What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

That is beautiful work! I recently bought a butane powered Dremel soldering iron. It also has a hot cutter for plastic and can also be used for pyrography. I had a quick go with one of the pyrography tips last week. I can see lots of possibilities and will have a serious go when I have more time. Doubt I'll be anywhere near your standard for a long,long time though...if ever!

Not sure I'd call myself skilled but I do have fun with it. My works almost all on furniture so no delicate drawings because that wouldn't hold up well to daily use. I go about woodburning more like I'm trying to carve it in. I've seen some absolutely gorgeous work done though and keep thinking I should try that sometime

 

[kurby22]

I was lookin into misters for mine...but got concerned bout our high humidity and it making it actually worse.
Do yall have high humidity there?

Hey! I've been missing you and @FBMcrazy8, glad to see and hear from you! Understand the pause though.

We don't have high humidity here thank goodness, so the misters are highly effective. I read that a mist system can drop temps up to 30 degrees within feet of the mist in super hot dry climates! That is incredible to me. I looked into misters for humid climates and it does say that even in really humid climates a mister can help drop temps 5-10 degrees, which isn't a lot but still might be helpful? I also found this outdoor swamp cooler thingy that you can connect a hose to that is supposed to be much better in humid climates and there is a $50 off coupon right now too! Maybe something to consider? Pricier but maybe more effective?

https://a.co/d/iaqbSFA

 

[TropicalBabies]

Sorry I've been away for so long yall...between these grandbabies and my Bearded Babies I'm exhausted and limiting my time on the phone so I go to God more for strength and guidance as opposed to social media which has whole set of issues for me!
Anyways wanted to let yall know I took in fecal samples to the vet yesterday that bought our house and has helped us with so many of our pets through the years!
I was thinking some kinda worm was what I was dealing with...nope they said coccidia positive.
So from what I'm reading and researching there is a "normal" amount of coccidia in the flora of their gut...but it's when there's too much that there is a problem?
Am I understanding this right?
I've got the Corid and going to begin treating them today.
I'm wondering about the ground if there is anything I need to do pertaining to it.
The run was completely cleaned out after Lizzie having to be put down from auto immune reproductive issues which made her succumb to several other things.
I'm guessing she probably had this on top of all of that too.
So DE and fresh pine shavings are in the run and I'm raking through it all every day or so.
Anything I'm missing?
Last year when the Buff Silkies were born they got coccidia cuz I had a hatch 5 days apart with cochins and I thought I was being wise in placing the cochins 5 days older down in run brooder...but when I brought them back it must have introduced coccidia to the silkies.
Could the damp area I am dealing with in run have caused this now?
Or why aren't my adult babies able to handle this? They are on 20% protein feed, most snacks consist of veges and fruits.

Hi @ gammas!!! Yes, you have been missed ♡
What did the vet say about it? Just the test results?
I understand the wet helps the coccidia to thrive. Corid should do the trick and chickens will feel better for it.
Years back I lost a few chooks to coccidia. I don't lose them any more to it but I always keep an eye out for overload and keep corid on hand.

I'm gawd awful humid here and the mister I bought years back.... eh. I rarely use it as the chickens avoid It anyways. I think Kurby has a better mister set up than I. We also have a lot of minerals in our water so mine tends to clog.
Can try a fan on low with a frozen bottle of ? behind it. It will blow cooler air.
Some people put blocks of ice and their chooks lean into. I like to deep water my trees at the worst of the heat and toss frozen fruits or veggies in so they wade in and cool. There are probably more than a few threads on how to cool chooks. I know you are limited on time, maybe bathroom break research

Hope all are well, hang in there and good on you for getting the float

 

[kurby22]

Sorry I've been away for so long yall...between these grandbabies and my Bearded Babies I'm exhausted and limiting my time on the phone so I go to God more for strength and guidance as opposed to social media which has whole set of issues for me!
Anyways wanted to let yall know I took in fecal samples to the vet yesterday that bought our house and has helped us with so many of our pets through the years!
I was thinking some kinda worm was what I was dealing with...nope they said coccidia positive.
So from what I'm reading and researching there is a "normal" amount of coccidia in the flora of their gut...but it's when there's too much that there is a problem?
Am I understanding this right?
I've got the Corid and going to begin treating them today.
I'm wondering about the ground if there is anything I need to do pertaining to it.
The run was completely cleaned out after Lizzie having to be put down from auto immune reproductive issues which made her succumb to several other things.
I'm guessing she probably had this on top of all of that too.
So DE and fresh pine shavings are in the run and I'm raking through it all every day or so.
Anything I'm missing?
Last year when the Buff Silkies were born they got coccidia cuz I had a hatch 5 days apart with cochins and I thought I was being wise in placing the cochins 5 days older down in run brooder...but when I brought them back it must have introduced coccidia to the silkies.
Could the damp area I am dealing with in run have caused this now?
Or why aren't my adult babies able to handle this? They are on 20% protein feed, most snacks consist of veges and fruits.

So here is what I have learned and experienced so far with coccidia. Hopefully my experience helps!

- damp areas that are also warm aid in the growth of all number of things, including parasites, protozoans, bacterium, etc. so they will always be an issue unfortunately. Whatever you can do to dry up damp areas will help. If you have First Saturday Lime, I would use that instead of DE because it is useful for the bugs AND also has more of a drying capacity. I have also read that DE is less effective in wetter conditions, so you want something with more capacity to dry things out, FSL will not only dry out the soil it will also dry out the bugs and bacteria by dehydrating them. DE is just too one dimensional for your situation. It makes a good source for their dust baths but not for your soil conditions.

