What did you do with your flock today?

[Smokerbill]

Yes, grain mites etc. Nothing horrible and probably just extra protein -haha!- I clean mine out every so many months. Probably just good animal husbandry to

Thanks @TropicalBabies

I was thinking next time it gets close to empty I should pour off what's left, which would probably be a lot of dusty stuff, and use it for wet mash. Bugs and all. Extra protein, right!? LOL

 

[Smokerbill]

Today I sat with my baby duckling Darcy! I am so amitten!

I stopped at a Wilco store to get some oyster shells for my pullets. They're not quite ready to lay, but will be in a few weeks so I wanted to get an oyster shell dispenser set up to be ready.

Anyway, while I was there I saw a 50% off sign above one of their tubs and it had a bunch of little yellow ducklings in it. I thought about it for a second, but decided against it. My hands are full as it is with my chickens and garden. The guy at the store suggested getting a goose. Hmmmm.....
I didn't.

 

[Goose Girl]

I stopped at a Wilco store to get some oyster shells for my pullets. They're not quite ready to lay, but will be in a few weeks so I wanted to get an oyster shell dispenser set up to be ready.

Anyway, while I was there I saw a 50% off sign above one of their tubs and it had a bunch of little yellow ducklings in it. I thought about it for a second, but decided against it. My hands are full as it is with my chickens and garden. The guy at the store suggested getting a goose. Hmmmm.....
I didn't.

I am impressed by your impulse control!!!

 

[Smokerbill]

First Ever Chicken Medical Emergency!

I was spending some time sitting outside the run watching the birds this evening and saw that one of the pullet's beaks was red. Looking closer, saw it was blood dripping down from the comb.

I watched for a while to see if it would stop and maybe clear up, but it didn't. And then some of the others saw it and started pecking at the injury. Not good.

I went into the run and quickly grabbed the injured bird. I surprised myself being able to subdue it like that! Carried it into the house, smeared some triple-antibiotic ointment all over the injury and comb.

Luckily the nice coop I built is unoccupied, so I got her set up with food, water and grit. Plus I dumped in a wheel barrow load of fresh semi-composted woodchips for her to scratch around in and walk on, since that's what she's used to.

I'll leave her segregated for however long it takes to heal completely. Should probably smear on more ointment every day for the next few days.

She can still see and talk to the other birds through a mesh wall, so she won't get too lonely. And now she has the highest roost spot of all, so I guess that'll make her feel a little better. LOL

I just wonder how the injury happened? It's like the comb ripped right where it starts on the back of the head. Maybe another chicken pecked her there? Guess I'll never know. I'm just glad I was out there when I was. She might have gotten ganged up on if I wasn't.

 

[TropicalBabies]

First Ever Chicken Medical Emergency!

I was spending some time sitting outside the run watching the birds this evening and saw that one of the pullet's beaks was red. Looking closer, saw it was blood dripping down from the comb.

I watched for a while to see if it would stop and maybe clear up, but it didn't. And then some of the others saw it and started pecking at the injury. Not good.

I went into the run and quickly grabbed the injured bird. I surprised myself being able to subdue it like that! Carried it into the house, smeared some triple-antibiotic ointment all over the injury and comb.

Luckily the nice coop I built is unoccupied, so I got her set up with food, water and grit. Plus I dumped in a wheel barrow load of fresh semi-composted woodchips for her to scratch around in and walk on, since that's what she's used to.

I'll leave her segregated for however long it takes to heal completely. Should probably smear on more ointment every day for the next few days.

She can still see and talk to the other birds through a mesh wall, so she won't get too lonely. And now she has the highest roost spot of all, so I guess that'll make her feel a little better. LOL

I just wonder how the injury happened? It's like the comb ripped right where it starts on the back of the head. Maybe another chicken pecked her there? Guess I'll never know. I'm just glad I was out there when I was. She might have gotten ganged up on if I wasn't.

