The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[Miss Lydia]

Yep...if you free range, it will save you money and stimulate the birds to be better foragers. A hungry chicken is a great forager. In the warmer months when forage is good, I feed in the evening. This gives any bird that didn't find adequate forage a full belly before bedtime...no one goes to bed hungry.

In the winter, I feed once in the morning(same amount) and they will pick at it all day and still not go to bed hungry. They are less active in the winter, thus burn off less fuel from their feed. They need to maintain a good fat layer in the winter but chickens, much like dogs and cats, do not need to have constant feed in their face.

It's not that way in nature and it shouldn't be that way in the coop/run. The biggest mistake people make with pets is feeding free choice, believing that is how it would be in a natural setting and not wanting the animals to "go hungry". In real life, out in the wild, neither dogs nor cats are always successful on finding foods throughout a day, nor do they always search and hunt for them. They have meals, they have rest time and active times but they don't usually have a buffet off of which they nibble all day. Just us humans have developed that tendency....

They get more adequate nutrition on forage than we could ever give them in a feed mix...the proteins and greens they find are much more digestible and more utilized than are the feeds we supply, so they are getting more nutrition out of less food by foraging.

Yes, I'd encourage more foraging by just feeding in the evening during months of high forage...even in the fall the bugs can be found and grass is still being grazed. As long as they get a gut full of food once a day, they are good to go. A leaner~but not skinny~bird is a better layer and enjoys better health throughout their reproductive life. Same as with us humans...and that is a fact coming right out if the mouth of a fat woman!

If only someone would withhold our feeds for us.....

Okay so after first frost say you start feeding in the mornings? I'm sorry if I appear dense, it's probably because I am. and when in the spring? when there is no more chance of frost and the grass begins to grow? I don't free feed my dogs but I just got into the habit with first the ducks then the geese then the chickens. Just thought that was what I was suppose to do.

 

[35chick4kid1dog]

So here is the best I could do for pictures.

This is pretty much what most of them look like. The spot ont he top of the serration of this particular hen is from a peck yesterday, but the other in the second picture is what a lot of them have. And see how it looks dry? Most look that way as well. makes me want to run Bag Balm all over them.

Any ideas? The eggs (ones and twos for over a week) that i have gotten have all been good. Large, hard shells, at least some fertile. I'll post a couple more pictures so you can see what they look like overall. Like I said, they all act pretty normal.

 

[35chick4kid1dog]

Umm...yeah...don't know where the pictures went... Hmm....



Okay, got it now, I think....

 

[35chick4kid1dog]

And here's a couple others.













Camera phone. Not the best, but what I had!
Any thoughts???

 

[galanie]

My thought? Quit looking so closely. Nothing to worry about. For what it's worth.

AND, they all look dang healthy.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My thought? Quit looking so closely. Nothing to worry about. For what it's worth.
AND, they all look dang healthy.

X2 very pretty birds.

 

[Beekissed]

Anyone have any suggestions on what to do about a chicken that has one eye closed? She seems to be a bit scrunched up and right now is in the coop on the roost, while her cohorts are out and about foraging. Her other eye seems just fine and when she opens the shut one, it looks good too. I don't want to get all concerned if I can leave her overnight and see how she is tomorrow, but wondered if anything needs to be done today. I'm not panicking, just curious. Thanks!

That's a toughie and I'd usually just say, "Wait it out....time takes care of a lot of things." Could be she got poked in the eye by another bird and has a scratch on the cornea...I've had that and it hurts like the dickens!

Bee...I think you are right about the yolks, I just opened two eggs laid today and the yolks were BIG - much bigger than they have been.!!!!!!!
They have been on FF about 3 and a half weeks now..

YAY for big yolks!!!! I'm glad others are reporting this because I thought I was just imagining things.....

A word of caution to the FF makers. Or . . . "How Could I Do Something So Dumb"?

So, I've got these two buckets one inside the other. I'm using regular scrub-sized buckets, guess they're 2 gallon. Fed the gal's and decided I needed to add some extra feed/scratch/stuff to the mix.

