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

[Beekissed]

Yeah...a couple of week until those gigantic yolks started showing. I'm so glad you are happy!!! So am I!!! There really is no downside to this FF that I can see...just all good things.

 

[chickachee]

Sounds like you've done all the necessaries, so now it's time to let it happen. Just let the NS and ashes work, maybe recheck her in a day or so(mine scream like they are being murdered with a dull spoon each time I try to work with them

so you are not alone with that) and go from there. Really can't rush these things.

I'd feed the FF and only the FF and I'd play with the amounts given until there isn't anything left in the feeder for them to snack on. When they are hungry, they will attack each feeding like it's their last meal on death row.

Each flock's needs are different, so it's hard to translate over to someone else by just birds:feed ratios. Some breeds are larger, eat more, some are small breeds that eat less. Depending on the seasons and their individual nutritional needs, this is a constant adjustment. For my flock of 13 standard breed, dual purpose birds, I am feeding 3-4 level scoops from a medium sized scoop, once a day. That's it and it sounds like a lot but considering these grains are swollen with water, that would be vastly different if fed dry.

I'd just play with it until you get it right and they are eager for anything you put down and leave nothing of it after a few hours.

I have 15 birds and feed them ff. They act crazy whenever they get fed - which is once a day when they go in for the night. I think I've finally got my feed amount down pat. I weigh mine. I figured at least it would be easier than eyeballing it and then can adjust it the next time according to what was or wasn't left. I end up giving them about 2.5# of ff each night. They always jump up and peck at the bowl when I'm trying to dish it into the trough They eat it quickly - like REAL quickly. When I come in the next a.m. to grab eggs or whatever, all that's left in the trough are specks of food. They love that stuff! . They're maniacs I tell ya, maniacs!!

 

[Beekissed]

 

[Pullet Surprise]

I have 15 birds and feed them ff. They act crazy whenever they get fed - which is once a day when they go in for the night. I think I've finally got my feed amount down pat. I weigh mine. I figured at least it would be easier than eyeballing it and then can adjust it the next time according to what was or wasn't left. I end up giving them about 2.5# of ff each night. They always jump up and peck at the bowl when I'm trying to dish it into the trough They eat it quickly - like REAL quickly. When I come in the next a.m. to grab eggs or whatever, all that's left in the trough are specks of food. They love that stuff! . They're maniacs I tell ya, maniacs!!

Sounds like mine too...I have a hard time getting it into the feed trough without getting it on their heads! And then someone is always trying to jump up and get it from the bowl, makes aiming a little hard. I thought I had a weird comb disease for a minute until I realized, a couple of them had gotten it on their heads/combs. Feathered pigs...they LOVE it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
I didn't use the pipe fitting (but I actually bought one so I could see how it worked and figure out if I could use it somehow!). I did just drill right into the side of the bucket - just like you would if using the nipples. (Of course, with the nipples, you drill on the bottom of the bucket but with these, you put them in the side.)

I drilled the hole as low as I could and still have the cups just above the bottom of the bucket so I could place it on blocks or the ground without the cups hitting the ground. Have to get them low so there's enough water pressure up above.

On the drill bit size, I've never found it yet. I thought I had put it with the extra cups I bought but can't find it. Very frustrating.

I started with a smaller one and then kept trying the next size bigger until I hit it right. I'm still hopeful that I can find that and post it.

After you get the right size hole you just screw them in like you do with nipples. I did put some plumbing tape on the threads. I also went down to the hardware and bought some rubber "washers" to put on the outside of the bucket. I don't think they helped anything, honestly, but I just thought I might need them so I put them on. I think they may work better with cup B than A, and neither of them leak anyway. (If you look at the photos you can see the little rings where they screw into the buckets...just found something in the plumbing dept. and put 'em on there... again, I don't think they helped at all.)


**********************
Originally Posted by Leahs Mom

PHOTOS BELOW!

Here are some photos. Like I said originally, not sure if the mechanism will keep from freezing with the bird bath heater or not - that remains to be seen when the weather goes below 25 degrees.

They have 2 different cups. I originally bought 1 of each to compare them.



Here's what the bucket looks like. BE SURE NOT TO PUT A TIGHT FITTING LID ON TOP. Same for nipple waterers. If a lid is closed, it creates a vacuum and no water will be let down. KEEP YOUR LID AJAR.


You can see a strange chain up there. The only reason I have it is to keep the birds from jumping on top of the bucket and roosting. I was concerned that they'd jump up there and end up IN the bucket of water since the lid is always ajar.


Here's the bird bather heater looking down into the bucket. You can see the glass pyrex in there. When it gets colder, I'll turn the glass upside down and sit the bird bath heater on top of the upside-down glass. This will get it closer to the waterer mechanisms and, I think, give me a better shot of keeping them thawed.




Cup type A. (So far I like this one best. It is the less expensive at $1.70 ea.)

Cup type B ($3.00 ea. Mechanism is replaceable inside when the internal sealing ring goes bad.)


On both of these: As the chicken puts their beak in, it moves the nipple and releases more water down. The cups stay mostly empty - it's tripped when they beak in the cup.

