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

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks everyone for the reminder that freaking out is not an option, I do feed ff and have used ACV for years in their drinking water, just have to get it into my head that treating isn't always the way to go especially when it comes to chemicals, I am even throwing away the wazine, Never have felt good about using chemicals on my flock. I just bought a pumpkin for the flock last thursday and they are working away at it. So question, the whole pumpkin not just the seeds acts as a wormer? I only use natural with my own health and want to do the same for all my animals. Have I said I love this thread.

 

[loanwizard]

Difference between hay and straw. Hay is a mature grass that is cut, dried, baled and then used as a feed source for plant eating animals.

Straw is the stem of typically wheat, rye and barley that has insulating qualities due to the hollow stem, thus the name straw.

Think of it this way. You can suck up a drink through straw, but not hay.

 

[galanie]

And if you live far enough south, hay is what you get when you ask for straw
Wheat and rye isn't grown anywhere within a thousand miles so it has to be trucked in from "up north." Funny thing is, when you do find it here, even after all the miles, it's still cheaper than hay.

 

[thedragonlady]

I use hay (or it might be straw I cant tell the difference) in my covered wooden run. Its been in there since August & with the FF there is no smell. I rake it around once a week & throw in some cracked corn once a week when I have to put the girls in early for a meeting. And since there is dirt underneath they move it around really well when they need a new dusting whole

Looks like very coarse hay, or Wheat straw to me. As long as it's not too fine so that it mats down, it's ok.

 

[Beekissed]

I have a question regarding ACV:

I took a mason jar and filled it about halfway with ACV with mother, then I filled the rest within an inch of the top with regular ACV. I put a cheesecloth on top and placed the jars in a darkened room with a towel wrapped around the bottom for extra darkness. That was about two weeks ago and I don't see any mother forming on the top. The vinegar looks cloudy throughout.

What did I do wrong?
Thanks for any help.

Not at all...that cloudiness, if you look closer, it will look a little more dense right in the middle. That is the mother vinegar and you probably won't ever get a mother on top of the mix but more likely suspended right in the middle. It's all good!

Thanks everyone for the reminder that freaking out is not an option, I do feed ff and have used ACV for years in their drinking water, just have to get it into my head that treating isn't always the way to go especially when it comes to chemicals, I am even throwing away the wazine, Never have felt good about using chemicals on my flock. I just bought a pumpkin for the flock last thursday and they are working away at it. So question, the whole pumpkin not just the seeds acts as a wormer? I only use natural with my own health and want to do the same for all my animals. Have I said I love this thread.

Just the seeds...but the whole pumpkin is a great supplemental source of Vit. C. betacarotene, fiber, sugars, etc.

Quote:

For those seeing changes in the stool after about 2-3 wks into feeding the FF, this is pretty normal. The intestines are shedding the old linings~which is normal in any circumstance~and there are changes in the bowel function, structures and the absorption ability of the intestines. There may be changes in the stool as a result of the changes in the overall increase of digestive enzymes that are growing in the bowel, the amount of dry matter that is actually being expelled in the feces now and even an increase in health of renal function.

Anytime you change to a more healthy diet and existence, the body is going to change and detoxify from the former diet and lifestyle...that is true in humans as well as animals. I'm sure the people who switched from feeding dog foods to a raw diet for their dogs got to see some level of this as well. Humans who switch to a raw diet of fruits and vegetables and cut out meats and dairy can start to form kidney and gall stones as their bodies get rid of the stored toxins from their old diet. At first, this seems like a disaster and a bad choice...but it doesn't last long and pretty soon you wondered how you ever lived with all that nasty stuff in your body.

Maybe the renewed vigor and activity of the chickens after starting on FF reflect that same feeling? More energy, more pep in the step, better egg production, larger egg production...these are all the end product of a better diet.

 

[Beekissed]

Good Morning all,

Morning Bee,

Can someone please put up a link to the FF thread that is refferred to so often in this thread. I tried to find it, and there are quite a few. THank you in advance.

Getting geared up, and ready for my shut in, official,, "Hubby out of town on business for 10 days, and I am going to start both threads till I get to the end, party!"

Anyone want to join me?
Starting Thursday night, 10/25/12!

LoL I have a lot of catching up to do!

MB

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

Have fun reading!!!

 

[Beekissed]

I was noticing yesterday just how many new, shiny scales were showing up on the legs of these chickens....almost all have fresh, new scales showing. The only three I could see that were still shedding the old scales were Toby, Katy and Turkey. Everyone else seems to have a brand new pair of legs! Yay!

I'm thinking I'll tackle those three again and put some NS and an overlay of bag balm on their legs just to help with the softening and loosening of the old, ridged up scales.

Should market this regimen and call it "One Month to Better Health" or some such nonsense, like they do in all the mags.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Today when I was in the coop on the roost was some poop well I got a paper towel to wipe it off and when I did I saw a dead worm in the poop, a round worm, There was a time when I would have totally freaked out got the wazine and wormed everyone, but I don't want to use it any more so what should I do? I know somewhere on this thread there is talk of worms and worming but I doubt I could find it. So I know garlic is one natural wormer how much and how often? cayenne pepper? how much and how often? anything else I can use or should I just leave it alone and do nothing? Thanks for any advise I may get.

The other thing you can do is put a drop or two of Shakle's soap or something like it, into their waterer.

Beekissed offered that advice, the garlic & the pumpkin seed info when I asked about worms before.

 

[mendocinosunris]

Please do! I'm wondering about the results of everyone else who is trying any of the things they read here....the FF~notice larger yolks in the eggs? Less smell in the coop? Less overall feed consumption? Good conditioning and feathering?

How about the deep litter in the runs and coops? Anyone incorporate that and notice any difference in the smell in the coop and run?

NuStock~how are the scales recovering from the mites? Gleet?

Ashes~help with the mites/lice?

I've been using the FF for about a month - definitely an improvement! Feed consumption has dropped by about 1/3 to 1/2.
their poo is darker & firmer, and not smelly at all. Yay! I had tried deep litter months ago, but it got stinky, so I quit. I started it up again when I started the FF - no smelly-ness now, & the litter is starting to break down like it should.
They seem more energetic & better at foraging. When I let them out in the mornings, it's like kindergarten recess.

As far as ashes go, there's an old burn pile not 50 feet behind the main chicken run. They avoid it like the plague. But when I put a few buckets of that ash in the run, they're all over it.

Not a mite to be seen anywhere.
They had mites earlier in the summer, & I put sevin dust everywhere. I didn't like that a bit. It seems like the ashes do just as good a job, and it's bettersafercheaper.

So thanks a bizillion for sharing your experiences with the rest of us! you're making a difference.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Regarding ash...
Would ash in the deep litter kill good bugs like DE does if it gets into the litter?

I happen to have a "dusting pan" inside the coop that has a mix of sand, peat, garden dirt and ash. Of course, all that gets flung around to some degree and I got to wondering if getting the ash in the litter would mess up the composting and any good bugs in there. Since I don't know if ash is really toxic to bugs, I don't have a good answer. (And since it's an enclosed coop and DOES NOT have an earth floor, there is nowhere for that to go but into the mix.)

Anyone know?