To Probiotic or not to Probiotic?

[MissMarple]

The two chicks in the box that have the dark stripes are what my phoenix look like. I have Silver Duckwing Phoenix, Black breasted Red Phoenix and Golden Duckwing Phoenix. I will have to get some photos for you to see. I can only tell which are the Silver so far. Mine are just over a week old.

I don't trust TS after reading so many posts about them not knowing their breeds but I also got some from a local farm supply store and they didn't know what they were selling me either. I buy from a hatchery now.

I think a hatchery will be the way I go next time around. Although..... I do love surprises and grab bags.

I'm all kinds of about natural remedies....
But the best natural remedy is life itself. There's nothing natural about processing down laboratory grown bacteria into X many CFU per Mg and dosing it out in measured amounts.... Wild chickens don't have access to unpasteurized ACV or nice ground corn for that matter. They're not going to crush garlic into their water either.
Which is not to say these aren't useful. If an animal is unwell I'll give probiotics, especially if I am giving antibiotics or any sort of oral medication since that can throw gut flora off. If an animal is unwell electrolytes can be life saving. If a chicken's not eating well the extra calories from a molasses water will go a long way... And if a chicken's not drinking enough water a wet mash is great.
And having said that animals absolutely seek out certain foods when they are unwell. And so sometimes I will spend a week giving TLC to my flock seasonally. An extra boost of protein during a molt, a few days of pumpkin seeds during the spring when parasite counts rise with warm weather. Wet mash in the summer when it's hot and the hens dehydrate easier. A snack of corn in the winter for a few extra calories to warm things up.

But it's not a requirement by any means. Some people still just release their chickens onto their acerage and throw them some scratchgrains once a day and it works for them quite well. Do what works best for you. Life, uh, finds a way.
Also, FYI, your "americanas" are probably easter eggers. Just throwing it out there.

Love all of that!!!! Super helpful!!! ((and *love* the Jurassic Park/Jeff Goldblum reference there!!)) And yes! I know. I looked that up specifically because I wanted to know what the difference was between Americana and Ameraucana and found that "Americana" is that catch-your-eye, semi-misleading name for an Easter Egger. Which I'm fine with. I honestly am not too worried about breeds as I do enjoy the eclectic mix. The only ones I was upset about being misleading was the Cornish. And they are the biggest sweethearts but I was totally unprepared for their insanely fast growth and the eventual culling earlier on. They're not fans of being handled.. at all.. which makes cleaning the brooder alone difficult but otherwise, I love them. They like to rest on my feet when I take them out to get fresh air and forage. Sweet babies.