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

[Leahs Mom]

I keep heated water systems in the winter....saves so much worry and time about if the animals have water available.

I know I've read it somewhere before but

Could you tell us what your "heated water system" is... and do you keep it INSIDE or OUTSIDE the hen house/coop.

 

[Beekissed]

The dog's water is in a heated bucket and the chickens have a large heated dog bowl which is kept in the coop..if not, the dog will drink it all..darn dog..

The heated dog bowl can either be used as is, or it can be used as a heated base to set a 1 gal bucket down into...which is a bit easier to dump and clean out than is the bowl when it's plugged in.

Both of these items are so sturdy and useful and soon pay for themselves over and over. I've had the dog's bucket for years...no malfunction, just good performance year after year. The cords have coiled wire around them that prevents any animal chewing through the cords and such. I also used the same buckets for keeping my sheep watered.

 

[aaggjg]

Keeping a deep litter system is another wonderful time saver...love it, it's beneficial to the health of the flock, gives them something to do when confined, keeps them warmer and cuts down on one chore that is time consuming and unpleasant.

Hey B I try to do the deep litter method... I use pine shavings and stir up the litter when the hens don't add more when need be.... I never seem to be able to get it to start decomposing. I have cleaned it out entirely a few times when water spilled all over the bedding etc etc. Do you have any Deep Litter Method tips??? Do I need to add anything else to get the process going???

 

[Beekissed]

It really takes time to break down the deep litter, especially if you have a small flock. I wouldn't clean out deep litter...some people don't clean it all out for years and that is the smartest way to do it. They take out some of the litter to use for their gardens but they never really clean it all out.

If you get it wet in one area, just stir in some dry and/or clean bedding. I usually throw some BOSS down on the more moist areas and let the chickens do the work. They do it so much better than I and it's good to give them a job to do...makes my day better too.

It doesn't have to be done often if you have good ventilation but I let them do it more in the winter to keep the bedding from forming a "cap" under which mold can grow. The deep litter, if decomposing well...and this takes plenty of time and a good balance of manure to carbonaceous/dry matter, will put off a faint warmth when you put your hand into it.

The key to good decomposition in litter is time, ventilation and more time. Let it get a little moist but not so wet that it forms mold...you should be able to pick it up in your hand and squeeze it and it will hold together for a moment but be able to throw it into the air and it will separate immediately. It's hard to explain but if you've ever worked with good mulch you've probably seen this in action. It will also turn a nice, mocha brown and no longer smell like pine shavings but more like earth/soil. THAT'S good decomposition.

 

[lclough1998]

Want to join in so I can read this later, I have only read the very first post or 2, but am really interested in your project. So sorry, what a shock it must have been to find your birds in this condition.

 

[chickachee]

Update on the Gnarly Bunch: Three eggs today! All medium to large, huge and very orange yolks, two were fertile, very strong shells. Ranging further from the coop today...went down about an acre away from the coop for a little bit. Getting comfy in their surroundings, I'd say.

They are looking so much cleaner, smoother, more feathered each day....I even saw one of the BA's feathers had the start of a sheen of green in the sun this morning. Both of those gals looked pretty dull when they arrived, though the one Black Star had a good sheen on her feathers.

This same BA, whom I dubbed as Ruby, acts a little like she wants to hang around me...if for nothing more than in curiosity. I've had quite a few BAs over the years that were very friendly and moochy, even when not handled. I like that in a bird, though I also admire the independent ones as well.

I don't enjoy the lonely hearts and loners much...they do not adapt to socialization in the flock, they don't seem to get bred as much by the rooster, they don't fight for their food rights and they often get separated from the flock, making them a target for predators. They don't seem to keep a good weight and they don't seem to lay as well. I have two of those right now, a Speckled Sussex and a Partridge Rock and the PR currently won't roost in the coop but roosts underneath an old truck we have. Not good... and I expect she won't be here for roll call one morning.

I think someone asked recently, but I haven't seen a reply. How do you know your chickens' eggs are fertile?

Thanks,
Sheila

 

[Beekissed]

When you crack that egg you will see a little dot, like a bull's eye on the yolk. It will be a little lighter gold in the center with a darker ring around it...about the size of a small BB in the early stages.

Here's a thread done by SpeckledHen, a great contributor on this forum, that shows a good series of pics on this : https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

This is one of the pics of a fertile egg:

 

[BantyChickenLuv]

Bee, what did you use to treat your birds for scaley leg mites? I've been using vegetable oil but am wondering if there's something more natural.

 

[Beekissed]

I used the wonderful, one shot wonder, NuStock.

Mineral oil, sulfur powder and pine oil....works for a myriad of things, I'm finding out.

 

[BantyChickenLuv]

Thank you. Is that something you buy, or make?