The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[CuzChickens]

I have Buffs, and I like them, but I'll be selling them soon. I do have seven buff eggs in the bator on day 4.

 

[GreatBreeder]

Ok!

 

[Eckielady]

Morning everyone. I haven't quite gotten through this whole thread yet (will I ever?) but decided to jump on here and ask your advice. We have a flock of one rooster and 10 hens. Suddenly two of them have a little rasp to their breathing and are sleeping a lot. I'm about to the point of culling them but man, they have been good layers. One is a game hen and one is a leghorn/EE mix (I think). I've added probiotics to the water, we already do ACV and I'm been giving them olive leaf

for the last day or so. Anything else I can do before I throw my hands up?

 

[JanetMarie]

Morning everyone. I haven't quite gotten through this whole thread yet (will I ever?) but decided to jump on here and ask your advice. We have a flock of one rooster and 10 hens. Suddenly two of them have a little rasp to their breathing and are sleeping a lot. I'm about to the point of culling them but man, they have been good layers. One is a game hen and one is a leghorn/EE mix (I think). I've added probiotics to the water, we already do ACV and I'm been giving them olive leaf

for the last day or so. Anything else I can do before I throw my hands up?

Sometimes antibiotics are needed, but will have an egg withdrawal period, and sometimes it's for life, and then they are just pets. I only used an antibiotic one time in 10 years of chicken keeping.

If you keep them organically fed, clean water, clean their house regularly, never letting waste build up, give them more than enough space to roam, and also enough room in their house, you should have limited problems.

Even a person who takes care of themselves and eats organically will sometimes have a health issue.

If they're sleeping most of the time they're probably on their way out.

 

[JanetMarie]

The amount per tree differs. Some just give more sap than others. The Maple tree flows more than the Walnut trees. I'm not sure what all of the factors are, but it seems that the Walnuts that flow more are the ones with the larger nuts, and of course the larger trees will flow more. The buckets have to be placed on the south side of the tree.

When all finished I'll post how many finished quarts/pints altogether. This may be the last week for tapping.

Altogether there are almost four quarts of syrup. One quart was cooked down too much and has the consistency of molasses.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Thanks for the follow-up on that. How many gallons before cooking?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Morning everyone. I haven't quite gotten through this whole thread yet (will I ever?) but decided to jump on here and ask your advice. We have a flock of one rooster and 10 hens. Suddenly two of them have a little rasp to their breathing and are sleeping a lot. I'm about to the point of culling them but man, they have been good layers. One is a game hen and one is a leghorn/EE mix (I think). I've added probiotics to the water, we already do ACV and I'm been giving them olive leaf

for the last day or so. Anything else I can do before I throw my hands up?

@Eckielady
In addition to what @JanetMarie said....

One thing I try to do before treating anything is to see if I can figure out what might be going on so I'm treating the right thing and setting up for prevention in the future if is preventable.

Here are some questions:

-You said there is a rasp to the breathing.

-Are they eating normally...how is appetite?

-Are any of the other birds showing any symptoms or "off"?

-How old are these particular birds?

-Have you had any change in feed or housing recently?

-Check in the housing for any areas that may have wet litter...check around water dishes, for example. Wet litter can breed mold causing mycotoxins.

-What kind of feed are you using? Do you feed any food wet? (Soaked, ff, etc.)

-Have you fed any animal products/meat that may have been left in litter somewhere? Check all floors and their outdoor area to be sure there are no meat-type scraps or small pieces. Remove them immediately if so. (Any meat product left over after they eat should be removed immediately after feeding when they are done and never left out after about a 10 min. period to prevent botulism.)

-Take a look at one of the birds at least. Check their vent area, look for any lice or mites, look at the feet and legs for any signs of redness or infection, etc.

 

[Eckielady]

Sometimes antibiotics are needed, but will have an egg withdrawal period, and sometimes it's for life, and then they are just pets.  I only used an antibiotic one time in 10 years of chicken keeping.

If you keep them organically fed, clean water, clean their house regularly, never letting waste build up, give them more than enough space to roam, and also enough room in their house, you should have limited problems.  

Even a person who takes care of themselves and eats organically will sometimes have a health issue.  

If they're sleeping most of the time they're probably on their way out.

They free range from morning till bedtime. They are fed organic layer pellets freely and also get FF in the evening just to make sure their bellies are full.
They're not sleeping most of the time but it's definitely more and one of those things that made me think "something is off". Noticeable.
I got them from someone else and they said they were 2. I never did believe them. These 2 specifically seem older. Older feet, older eyes.

 

[Eckielady]

@Eckielady

In addition to what @JanetMarie
said....

One thing I try to do before treating anything is to see if I can figure out what might be going on so I'm treating the right thing and setting up for prevention in the future if is preventable. 

Here are some questions:

-You said there is a rasp to the breathing.

-Are they eating normally...how is appetite?

-Are any of the other birds showing any symptoms or "off"?

-How old are these particular birds?

-Have you had any change in feed or housing recently?

-Check in the housing for any areas that may have wet litter...check around water dishes, for example.  Wet litter can breed mold causing mycotoxins.

-What kind of feed are you using?  Do you feed any food wet? (Soaked, ff, etc.)

-Have you fed any animal products/meat that may have been left in litter somewhere?  Check all floors and their outdoor area to be sure there are no meat-type scraps or small pieces.  Remove them immediately if so.  (Any meat product left over after they eat should be removed immediately after feeding when they are done and never left out after about a 10 min. period to prevent botulism.) 

-Take a look at one of the birds at least.  Check their vent area, look for any lice or mites, look at the feet and legs for any signs of redness or infection, etc.


 

Some of these are answered in my post above. No, nothing different in their care. No meat products. I have checked most of them for any critters and only have one bird that had a couple. Not many but there were a few. I've checked these specific two and found nothing on them. No critters, no wounds.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I think I would withhold the ff from them just in case there is a yeast/fungus issue.

(Some of the methods for ff that are taught on byc and other various websites are yeast/fungus/mold/alcohol producing and this can become toxic. The only fermentation method that was tested for chicken feed is lacto-fermentation which is an anaerobic process....... and I would even withhold that at this point just to be sure there aren't any toxic output in the feed.)



How are the crops feeling? Any signs of gleet/abnormal discharge around the vent area?