The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

 

[subhanalah]

What is everyone's thoughts on disease?

I had something go through my flock about a week ago that caused gurgled/raspy breath and watery/goopy eyes. Everyone survived and recovered except for the week-olds who just weren't big and strong enough to fight it.

I had posted a thread asking for advice etc, and one person told me to either wipe everyone out and start anew or, at the very least, not sell any birds or even hatching eggs!

Now, it seems to me that having my birds be sick and breeding all the healthy, strong ones is a GOOD thing - after all, we WANT disease-resistant birds, yeah? And the fact that they may now be carriers of something does not necessarily mean they will pass it on. I mean, even people are carriers of all kinds of different things, but you don't see 100% of the human population sick with herpes. And even if my birds had been vaccinated since the very beginning, that doesn't guarantee that they can't still catch and pass on whatever they're vaccinated against; it simply means they won't get full-blown symptoms if they do catch whatever.

So, being that we're here about the natural ways of doing things, what do you all think?

can you have them tested? Depending on what it was, it can be spread to the hatching eggs.

 

[subhanalah]

Can someone explain what fermented feed is? Thank you!!!

http://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[armorfirelady]

LM the bird bangers look like what I've seen at the farm where we pick fruit. They also play bird sounds that scare the birds away. I wonder what bird sound would scare hawks away?

 

[Leahs Mom]

I keep thinking that if I was playing hawk predator sounds it would freak out the chickens! I think it would be owl sounds. I also don't like the idea of getting them acclimated to a predator sound that will also go after them. I'd rather they be afraid when they hear those sounds.

 

[lazy gardener]

I agree with you re: the sound acclimation. I'd be tempted to fire off some noisy rounds.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@lalaland
Hawk update, please.

 

[LindaB220]

Check these out - "Bird Bangers" I never knew these existed but I have been saying I'd like something like this for a long time. I think I'm going to consider getting one! I was just on the DNR Website and they suggested them as a deterrent method.

http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/animal/NWS15MMBB.html
http://www.wildlifecontrolsupplies.com/animal/NWS15MMDSL.html


From the DNR Site:

I really like the DNR site:

Quote: http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/5741.htm

As a joke, that is. It stated that the way to stop the hawk is to simply pen your chickens in a coop. That way it will be no problem.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
I saw that every time I read it. How frustrating is that.

 

[lalaland]

@lalaland
Hawk update, please.

everyone is tucked in safe and sound. There was a young eagle that just fledged a few weeks ago circling this afternoon - its parents were just specks in the sky but the baby was so much lower, circling overhead, and making the baby calls still. Its interesting to me that it isn't just chicks that make baby noises that stop as they get older,

I suppose that is what could have been in the pines freaking the chickens out, but don't know. It spent a few days in a pine tree down the road last week, just screeching. Its parents were trying to get it to fly, and were dive bombing it, but baby wouldn't move for at least 3 days. The noise was incredibly grating and it was a relief when it finally left.