For some reason I grabbed the handle of the inner-most bucket and went to pick it up. The two buckets separated and I slung FF all over the kitchen cabinets, it rolled down the front and formed a huge puddle in the kitchen floor.

I'm here to tell you that - in that context - FF looks and smells just like puke.

Thought I'd lose my lunch trying to clean it up. Ended up wiping it up with cloth towels and then put the towels on the deck to dry. Hopefully, all the food-matter will then shake out and I can wash - and probably rewash - the towels.

Just be careful when you pick up those buckets. Seriously!

Hence...the reason I keep mine outside.... Plus, the ol' Bat would have a fit if I brought that stuff inside. She do like her clean house....

Yep, FF is the big yolk around here these days.

I've noticed it too.

And another!

I can't wait until we all have chicks in the spring and get to see what difference these big yolks are going to mean in regards to chick nutrition and health status at birth.

Okay so after first frost say you start feeding in the mornings? I'm sorry if I appear dense, it's probably because I am. and when in the spring? when there is no more chance of frost and the grass begins to grow? I don't free feed my dogs but I just got into the habit with first the ducks then the geese then the chickens. Just thought that was what I was suppose to do.

You got it! I know...everyone on here advises the newbies to free choice feed but even if my birds were confined to coop and run I'd still only feed twice a day~ or once each morning and enough to last for a couple of good meals. Leaving free choice in the coop is just wasting money, IMO, as the birds overeat and the mice spend all day and night freeloading your feed into their little nasty nests.

So here is the best I could do for pictures.

This is pretty much what most of them look like. The spot ont he top of the serration of this particular hen is from a peck yesterday, but the other in the second picture is what a lot of them have. And see how it looks dry? Most look that way as well. makes me want to run Bag Balm all over them.

Any ideas? The eggs (ones and twos for over a week) that i have gotten have all been good. Large, hard shells, at least some fertile. I'll post a couple more pictures so you can see what they look like overall. Like I said, they all act pretty normal.

I've seen this on my hens a time or two over the years and it goes away. Never seen more than one or two spots like this but have found it means nothing. Your hens look beautiful, the combs are the appropriate color for this time of year and the laying is appropriate for this time of year as well. I'd say it's all good in the neighborhood....Galanie is right.

 

[Beekissed]

Good news on the GB: Saw Toby tagging Raggedy Ann today! So, the deepening red on the combs and wattles, nest interest and now getting bred by the roo....all make me think we'll have someone laying soon!

Also saw the Snowman taking Bertha for a ride...but he's young and none too discriminate, so I'll reserve judgement until I see Toby giving her the seal of approval.

It does my heart good to think all these 6 yr old hens were not permanently sent into retirement from their ill treatment and there may just be a fire yet in the old ovens. It'll tickle me pink if they all get back into their former excellent laying patterns. I think the only reason those folks let me have them back was because they thought they were no good for laying any longer.

Still attempting to train to the nipple waterer...tonight I smeared seed laden suet cake to the bottom of the bucket and I think a few of the hens might have gotten a drink or two while pecking at the suet. I'll keep doing that to see if I can get them to do the monkey see, monkey do of pecking at the bucket for a drink. Sure would make me happy if they started using the nipple bucket for water until it gets too cold to do so. Keeps the water clean and clears up floor space.

 

[35chick4kid1dog]

So you don't think the sudden end to the laying isn't a concern? Will they resume on their own, then? I am relieved to hear it!!

Just showing my lack of experience, I guess. I'll keep doing what I've been doing, then. With the addition of the UP ACV and removing the feed in the morning until evening, of course. My hubbs will be glad, too. He's been muttering about sending the whole lot to the butcher and starting over!! HAHAHA! He never would, but he needed to grumble. He was just getting used to limitless, delicious eggs. YUM!

Thank you all for your input! I am LOVING this thread!
Blessings!

 

[chickachee]

Ok, I'll wait to see how the chicken's eye is in the morning. I hope there's some improvement. She seemed a little lethargic too, so hopefully a good night's rest will help her out. Thanks for the input, Bee.