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

[Beekissed]

Thank you, JNB, for that link! Someone else had mentioned feeding epsom on another thread and that puzzled me. Epsom salts are used for constipation and the salt brings water into the bowels, allowing things to slide out more easily. I'm confused about giving them to chickens with diarrhea already...seems like it would exacerbate the symptoms.

Now, I could definitely see using them for washing the affected areas. I can't see me washing all these chickens bums but it may come to that before winter....we'll see. Thanks for giving me something else that is natural in my treatment options.

The wood ashes came from our wood stove. We heat with wood, so that's easy for us. You probably know someone who does the same, so ask for some ashes. They are great to put in the nesting boxes, in dusting spots, etc. It's good even for them to ingest in small amounts...supposed to rid of worms, if any present.

 

[MsSilkie]

Hi from Australia.. I just wanted to send you my virtual hugs. I have just read all posts and have gone from tears to laughter back to tears.. Amazing thread. You really should write a book.

Prayers for you and the flock being sent, can't wait for the next updates.

Have to ask one question.. What is BOSS ?

 

[Beekissed]

I've been told that a time or two...about the book. Think those kind of comments started when I was in 3 rd grade. Still haven't done it and I don't know why...I love to write! Am supposed to be working on a chicken book right now....can't seem to jump start the inspiration and keep it running long enough to get anything accomplished.

BOSS, my Aussie friend(would LOVE to come down under, have always been fascinated with your country...but I digress....)is the acronym for Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.

Thanks for the hug from down unda, mate!

 

[MsSilkie]

Arhh will keep my eyes open for some BOSS. Thought you were playing them Bruce Springsteen records for a few seconds. Lol.

Just had lap snuggles with Butter my Silkie cross ? Rooster and told him all about your girls and boy. He was very interested. We only have Butter and two 18 month old Isa brown girls ( my daughters beloved, pampered pets).

Another question ( sorry to hog the forum) but I like your natural approach ideas. We recently had one of the girls come down with Fowl pox. Guessing it came via mozzie from the coop next door? We treated this with betadine and vasoline to loosen the crusts.

Do you have any natural remedies ?

We were lucky only one hen afflicted and did not spread.

I suggest using this life experience as the basis for your book, chapters one and two are already written.... And they are brilliant..

 

[Beekissed]

I really and truly have no experience with fowl pox or any other poultry disease or illness, so I can't really give advice on treatment. I guess my only advice is building good immune systems from day one as a chick and providing the kind of life that keeps promoting that immune system health.

I also use judicious culling of birds that do not respond to normal, good animal husbandry...so this probably eliminates any birds from my flocks that would be likely to contract any diseases. That is more or less my whole husbandry methodology...promote optimal health in every way that can naturally be found and then eliminate any birds that do not thrive and excel with that level of care. This leaves me flocks that shine, that lay like salad shooters, that have obvious health and vigor for years on end....that is, unless I farm them out to a bad place for awhile....

If I had a chicken with fowl pox, to be honest, I'd cull it at the first signs of disease.

 

[satisfied silkie]

I am so glad for this thread. I was looking for some answers for helping some of my chickens. I don't know much about how to find out what is wrong with a chicken. I do know about chicken mites and lice and DE. Other than that I am not sure what to look for in chicken problems. Only that they don't look normal. That doesn't mean that I know what is wrong with them. I only wish I could tell what is wrong with them when they have something wrong. I look here and sometimes don't find what I am looking for. I am glad I came across this post so I could learn something about taking better care of my chickens. Sometimes it is just ignorance that may kill a chicken. You can try but if you don't know what to do or look for what good are ya.

 

[hollys chooks]

B,
when i read about the condition your poor chooks were in i went outside and called my girls. they came running across the backyard from their current piece of garden destruction and i picked one up, sat with it on my lap patting it until i didn't feel like crying.
even though my girls are not beautiful songbirds, i shall try to appreciate their singing as an indicator of health and happiness.
hope yours feel like singing soon.
xxx

 

[Beekissed]

I am so glad for this thread. I was looking for some answers for helping some of my chickens. I don't know much about how to find out what is wrong with a chicken. I do know about chicken mites and lice and DE. Other than that I am not sure what to look for in chicken problems. Only that they don't look normal. That doesn't mean that I know what is wrong with them. I only wish I could tell what is wrong with them when they have something wrong. I look here and sometimes don't find what I am looking for. I am glad I came across this post so I could learn something about taking better care of my chickens. Sometimes it is just ignorance that may kill a chicken. You can try but if you don't know what to do or look for what good are ya.

