Tips for helping chickens live a long, healthy life?

[mrskenmore]

Thanks for reviving the post; very sound observations from a caring chicken-lover. BTW, my black australorp, Jolene, turned 9 years young this month. I have two Dominiques who'll be 5 in July, and an OE who will be 6 in September.

I too had a hen named Jolene! She was a black sex link and as many have stated above didn't make it to her third birthday due to genetics. There is some great info in this post. I have two 5 year old hens from my first flock that I got from the feed store, my second flock only has 1 remaining 2 year old in it and I have 4 month olds in the brooder. Luck when selecting the actual chick/chicken plays a part for sure! I also think that when having healthy happy chickens common sense plays into it a lot... I don't take there security and their predators for granted. I free range them when I am out in the yard right next to them gardening. I check on them 2 times a day when they are secure in the coop and I often sit with them for long periods of time in the evenings and weekends just to be with them and observe. A big part of chicken health in my opinion is prevention. So I check crops regularly, I am always scooping and observing their poop and I do leg inspections for bumblefoot or anything abnormal. I think if you generally care about your flock, take measures for preventative maintenance, feed them a healthy diet with limited treats you will be surprised by how long they can and will live!

Good luck with your flock and enjoy them!

 

[christymichelle1]

Oh my Goodness - I love your back yard. I would love to have one w that beautiful grass and space. Thanks for sharing.

Hi, getting a chicken to live a long life I think is a mix of many things. Some things you can control and some things you can't.

I currently have a flock "according to chicken math" of about 50. Some of my oldest girls are 9 years old. They are Buff Orphingtons and part of my original flock I started almost 10 years ago. I currently have 5 remaining from that original starter order.

I can say that one of the keys to a chicken living a healthy life is nutrition. I don't feed my girls many treats, doing so dilutes the nutrition that they need to be getting from their feed. A good chicken feed like Purina is a complete balanced scientifically engineered feed for poultry.

Next, I would have to say a secure free range space. I free range my flock every day unless we are expecting bad weather. I have a large backyard that is fenced in with a 8ft wood privacy fence. I have had chickens for almost 10 years and have never lost a bird to a predator. I usually loose them to old age or illness. Here is a pic of my chicken yard.

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Something else I do is put vitamins and electrolytes in their water daily. One or twice a week I will add some probiotics that you can find at a local feed store for poultry. This ensures that in addition to the feed they get a complete balanced diet every day.

I also do not use any chemicals in my backyard, their free ranging space. For example, I have my gardens planted in my backyard but use nothing for the bugs on my plants. I leave that to the girls.

Keeping on top to worming, mites, and lice is also a must. I don't worm my flock all the time only when they need it or I suspect worms are a problem.

Make sure that they have a clean and dry place to call home. Keep on top of coop cleaning and make sure that in the winter or rainy seasons that their digs are clean and dry. This little stop goes a long way.

I hope that this helps some. I consider my self very lucky to have 5 girls that are over 9 year old. From what I hear that is old for a chicken and an indication that I may be doing something right.

Best of luck to you and your flock.

 

[harmonyp]

Honestly free ranging can be a good and bad thing.Many wild animals flood their yards or wild birds who carry diseases come through and then our birds contract due to contact with disease while being free ranged,
as well as running into parasites and predator issues. but, they get a better diet when free range,I love free ranging birds but don’t know if I’m doing it this time around.

I think there are many different conceptions and definitions of "free ranging". I don't think it has to mean they are open in unconstrained, endless fields. My favorite definition is that they have a minimum of 25 square feet of roaming space per bird.

Mine currently have 35 square feet per bird, which will be expanded to 60 square feet. They are still surrounded with fencing, and covered with a combination of shade cloth and aviary netting.

In my minimal experience, birds that have the chance to have at least this minimum of ranging space seem more content and less prone to stress than birds with the stated minimum of 10' per bird. And it seems reasonable that happier birds lend themselves to longer lived birds. I'd love to give them even more space, but the predator pressure in my area is too great.

 

[path.otto]

Love this post, it relates to one I started a couple of days ago. Wish I had seen this first!

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

I would suggest that, if you live in an area that gets hot during the summer (like where I live in Missouri), make sure to give your hens some more attention. I'd suggest making sure their water is cool, and you may even want to put some electrolytes in (you can make homemade or find store bought). If your birds free range try to place water in areas they like to hang around.