Easy to clean out. When stuff gets in the bottom of the cups from their beaks, I either take a wadded up paper towel or an absorbent rag and sop up any water and wipe out the cup. You can also just turn them upside down to dump the water then wipe out. I don't do that because
mine is inside the hen house and I don't want any water on the floor.

 

[Sally8]

During the winter months I'd keep more FF in constant ferment and really leave a lot to backslop, as the temps are cooler and the ferment may be slower, even if the mix is kept indoors.

I was wondering this same thing as I thought maybe it would be easier. I only just started it and have fed it twice. They only picked at it the first time and the second time it was gone so fast. My girls waste so much food, this seems so sensible.
I have another question, when I got home from work tonight some of the hens were still outside and after putting them in, they were shaking, I'm assuming from the cold rain. Will they snuggle with each other and warm up? I rarely ever keep them in during the day and it's usually when it's very cold, snowy and windy. They always have access to the coop, under it and about 15 x 4 ft is covered. So, if they just stood out in the rain.......
The wind has already destroyed part of one of my coops and we are supposed to just getting in to the high wind part. Hubby is a fireman and has been gone all evening clearing trees.
Thank you and be safe.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Thank you Aaggjg for your kind words. I'm kind of kicking myself for not keeping my White Leghorn roo as he would have taken on that hawk. The current alpha roo is a silkie who probably lead the pack in hiding. But the WL roo was mean to my children and started attacking everyone, so he had to go.

I locked the whole flock up yesterday in anticipation of Sandy passing by today and I'm glad I did. It's gotten progressively worse out there and we've had steady heavy rain all day since about 10am. Gusts will come by at times and the house cracks so it seems the roof might blow away, it it hasn't. We have steady 30mph winds with gusts around 58 last I checked. So hoping she moves on her merry way faster!

I went out around 4:30pm to check on the chickens. They seemed fine with the weather and were getting along well enough in their 5x10 room. I'm sure they will be ready to bust out as soon as I open their door again. It was pretty windy but they seemed fine. Praying their coop and enclosure survive the storm.

 

[Beekissed]

The Gnarly Bunch all stayed in the coop all day today...very unusual. The cold rain must be making their old, arthritic bones ache.....

I know how they feel. Was looking at Middle Sister today and can barely tell her from Raggedy Ann now..the change is quite remarkable!

To think it was all hinging on the pain and inflammation in her feet, though she has never once limped. Once those feet were soaked in epsom salts and massaged by a certified massage therapist(me

), it made such a change in her life. She immediately started to put on weight and good feathering and it was all downhill from there...she looks great! I'm proud of her. I will take pics of her after this storm is gone and do the before and after pics...it should be startling to see.

I'm pleased to have the coop all snug, deep litter all at the right thickness, FF brewing, clean water and different levels of being in the coop during this time of their confinement. I'm hoping everyone gets their flocks tucked into winter quarters before the snows fly.

It's hard for this free ranged flock to be inside for long but at least they can get out anytime they wish and for a long time they have been cooped up, literally, at the last place they lived. Cooped up here is vastly different than where they had been and I'm so very thankful to God for allowing me to rescue this flock back home to a place that was designed for their comfort and well-being.

 

[Beekissed]

I was wondering this same thing as I thought maybe it would be easier. I only just started it and have fed it twice. They only picked at it the first time and the second time it was gone so fast. My girls waste so much food, this seems so sensible.
I have another question, when I got home from work tonight some of the hens were still outside and after putting them in, they were shaking, I'm assuming from the cold rain. Will they snuggle with each other and warm up? I rarely ever keep them in during the day and it's usually when it's very cold, snowy and windy. They always have access to the coop, under it and about 15 x 4 ft is covered. So, if they just stood out in the rain.......
The wind has already destroyed part of one of my coops and we are supposed to just getting in to the high wind part. Hubby is a fireman and has been gone all evening clearing trees.
Thank you and be safe.

They will snuggle together on the roosts and will keep one another warm. I've been praying for you folks up in NY today and am hoping you weather this storm well. After this is over it will show you the places in your coop/run system that need fortified and strengthened and those adjustments will make for a great winter over for your flock. That's how we all learn and I'm afraid all the chicken folks on the eastern seaboard and further inland are going to get a big lesson in this storm.

 

[stonykill]

They will snuggle together on the roosts and will keep one another warm. I've been praying for you folks up in NY today and am hoping you weather this storm well. After this is over it will show you the places in your coop/run system that need fortified and strengthened and those adjustments will make for a great winter over for your flock. That's how we all learn and I'm afraid all the chicken folks on the eastern seaboard and further inland are going to get a big lesson in this storm.

my birds were out all day just being chickens. Mama Sumatra had her 8 2 week olds out in the rain all day, stopping often to warm them. If the weather guessers are right the worst of this will be over for us here in upstate NY sometime tomorrow. Last year during Irene I opened the coops late morning, like 11 am. In hindsite I would have opened them earlier. Every one just went out and behaved like chickens.