I think you are not alone. I see this as the most prevalent problem on BYC, bar none. So many folks didn't grow up with chickens like I did and I even had my granny's chickens to observe before that even. It does take years to know normal and I'm still learning after all these years.

I think the most valuable thing anyone can learn about this kind of animal is this: It takes time to learn how to raise them effectively. Sometimes you will luck into it and get the right birds in the right environment and have a successful time with them....but eventually you will encounter a problem in your flock or in a bird that you've never seen and don't know how to deal with. It happens to us all eventually.

The problem with this whole concept is that we live in a world of instant gratification on every level of our lives. There is hardly anything that takes time to do that someone hasn't found out how to do it faster....except when dealing with living things. We've found that we cannot accelerate the natural lives of any living being without encountering big problems down the road. Look at the commercial food system...they literally have to kill things early to prevent having them die young. Even then, they have to feed medicated feeds, antibiotics or just accept a high mortality rate as par for the course when they are raising a food animal.

In a backyard system, this is just unacceptable. So, everyone is just going to have to settle down, hold their horses and dig in for the long haul on learning this mini-farming thing. Anything worth really doing takes some practice and learning to perfect and it isn't any different with chickens. I'm always on a learning curve with my flocks and that is part of the whole joy of it all...something new to figure out all the time, while still enjoying the old and familiar truths of farming.

SS, you are not alone in your attempts to learn this thing called chicken. For such a simple animal, God has designed them as a complex, intricate system with workings that still mystify the common man. I guess that's the whole fun of having them.

I would dearly appreciate any OT whose had flocks for a long time to post clear, close pics of some of their most "normal" birds that are in the prime of life and in perfect health and then point out why you know that this is a picture of normal. Especially some of you long time breeders...you guys probably have some better still pics of your excellent birds.

 

[Beekissed]

Morning update: Rooster crowed at 6:30 per normal for him....and kept crowing until 7 am!

Now, I know some of you out there are thinking, "What the heck??? This chick actually WANTS her rooster to crow a lot of a morning????" He doesn't crow all day like most roosters...he wakes us up and then he shuts up. I like that in a rooster.

I'm just looking for the return to normal, is all. This rooster is not an excessively noisy bird when he's in the best of health, but he is usually consistent with his timing and duration of crow. He's back!

Now, when I see him breeding the hens, I'll relax about the rooster.

The hens all shuffled through the nest boxes all morning long but no one laid an egg. It's good to see renewed interest in the nest boxes. More normal behavior...good sign.

The fermented feed has finally started to smell and look like it should....should be ready to feed by this evening!

The local murder of crows successfully fought off a small hawk this morning(small and grey..couldn't identify it from a distance but could see that it was a hawk)....couldn't be more pleased than if I had hired them myself for just this purpose. I heard the same family of crows doing battle with a red tail hawk further up the hill the day before yesterday. Who needs the dog when you have the most vigilant and noisy crow pack in the neighborhood?

 

[bruceh]

Morning update: Rooster crowed at 6:30 per normal for him....and kept crowing until 7 am!

Now, I know some of you out there are thinking, "What the heck??? This chick actually WANTS her rooster to crow a lot of a morning????" He doesn't crow all day like most roosters...he wakes us up and then he shuts up. I like that in a rooster.

I'm just looking for the return to normal, is all. This rooster is not an excessively noisy bird when he's in the best of health, but he is usually consistent with his timing and duration of crow. He's back!

Now, when I see him breeding the hens, I'll relax about the rooster.

The hens all shuffled through the nest boxes all morning long but no one laid an egg. It's good to see renewed interest in the nest boxes. More normal behavior...good sign.

The fermented feed has finally started to smell and look like it should....should be ready to feed by this evening!

The local murder of crows successfully fought off a small hawk this morning(small and grey..couldn't identify it from a distance but could see that it was a hawk)....couldn't be more pleased than if I had hired them myself for just this purpose. I heard the same family of crows doing battle with a red tail hawk further up the hill the day before yesterday. Who needs the dog when you have the most vigilant and noisy crow pack in the neighborhood?