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

[bruceh]

i have changed all over to fermented feed for all the birds meat and egg laying, my 17 layers slowed way down for the first week or so. 17 layers and 5-7 eggs. now that they have adjusted to the fermented feed, i got 14 eggs today. these are 1st year pullets of good winter layers. the feather are getting a very nice sheen to them. my shiny rooster looks like glass.

i have also discovered an egg eater. so the 5-7 maybe a little higher by 2 eggs.

 

[Beekissed]

Bruce...see the OT thread on your egg-eater...

 

[Leahs Mom]

On the wood ashes... we just had a bonfire to get rid of some old wood that wasn't suitable for burning for heat. After the fire cooled down, I gathered up 2 (3 gal) buckets full and put them by for future use.

I think most can have a "bonefire" in their back yard...most codes allow for that if you're cooking up some hot dogs and mashmallows... One year when we were right in town we were burning and someone in the neighborhood called police to complain. When they came, the officer said that as long as we had a ring around it of logs or blocks, and as long as we were cooking over it... it was perfectly legal. What wasn't legal was burning trash. But you could get away with yard burning if it was for a little cook-out.

Just a thought...maybe it would work where you are.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

On the wood ashes... we just had a bonfire to get rid of some old wood that wasn't suitable for burning for heat. After the fire cooled down, I gathered up 2 (3 gal) buckets full and put them by for future use.

I think most can have a "bonefire" in their back yard...most codes allow for that if you're cooking up some hot dogs and mashmallows... One year when we were right in town we were burning and someone in the neighborhood called police to complain. When they came, the officer said that as long as we had a ring around it of logs or blocks, and as long as we were cooking over it... it was perfectly legal. What wasn't legal was burning trash. But you could get away with yard burning if it was for a little cook-out.

Just a thought...maybe it would work where you are.

I've been known to use hardwood in my charcoal grill when I wanted a smoked flavor. Guessing you could do the same to get the ashes, just empty out the charcoal and crank it up with wood.

 

[Beekissed]

We do this just about every weekend in the spring and at the end of the summer...and on cool nights in the summer as well. That ring of ashes has always been the chicken's dusting spot, which we supplement at times with the stove ashes. In the winter I'll place some ashes in a sheltered area in the barn areas for the same reason. I've even noticed the barn swallows dipping down into the ashes in the daytime and snatching up mouthfuls of it. Must be something they need in those ashes.

 

[breezy]

We were under such a severe burn ban this summer it was illegal to smoke outside or even have a tiki torch lit, even bbq were banned unless they were gas fired. The rule was if you can TURN it off it was ok if you had to extinguish the flame it was banned. I think our county was under that ban till end of August. All firework were cancelled this year. It was a bad fire year. Im going to do all that has been suggested and Ill try to get some pics up if I get a spare minute. The husband is going hunting and Ill be cooking for the next 2 days so the hunting party has suppers. You guys are all so generous with your knowledge Thank you so much. My girls appreciate it.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I got bubbles!! We cranked up our woodstove for the first time today and I sat the ff pail about 3 feet from it to get a bit of warmth. Looks like something's simmering in that plastic bucket and it has that tangy sweet, yeasty smell. Woo-Hoo!

On the topic of Deep Litter - I have just 3 girls and they're in a chicken tractor. The coop portion is 20 sq. feet and has a wooden bottom. There is a 50 sq. ft. protected run attached to the coop. They also go outside of the run into a fenced area during the day and roost in the coop at night.

I'm big into composting [heck, I think the 2nd best benefit of chickens after the eggs is the poo] so the deep litter method appeals to me. My question - is my coop too small for deep litter? Will the amount of poo be too much to be handled in a 4 x 5 ft. coop that's only about 4 feet tall?

I read in an earlier post about putting some dirt in with the shavings to facilitate composting and that makes total sense to me. I'm thinking the addition of dirt should jump-start the decomposition and make it workable in a coop that size but thought I'd ask as I'm new to this.

 

[Beekissed]

If doing so, you might want to protect your wood from any moisture in the deep litter. Layer of plastic, tarp, linoleum, etc. In an area that small, deep litter doesn't have to be that deep...it just needs to be a little like lasagna gardening/composting. Thin layer of chips upon thin layer of poo and slowly build it...if done properly, it is always sinking down as it breaks down and goes through the process of composting.

 

[chicken curious]

Bee, I'd love and appreciate a technical description of how you washed your chicken's vent. Did you lay her on her back? Did you need to wrap her in a towel or something to keep her calm (you know, 'cause I only have two hands! )? Did you squirt her with the Dakin's solution and then rub a bit to remove the old, caked-on crud or did you submerge her (and if so, how?) and maybe rub a bit, too? Additionally, depending on how wet you got her, is there any concern with leaving her wet? It's in the 50's right now and I wasn't sure if it was too cold once they're artificially soaked to the skin. One site I saw submerged the hen in a warm epsom salt bath and then used a hair dryer...necessary???