Bravo! Quick thinking, great treatment and solution!!! Your a chicken farmer... with great duck restraint!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Yesterday I installed the cameras, this eve I installed the solar lights!!! Pretty darn nifty. Done playing in the coop and run unless it is to take some of that mulch outta there.
Collected a pretty big bunch of cash for the special order bags I made last week.... was that last week? Further back... anyways, brought my machine up and will start hitting it tomorrow morning. Bags, bags and bags for days. I missed sewing.

 

[MandyMusshafen]

Spent some time being a roost for my new bantam cochin girls! They are so sweet and cute! And the black one is incredibly tiny!

 

[Shetland lover]

Yeah, MS was definitely something I wondered about, but really thought there would be more signs of illness besides the swelling. I should definitely look into testing the soil for E. coli...maybe a couple other things. It's weird she would have MS though since no one else shows any signs at all of illness...she is showing increasing signs of improvement with the Uriva oil and All in one pill. I also gave her some chinese skullcap in some eggs two days ago and again this morning. I have read that it has anti-viral properties against Mycoplasma and Marek's...so I thought I would give it a shot! If anything it will give her an immunity boost. I also added a good solid layer of Barn Lime to the run in hopes of drying out the soil of any bacteria that is thriving. Thanks for your thoughts!! I hope it's not MS...sadly I would rather it be gout or kidney problems...chicken specific...not contagious. That is where I'm at now with my birds...hoping they have individual issues Blossom is just the sweetest bird and soooo pretty, so I am hopeful she can bounce back.

She certainly sounds like she's improving and she's definitely in the best possible hands. MS doesn't always display any other symptoms than the hot swellings. Occasionally, birds go on to develop respiratory symptoms.
I'm *thinking* that birds with lots of recessive genes (more likely to be inbred and less genetic diversity) are more prone to infection than more genetically diverse chickens. I haven't found anything to back this up in the scientific papers but my course tutor agrees there's empirical evidence of this.
Your soil WILL contain e.coli as, as I'm sure you know, all soil does. The question is, is it proliferating excessively in your soil? The lime should certainly make conditions less favourable to any bacterium, virus etc.
You could try adding a gentle diuretic if you suspect kidney issues. I have used a custom blend available over here but you could just use a tincture of dandelion or moringia powder? Take a look at this on Poultry DVM:
Genetics - certain chicken breeds have been identified to have a simple autosomal recessive gene that causes a defect in the renal tubular secretion of urate.

See more at: https://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/gout

Unfortunately there's no further information as to which spcific genes and breeds are disproportionately affected.
Does she like cherries? My dad suffered badly with gout and he swore by cherry juice! There have been studies where it has been found to be clinically effective.

Let me know how she's doing. I'll keep everything crossed for her.

 

[Shetland lover]

I had to share a couple pictures I took last night. I’ve slowly been naming the new babies I’m keeping.

It struck me last night that my frizzled Satin looks a lot like a pine cone So after much discussion we settled on Brillo as her name
View attachment 3574700
A couple of my more creative names—
Leggy, is for my bantam blue Ameraucana rooster. He’s all legs right now, almost looks like a game chicken in this teen stage!
View attachment 3574703
And Leaky, is for my black bantam Ameraucana rooster who has a LOT of gold leakage.
View attachment 3574704
And last, I have mentioned her before, but Peggy “Peg leg” is doing amazing. Youd never know she has no toes on one foot. She has the most inquisitive and friendly personality and the very best little beard I just love her spunky spirit!

View attachment 3574708

OMG! Such appropriate names
Go Peggy! She looks adorable I'm a sucker for disabled animals. They amaze me. Nothing stops them living the best life they can!

 

[Shetland lover]

I have a question.

As I was dumping the last third of a bag of feed into the feeder this morning I wondered if feeding containers get invaded with bugs of some kind, even with the food being completely dry. Maybe some kind of grain weevils or something?

Should feeders be totally emptied and cleaned every so often?

Thanks

I do clean them every time they naturally empty and i won't add new food on top of older food.