Ways to Improve Health?

[BYCoop]

Do probiotics work for all chickens? or just a few? I have a RIR and an Australorp. Both are doing good (that I know of) but I would like to make sure that they are just fine. And are there any side effects of feeding probiotics that I should know about?

Thanks,
Newbie

 

[Lacy Blues]

Do probiotics work for all chickens? or just a few? I have a RIR and an Australorp. Both are doing good (that I know of) but I would like to make sure that they are just fine. And are there any side effects of feeding probiotics that I should know about?

Thanks,
Newbie

Side effects? Better intestinal health, therefore, better overall health. For ALL LIVING THINGS.

No need to buy expensive "probiotic" supplements. Get a quart of good yogurt. Plain and unsweetened. Check the label. It should have at least 5 varieties of beneficial bacteria. Mix it into their food to get them started if they've never had it before. I start mine on it when they are little tiny babies.

 

[MaPa26]

Quote: I am by no means an "expert". But I have to agree with those who favor probiotics. My six hens forage through the yard, free ranging about an acre. We had a very wet spring and summer. The grass is bound to be growing plenty of fungi. IMHO, probiotics can help protect them from fungal infections. I have been feeding mine yogurt, as a treat on top of their food and sometimes mixing it with wet feed. (I did fermenting, too, all summer) I think the calcium is an added benefit. It would take a LOT of yogurt to have the same effect on a human as the capsules do. I never thought of using probiotic capsules for my hens. I might give it a try. I don't see how it could hurt them. I probably won't start until Spring, with the rainy season, though. If anyone thinks that is a bad idea, I would welcome your opinion. (I saw one post from a member who said probiotics was bad, but that person never responded back when other members disagreed and asked why they think probiotics are harmful. I do not see how they could be harmful, either!) My girls are extremely healthy.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Probiotics can only increase health. I don't use the supplements because when I have tried them, I did not receive any benefit. So, I just eat yogurt often. If it is put on food such as baked potatoes, or anyplace you would normally use sour cream, you can't really tell you're eating yogurt unless it is old. If it is nice and fresh, there's hardly any sour taste at all. I eat it everywhere I can. The benefits are all too clear.

 

[MaPa26]

On the subject of air quality: I was worried that the air quality in my coop might deteriorate during that Arctic Freeze. My hens spent a lot more time in their coop and therefore it was getting pretty dirty. I couldn't be out there very long with the extreme cold and wind, so couldn't tidy up as often as I would like. I found Sweet PDZ at Tractor Supply, thinking I'd put a cup or two on their litter to absorb odor. But, surprisingly enough, the coop has never gotten the slightest amount of ammonia smell. I used a LOT of litter and was putting their evening scratch in there so they would do the work of stirring the litter up. Then I got paranoid (about them eating food that is right in there with their excrement). We also have had an onslaught of sparrows that found their way into the coop. They go into the pen and right into the pop door. That is why I decided to put their scratch in a bowl.
For the remainder of the winter, I plan to keep removing the poo when it accumulates under their roost and throw another couple of inches of pine shavings on top. Another reason, that I haven't had "odor" problems, might be our ventilation system. The pop door is always open, but the pen has wind blocks. Our ventilation holes in the upper wall (north side) have been covered temporarily. Our biggest help, ventilation-wise, is the roof vent. Our coop is relatively small (built a 6X7 coop for six hens) but it has a pretty high ceiling and directs air up and out. The photo of the roof is a little dark so it is difficult to see the "brown" roof vent at the top. There are two wall vents. You can see the one on the right. It is under the soffit so it is protected from blowing rain. We do get a lot of horizontal rain in Kansas. It seems like it, anyway. We found soffit vent covers at Lowe's. They are inexpensive ($1.87, if I recall) and they already have insect screening on them.

Below, you can kinda see the roof vent.

Below, not quite finished with the interior when I took this photo of the opening to the roof vent.
We used cedar fence pickets for the ceiling.

