over her.

My birds are in a covered run all day, eat organic feed (Scratch N Peck naturally free grower) and I throw in greens every other day. Oyster shells are always available. On weekends they get random treats like ground liver mixed with garlic and oregano, and some time out on the grass.

I was thinking of making a slurry with hard-boiled egg yolks and some infant vitamins to see if she'll perk up. Any other suggestions?

By the way, it has been unseasonably hot and dry this month = it was 80 degrees again today and the run has been very dusty.

 

[Scott H]

How old is she? It sounds like you take very good care of your chickens. If the others are fine, that's a tough one.

 

[FridayYet]

About 9 months.

 

[Scott H]

You might try posting here. These folks might have an answer.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures

 

[armorfirelady]

Hi everyone, would like a bit of advice on how to treat a listless chicken. She's a 9 month old Cream Legbar, and today I went out to let the chickens out to forage in the yard and noticed her standing in the corner all alone and quiet. I picked her up and put her under the tree with the others, and she pretty much just stood there while everyone else went crazy scratching through the leaves for bugs.

I checked her over, no sign of discharge anywhere, no bad smells, no labored breathing, no signs of anything out of the ordinary except for a droopier-than-normal comb. Stands with tail drooping down. Couldn't feel her crop, no obvious swelling or deformities anywhere. Seems kind of thin.

She wouldn't eat or drink for me, (not even freeze-dried mealworms) so I made her drink 3cc of water from a syringe. She swallowed fine. She spent the rest of the day in a dog crate curled up in the corner. Poop seems watery. At bedtime, I stuck her beak in the waterer and she drank a little, then I put her on the roost in the coop to sleep with the others.

Tomorrow I'll isolate her again and try to get her to eat. But starting Monday I'm back to work and won't be able to fuss over her.

My birds are in a covered run all day, eat organic feed (Scratch N Peck naturally free grower) and I throw in greens every other day. Oyster shells are always available. On weekends they get random treats like ground liver mixed with garlic and oregano, and some time out on the grass.

I was thinking of making a slurry with hard-boiled egg yolks and some infant vitamins to see if she'll perk up. Any other suggestions?

By the way, it has been unseasonably hot and dry this month = it was 80 degrees again today and the run has been very dusty.

I would make her some scrambled eggs and add some garlic and basil. Even yogurt with garlic, cayenne pepper & basil. And give her some more raw meat. Actually I would probably give her all 3 throughout the day

The eggs and raw meat have protein. the garlic & basil will boost her immune system. And the yogurt will help right her digestive system. And the cayenne pepper is a good wormer. I use it as a preventive.

Also did you check her for lice or mites? any scratching?

 

[FridayYet]

Thanks Scott H and Armorfirelady, I checked her all over and didn't see anything on her skin or on the base of her feathers. The bottom of her tail doesn't have any feathers, but the skin is clear and pink. (I think she's molting). These are my first chickens so I don't have a lot of experience, but I've been researching chickens and chicken care for over a year. I do have 20 years of experience as a nurse for people though.

Will keep surfing the site, including the diseases/injuries thread, mix up some eggs garlic and oregano (out of basil) and hope for the best.

Edited to add: No scratching noted.

 

[fenwickchic]

"unless you're selling..." Sounds like one of those things you do in a secluded place where no one can see

And...my dad is blind and gets books on tape (now on memory stick). I have access to the whole federal blind library list if I want. Just never got around to doing it that way. I like to have something on paper to leave to my kids should the electronic way become obsolete or inaccessible.

But if I was driving you bet I'd take advantage of that!

I'm with you Leahs Mom. I would love to listen to books while doing household chores and would probably love a Kindle, BUT... call me paranoid but if TSHTF and or electric fails, then printed books will rule. Plus, maybe I've read too much of George Orwell's "1984" or Huxley's "Brave New World: Brave New World Revisited", or Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451", but I know that my printed reference manuals, and other intellectual gems are going to be much harder to get rid of in physical form than they will be if they are all electronic and "in a Cloud". So, yes I prefer the physical book. Showing my age and paranoia. LOL