This hen used to have very mild gleet, but an earlier washing and povidone application plus a switch to FF pretty much cleared it up. She has some caked on poop so I can't tell if she has any sores or anything around her vent. I would like to get her clean, inspect the area, and then apply either povidone or nustock (I called and my feed store has some).

Thanks for any advice!
Whitney

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I know it must be confusing for you, considering the bulk of the information and threads that are the norm on BYC that I don't find these links particularly helpful. I think if I were planning on having those diseases in my flocks or even fearful of having all those poultry diseases in my flocks, I might perk up my ears and give a listen as the "experts" tell me how to treat all these diseases according to USDA specifications. But I don't and I'm not, so I probably won't.

As the husbandry methods the women in my family have employed for 3-4 generations have developed flocks that do not normally have maladies or infestations, I think I prefer to trust in the preventative nature of these husbandry methods instead of relying on what science and the government can tell me about diseases and treatments. After all, look at the mess they have gotten our food systems into..who in the world would listen to them now?

Don't get me wrong...information is a great tool and for those who choose to use these particular tools to manage their livestock, it would be valuable. As I have gotten by admirably for the past 36 years without those links and the information therein holds not much of a natural or holistic approach to chicken husbandry, they hold little mystery for me. I'll continue to always strive to learn all the aspects of chicken husbandry~within the margins of what I consider is the more wise approach~preventative, natural, healthy and without the use of modern medicine.

It has served me and mine very well all these years and, if you only take time to read the thread, you might see the results of this type of husbandry as opposed to those who use the methods found in those particular books and articles. All of these links are proponents of the very management that brings about the diseases and problems you see on this forum every day....disinfecting the coop surroundings, giving antibiotics, deworming with chemical dewormers, biosecurity measures, overcrowding, penning the animals instead of free ranging on fresh soils,etc. ad infinitum.

This article has a clear title and the thread has a clear topic of health restoration using all natural means and methods....first, that it should never have happened in the first place if there had been proper care.

Second, the proper care cannot be found in a book or bottle, but can be found outside and in wholesome feeding and housing methods.

Third, the parasite and fungal problems found in this flock did not require the more popular, but largely ineffective, treatments that are expounded upon in these books. Just a few simple, natural treatments that worked in a few days time.

I'm sorry I made your hands shake by politely refusing information that has proven to be the downfall of modern animal husbandry but I must stick to the proof I see in my own back yard as to the effectiveness of my methods....and I can read about the egg and meat recalls from the businesses using the methods in those books in my local paper.

This thread is about an education of a different kind than you are currently in possession of~judging from the links you have proffered~ and one that is very much needed on this forum. In case there is still confusion, the title even talks of a road that is less traveled and, if you had bothered to read the thread, you would find the premise of this thread~that I feel this road is one that many need to find again... and get off the treadmill of government recommended animal husbandry.

I've no doubt that, whether we were to battle with either personal wit or the reputation of government entities for dispensing good/bad advice, I would easily lose ... clearly, your position is not merely set in stone, but built upon most solid foundation, and I'm standin' in a puddle of sand when it comes to all this. Therefore, I KNOW better than to start my next sentence with, "But," yet I can't .. stop ... b ... but, that's not exactly what happened here.

Before I continue, let me say that I will bookmark your thread; in fact, I'll try 'n save it for offline browsing ... the lack of structure that these forums have drives me nuts, 'cause it's hard enough for me to follow conversations w/ my low vision (I even had to hunt for a bit, just to find this text input area). Nobody's comment connects to the one it responds to, so it's gonna take me a while to sort through SIXTY-SEVEN PAGES of posts, skimming all those like this one from me, as I search to find the "road less traveled" part ... and, here come that word again ... BUT what caught my attention, creating that sense of urgency and concern I felt, was that part of the same title you've switched me with that read, "They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gleet, feather loss and other horrors," rather than, "[I'm not] planning on having those diseases in my flocks or even fearful of having all those poultry diseases in my flocks."

One final point, and -- honestly -- I will stop typin' and let you get back to writing what folks like me want most to read. That old saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover," has dual meaning this time, 'cause I suspect we come from similar soils. My studies of chemistry/biology/physics/etc. most certainly hasn't caused me to become more likely to use anything that isn't, or doesn't become, completely natural -- not that, without proper balance, natural is always good. I also find many natural preventions/treatments in the four suggested resourses. In fact? There are some diseases that the only known treatment/cure *is* completely natural. And, most folks don't have your many years of experience to draw from, or that keen ability you have developed, so as to quickly diagnose poultry/fowl.

And, as you know, infected flocks can rarely afford to wait on anybody that's as ignorant [edit] as [/edit] I'm likely to be ... that's why I asked you to explain, and I thank you for takin' the time to do so ...