I will take new photos in the Spring. We have a few changes to make,
particularly under the roosting area.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

As far as i know, snow is a get-thee-by kind of thing. Even wild animals will seek out water throughout the day. It is almost impossible to get your water intake through eating snow; melt a dish of it and you will see how little it really is.

If freezing is an issue, and there is no electric there are a couple options:
one, have more than one water container and take them in to rotate and thaw. Be aware though that the metal ones can expand and lose their ability to seal; plastic can crack.
Two, get one of those large rubber dishes from the goat section of your supply store. You want it to hold 1 1/2 to 2 gallons, even if you don't have very many birds. Why? Because smaller dishes will freeze up in a matter of hours. The bigger dish should last through the daylight hours on a normal winter day; i put slightly warmer water than they would drink in it, this gets the rubber up to room temp and being rubber it don't lose temp again easily. Also, it's easy-peasy to get the ice out . Flex and dump; or on bad days throw it down and give it a good stomp. One of my coops has only 4 birds and i still use the bigger dish for the once a day aspect. I recycle my kitty litter containers to bring out the water; they have nice comfy handles that are nicer because they are at the top, and hold about 1 1/2 gallons. Nice big pour spout too. Drawback of this method is freezing wattles; i haven't had issues but some others have. so either way there are still drawbacks, idk if wattles can touch water in the regular chicken water containers because i don't have any?

I was thinking about the probiotics discussion too, and i wanted to add that buttermilk and kefir are good options as well. On the opposite end of the spectrum is extreme heat, and both for birds and humans buttermilk was recommended to take the stress off the body since extreme heat kills off some of your natural intestinal flora. Kefir is like buttermilk crossed with yoghurt; best of both and comes in flavors! Kefir is also 99.9% lactose free. I drink it and bring some out to the girls in the summer.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Also, i've been wondering about grapeseed extract. Anyone try/ use it??? Any good?

 

[MaPa26]

Probiotics can only increase health. I don't use the supplements because when I have tried them, I did not receive any benefit. So, I just eat yogurt often. If it is put on food such as baked potatoes, or anyplace you would normally use sour cream, you can't really tell you're eating yogurt unless it is old. If it is nice and fresh, there's hardly any sour taste at all. I eat it everywhere I can. The benefits are all too clear.

I forgot to mention that I give mine plain, greek yogurt. I tried eating the stuff but can't stand it unless I add fruit and stevia to it! I eat it almost everyday, too. (added to cereal and milk, for extra protein) I'll stick to good old vanilla and fruit flavors, though.

I still cannot find the post that I am looking for. I tried your suggestion and did the "search this thread". I'm sure it was in the "Growing fodder for chickens" thread but I cannot remember who posted it. I've tread a few phrases for the search but only one that I found, who mentioned it, didn't give details. She just said to use a watered down vinegar spray and soak them until time for their next rinse. I'll keep looking. I am sure the post mentioned that AVC was less likely to make the seeds bitter, verses chlorine. I will be sprouting my seeds in a room that we usually keep at a temperature of 62 to 65 degrees. They could get moldy, with my luck they would, anyway. I just don't like using the chlorine any more. It irritates my nose but for some reason, vinegar doesn't. My husband does not like the smell of vinegar, so I use it while he is at work. The odor dissipates quickly. Reminds me of my grandparents' kitchen! lol! My grandpa canned so much, his kitchen seemed to always smell of it!

 

[greyhatch]

Info from someone in northern canada, these games are far tougher than any other chickens i have seen so far. Hens will beat hawks to protect there chicks, roos will fight anything to protect hens and chicks. They are far more alert for any sign of danger than any meet or layers. Plus these roos are absolutely gorgeous hens are kind of drab, but still more colorful than some farm birds. I handle most of them on a daily basis, no loss of weight no loss of energy no loss of feather quality. I appreciate any concern but i pay close attention to the condition of these critters.

 

[greyhatch]

If you have free range layers i would recommend a American game roo if you have hawks around. You just have to watch getting attached to them. They will kill themselves to protect there hens, no matter the threat hawk, or coyote. Mine are my babys even when they think I'm the threat to there hens.