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

[Beekissed]

I'd say not unless you really put a good amount in the deep litter mix, like folks seem to be doing with the DE. As long as it's localized to right around your dusting pan, I wouldn't worry too much. If you put too much it may change the pH of the whole deep litter and might take awhile to correct that situation by the application of the nitrogen and carbonaceous materials. As with anything, one can have too much of a good thing sometimes.

I've never actually placed ashes in my deep litter but I've been known to place some in the nest boxes when I had scale mites one time from "free" chickens I took in.

 

[memechick]

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.

I just want to make sure I'm ordering the right stuff .........is this the kind of soap used from Shakle's? Thanks,

Basic H2

Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

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.

There is definitely a book in this....
jus' sayin'...

 

[Beekissed]

That will take someone more ambitious and more hungry than I...anyone want to ghost write a book?

 

[Beekissed]

I just want to make sure I'm ordering the right stuff .........is this the kind of soap used from Shakle's? Thanks,

Basic H2

Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate

Yeppers!

Now, folks, don't go all scheduled deworming on me now......

Time....time takes care of things better than we ever could, so just keep up the good feed, good environment and let nature show you the chickens that need culled out of the mix. The rest of them should never need deworming at all unless you just want to do it right before spring like all the old timers did their families back in the day.

 

[memechick]

Yeppers!

Now, folks, don't go all scheduled deworming on me now......

Time....time takes care of things better than we ever could, so just keep up the good feed, good environment and let nature show you the chickens that need culled out of the mix. The rest of them should never need deworming at all unless you just want to do it right before spring like all the old timers did their families back in the day.

Ahhh ..... ok. I will leave well enough alone. I was just a little worried because one of my girls is pooping little brown puddles. A month ago I lost one 12 week old cochin to cocci (at least that's what I suspected ..... poopy butt feathers, lethargic........ three days later she passed away)......so I treated them all with Corid. They all seem fine now but I am still seeing some loose stool. It's been three weeks now with the FF.

 

[Beekissed]

Eventually there could be that one that does not respond to normal husbandry methods and will always need the crutches provided by medicines. This is where culling comes in for flock development. Not every chicken is naturally healthy and, knowing this, people have to then make a decision. Do you want birds that will always need help to survive or do you want birds that can survive on very little intervention?

Some folks like to fuss with the flock and I understand all that but I'm not one that normally would put in that extra time, money or effort for a $5 bird. I never advocate helping birds with poor health and immune systems survive. Nature is the same way and will normally weed those birds right out of the flock...I just like being one step ahead so that I won't have unexpected deaths on my hands.

In the end, where the tires meet the road, this is where it gets serious about natural flock health. Doing what comes natural also means sort of copying what would happen in a natural setting~in the wild, unthrifty and weak birds would be the first picked off by predators, the winter cold, or parasite overload. In a domestic flock we are nature and we pick them off before they are so sick they aren't worth eating. It's the normal circle of life and we can be a part of it by not wasting that bird or trying to perpetuate a weak bird, even if you aren't breeding those birds for replacements.

I know it sounds hard but it's reality and it's the road to an easy, breezy all natural flock management that will soon leave you a flock that is just a joy to keep instead of a constant worry and stress of trying to decide what medicine to give now?

Another piece of OT advice? Stop looking at poop...I rarely ever do unless it's in the normal course of knocking some off the roosts or ledges in the coop.

Even when I do look at poop, it's not with an eye towards finding out what is wrong with the flock. When this flock arrived they had diarrhea but I didn't have to look at the poop to know they were sick...one look at these birds could tell the whole tale.

 

[memechick]

Eventually there could be that one that does not respond to normal husbandry methods and will always need the crutches provided by medicines. This is where culling comes in for flock development. Not every chicken is naturally healthy and, knowing this, people have to then make a decision. Do you want birds that will always need help to survive or do you want birds that can survive on very little intervention?

Some folks like to fuss with the flock and I understand all that but I'm not one that normally would put in that extra time, money or effort for a $5 bird. I never advocate helping birds with poor health and immune systems survive. Nature is the same way and will normally weed those birds right out of the flock...I just like being one step ahead so that I won't have unexpected deaths on my hands.

In the end, where the tires meet the road, this is where it gets serious about natural flock health. Doing what comes natural also means sort of copying what would happen in a natural setting~in the wild, unthrifty and weak birds would be the first picked off by predators, the winter cold, or parasite overload. In a domestic flock we are nature and we pick them off before they are so sick they aren't worth eating. It's the normal circle of life and we can be a part of it by not wasting that bird or trying to perpetuate a weak bird, even if you aren't breeding those birds for replacements.

I know it sounds hard but it's reality and it's the road to an easy, breezy all natural flock management that will soon leave you a flock that is just a joy to keep instead of a constant worry and stress of trying to decide what medicine to give now?

Another piece of OT advice? Stop looking at poop...I rarely ever do unless it's in the normal course of knocking some off the roosts or ledges in the coop.

Even when I do look at poop, it's not with an eye towards finding out what is wrong with the flock. When this flock arrived they had diarrhea but I didn't have to look at the poop to know they were sick...one look at these birds could tell the whole tale.

WOW ....... You are really re-training me on everything that I am doing and thinking of doing. I am slowly wrapping my head around it. I've only had chickens since May of this year and have been making every newbie mistake there is. I'm so glad I've discovered this thread ........ Thank you Beekissed! I'm all done surfing all the discussion threads trying to educate myself. Everything I need to know is right here in this thread.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, no! Another convert to the lighter side of chicken husbandry....

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Oh, no! Another convert to the lighter side of chicken husbandry....

there are quite a lot of us!
I have always preferred the stay-healthy method to the medicate method, and fortunately for me, my ladies have always been healthy. Of course, they do get plenty of forage time and have adequate room and ventilation in their coop. I have read as much of the byc info as anyone, but always seem to come back to the advice of OTs, both on here and in real life.
I enjoy reading the ideas of many, and then deciding what I choose to do. Knowledge is power and I appreciate the "experts". However, 99 times out of 100 I choose the way the Grandmothers did it.