Another suggestion that if you have a chicken that's injured to separate it. Even if it's not something really bad, but you still feel like you should separate, then do so. I made the mistake of not going with my gut and separating her. I figured she'd be fine so I left her in the coop. What happened was she was bleeding pretty bad from her comb, but when their combs bleed it looks like a crime scene so I figured she'd be fine. She was okay the first night, but the chickens kept pecking at her so she slept on the narrow ledge of the nest box the second night. Her toes were exposed, and she got some pretty severe frostbite that resulted in the loss of all of her toes except her thumbs, and half of a toe. She's still alive and has healed well, but I don't know that she'll ever really be accepted back with the flock again. Total negligence and laziness on my part and I'm regretting it now. Be sure to tend to your flock when needed if you want them to live long and happy. Chances are they'll be fine but...you never know

Another thing is if you let them free range is try to give them plenty of cover if you can. This is to help them hide from predators and to for them to use as shade. In my yard I have lots of bushes and trees, and many times when they've been chased after by something they have used these as ways to hide, and they all have come out in one piece so far.

Finally, it is beneficial to give your chickens a quick look over in the morning and in the evening when they went in to roost for the night to look for any injuries or weird behavior. Counting them is also good to do at night. Sometimes my rooster or a hen doesn't go into the coop so I got to go look for them and put them in myself.

 

[ChickenLadyInTheCoop]

Something else I do is put vitamins and electrolytes in their water daily. One or twice a week I will add some probiotics that you can find at a local feed store for poultry. This ensures that in addition to the feed they get a complete balanced diet every day.

Keeping on top to worming, mites, and lice is also a must. I don't worm my flock all the time only when they need it or I suspect worms are a problem.

Is the worming process done at home or vet? I'm new to the chicken raising world. And how do you suspect worms? Can probiotics help treat or prevent coccidosis?

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Is the worming process done at home or vet? I'm new to the chicken raising world. And how do you suspect worms? Can probiotics help treat or prevent coccidosis?

I do the worming at home. I use safeguard. Its actually a goat wormer but when used in small enough amounts it works great for chickens. I administer the safeguard to my girls using bread. I put the desired about on a piece of bread and one by one give the girls the bread. They eat it not really knowing that the medicine is in it. That is the easiest way to worm my girls. Its really easy and hassle free that way too.

A sure sign that your flock has worms is finding worms or spaghetti looking things in the poop on the poop boards. I don't usually worm my girls unless I see the classic signs. I have only had to worm them once in their so far 9 years of life.

I but poultry probiotics in their water to keep their gut health on track.

Not sure if probiotics can help treat coccidiosis? My gut feeling is no, that will probably need a different treatment method. I am not sure what it is though since I have never dealt with it. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in with some info on that issue.

 

[Folly's place]

If your birds get sick with coccidia (coccidiosis) they will need medication, which is usually amprolium, to cure the disease.
Mary

 

[ChickenLadyInTheCoop]

I do the worming at home. I use safeguard. Its actually a goat wormer but when used in small enough amounts it works great for chickens. I administer the safeguard to my girls using bread. I put the desired about on a piece of bread and one by one give the girls the bread. They eat it not really knowing that the medicine is in it. That is the easiest way to worm my girls. Its really easy and hassle free that way too.

A sure sign that your flock has worms is finding worms or spaghetti looking things in the poop on the poop boards. I don't usually worm my girls unless I see the classic signs. I have only had to worm them once in their so far 9 years of life.

I but poultry probiotics in their water to keep their gut health on track.

Not sure if probiotics can help treat coccidiosis? My gut feeling is no, that will probably need a different treatment method. I am not sure what it is though since I have never dealt with it. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in with some info on that issue.

Thank you so much! This helps a lot!

 

[ChickenLadyInTheCoop]

If your birds get sick with coccidia (coccidiosis) they will need medication, which is usually amprolium, to cure the disease.
Mary

Another user suggested that I use amprolium, I am stopping at my local Tractor Supply on the way home to get some. I found some blood clots that looked like menstruation blood. However, said user said that chickens do not menstruate. So they suggested it might be coccidiosis by the description.