What Have You Learned About Poultry Since Joining BYC?

[CraftyHen]

The thing I appreciate most about BYC is that with a quick search or question, you find dozens of others who have already experienced it and lived to tell/teach about it.
You are never alone.

 

[Pat Porter]

What I appreciate most is learning about fermenting the chicken food. I read about it in a couple books but thought - yuck! But a day came when I could not find pellets and had to settle for crumbles and knew my hens would be insulted "We need pieces" beaking all the fines out of the dish searching for the pieces. I reviewed the thread about fermenting told by real people instead of blck and white print and realized that chickens did not die from feed wet down and made into mash. So I had the courage to try. My Langshans love it and I'm sure if they knew you, they would say THANKS!!! ... and I say Thanks, too.

 

[casportpony]

Great thread @SnapdragonQ!

I think it's fair to say that almost everything I've learned about poultry I've learned since joining BYC.

Specifically

• How to identify & treat blackhead (histomoniasis), which is why I joined BYC.
• How to provide supportive care
• How to give subcutaneous fluids
• Gapeworms are rare (thanks to @dawg53).
• How to calculate liquid & powdered medication doses.
• The importance of tracking weight
• The importance of fluids
• How to treat egg binding
• How to treat crop problems
• How to de-worm
• The feeding requirements of various fowl
• Tons about incubation

And the list goes on...

 

[CoopsNPoops]

I have learned that I still have no friggin idea how alot of you can distinguish sex with so much confidence. I've researched and researched and when i feel a little confident i know what to look for, bam. Still don't have a clue, lol. I think pullet, yall say cockerel. I think cockerel, yall say pullet. I'm fully convinced you guys have special powers or there's some kind of sorcery/physic stuff going on here. Learn me!!

 

[3KillerBs]

I have learned that I still have no friggin idea how alot of you can distinguish sex with so much confidence. I've researched and researched and when i feel a little confident i know what to look for, bam. Still don't have a clue, lol. I think pullet, yall say cockerel. I think cockerel, yall say pullet. I'm fully convinced you guys have special powers or there's some kind of sorcery/physic stuff going on here. Learn me!!

And I'm here thinking, "Wait for the saddle feathers then you can be sure."

 

[Painted Calls]

I have learned that I still have no friggin idea how alot of you can distinguish sex with so much confidence. I've researched and researched and when i feel a little confident i know what to look for, bam. Still don't have a clue, lol. I think pullet, yall say cockerel. I think cockerel, yall say pullet. I'm fully convinced you guys have special powers or there's some kind of sorcery/physic stuff going on here. Learn me!!

 

[CoopsNPoops]

And I'm here thinking, "Wait for the saddle feathers then you can be sure."

Well see, i thought some of my 14 chicks started definitely getting saddle feathers. They are 15 months old now and all 14 are 100% hens. I did get 1 roo, but i dont include him in with the 14 that was in question, cause there was no doubt in my mind he was a roo from a couple weeks old. .. That was all before joining BYC though, when all i had was google. Hopefully i catch on soon!

 

[ronott1]

Well see, i thought some of my 14 chicks started definitely getting saddle feathers. They are 15 months old now and all 14 are 100% hens. I did get 1 roo, but i dont include him in with the 14 that was in question, cause there was no doubt in my mind he was a roo from a couple weeks old. .. That was all before joining BYC though, when all i had was google. Hopefully i catch on soon!

I had an all pullet hatch once too! It is odd when that happens though

 

[CHlCKEN]

I had an all pullet hatch once too! It is odd when that happens though

But lucky!

 

[CoopsNPoops]

I had an all pullet hatch once too! It is odd when that happens though

Oh it wasn't a hatch, it was pullet order from a hatchery. But being my first flock, i did alot of research. In that research one of the things i learned is that nothings 100% guaranteed and i could end up with some roos. Well then i was convinced i had alot of roos. Well then further research convinced me even more that i had a bunch of unwanted roos, lmao.