- too many birds per sq foot increases the amount of chances they can come in contact with more coccidia and this increases the volume in their gut, this is often why chicks get it the most often, because we don't always know when the right time is to move them to a larger brooder or can't due to weather or safety. I know this isn't your issue, just something I have learned from my own experiences with it lately.

- coccidia is always in their gut flora, so even if you minimize it in the ground, they will always come in contact with it in the dirt, their poop, etc. so they can even get it from each other, it doesn't necessarily need to be introduced to them by other birds. They just eat it when they peck and eat their flooring and poop off their feet, etc.

- stress alone (molting, not eating enough, not having a body that absorbs nutrients well, being picked on, being hot, being cold, laying an egg, being broody, ALL the things that stress chickens haha) can shift their gut biome and allow coccidia to begin dominating the gut flora more and begin causing more issues

- CORID is not a medication it is simply a thiamine blocker--which starves the coccidia so while you CAN OD your chickens on it if you give them too much, it is not easy to do and you can treat aggressively if needed. If I have an outbreak, I give each bird 0.1 mls straight via oral syringe to ensure they are able to rapidly begin starving the cocci. I do this 2x a day for 2-3 days depending on severity of outbreak.

- coccidia happens in adults most often that struggle with issues (underlying health problems, minimal good gut flora to fight it, naturally nervous chickens that are easily stressed, etc.). You can help them out by keeping them up on good probiotic supplements, extra vitamins, and good access to feed and clean water (which I KNOW you already do!!). The underlying health issues like Lizzie had you just can't always help enough.

I think because you have beautiful, likely more in-line bred silkies/satins...you may find that they are more sensitive to stress, may struggle some with internal health issues that are exploited more by bugs and bacteria, and may have more high maintenance needs than your other breeds that are known to be hardier like cochins. That has been my experience with birds from breeders that have beautiful birds...they aren't often the MOST hardy...breeding carefully to avoid inbreeding issue is hard and not always well understood. I don't blame breeders, I think it's a big learning experience that some don't learn as well or easily--and since silkies are soooo popular I think they sometimes come with more issues due to improper understanding of genetics.

 

[kurby22]

Not sure I'd call myself skilled but I do have fun with it. My works almost all on furniture so no delicate drawings because that wouldn't hold up well to daily use. I go about woodburning more like I'm trying to carve it in. I've seen some absolutely gorgeous work done though and keep thinking I should try that sometime

Well I would call you skilled!! I don't think I would come close to that beautiful work without having a lot of skills!! Don't sell your artistry short! You are quite talented and skilled!

 

[Smokerbill]

I'm switching feed from crumbles to pellets. Really small pellets. The last couple bags were X-cel 20% starter/grower crumbles. I like the protein level but I don't like that a lot of the crumbles and dust gets lost.

I found a new feed CHS Payback All Purpose Poultry Pellets. I gave my chickens a couple of cups of it to see if they'd eat it. And they did. Actually seemed to like it. It has a little less protein, at 19%, but I think it will work well, with a side of oyster shells when the time comes.

 

[Smokerbill]

I decided to move the outdoor waterer down near the compost area. The chickens always gravitate toward that spot. There's a lot of interesting stuff to scratch around in and a brush pile that they kind of crawl into or on top of when they're resting. And it's shady most of the day, too.

I hope that with water nearby they'll make that their favorite spot. I'm getting tired of them always kicking back under the back deck. The deck itself is blocked off, but they poop on the stairs, and all around it in the grass. It attracts flies, and even though I'm getting used to "chicken" smell, I think there's a bit of an odor. LOL

Moving the waterer seems to be working as planned...



Robins like sun bathing, too.

 

[kurby22]

I decided to move the outdoor waterer down near the compost area. The chickens always gravitate toward that spot. There's a lot of interesting stuff to scratch around in and a brush pile that they kind of crawl into or on top of when they're resting. And it's shady most of the day, too.

I hope that with water nearby they'll make that their favorite spot. I'm getting tired of them always kicking back under the back deck. The deck itself is blocked off, but they poop on the stairs, and all around it in the grass. It attracts flies, and even though I'm getting used to "chicken" smell, I think there's a bit of an odor. LOL

Moving the waterer seems to be working as planned...

View attachment 3559024View attachment 3559025View attachment 3559026View attachment 3559027View attachment 3559028

Robins like sun bathing, too.

View attachment 3559029View attachment 3559030View attachment 3559031

They are having meetings around the water cooler! Probably discussing the music concert they were at last night Hopefully it reduces the smell!

 

[Smokerbill]

They are having meetings around the water cooler! Probably discussing the music concert they were at last night Hopefully it reduces the smell!

That's funny! Water cooler gossip!. LOL

I was about ready to take my mini guitar down there again. It's 81 degrees here and feels hot to me, but in the chickens' chosen location by the compost it feels 10 degrees cooler. There's a breeze blowing up through the woods. I guess chickens have some smarts after all.

 

[Nomadicus]

I installed some automated watering devices that fill as the chickens drink. So far so good. If one gets turned over it shuts off. They prefer the fountain type but some are taking to the bright red auto fill units. At least now when they drink a fountain dry they have a backup supply.