My chicken friends are new to me and reading the emeergencies really scares me. I have 12 two year old chickens and 26 chicks born in September. The big girls liv in their own coop and the chicks have their own coop. I keep the litter clean and give fresh food and water about every 3 days. Is there anything I should know to do? They also free range over 2 acres ( the big girls do) and get a lot of leftover food and veggies.
Keep doing what you are doing and... ...I'm assuming you have arranged for safety measures during their free range time? If not, I'd have a livestock guardian animal in place, good perimeter fencing around the flock area, plenty of "hides" so they can duck and cover from aerial attacks. If you do not take these measures, be prepared for increased predator losses and injuries. I'd place ACV in the water(not in a metal waterer due to corrosion and possible leaching of the metals into the water). I'd not heat the coop in the winter and make sure you have good ventilation. Deep litter~properly maintained~is good for chicken health, particularly in the winter. I'd plan for prevention and not so much for treatment. Any illnesses or injuries should be isolated for three days and monitored for self-recovery....if not recovering, cull. I keep NuStock on hand for wounds, scale mites, etc...it is all natural and very effective. Keep wood ashes where they can dust frequently...if you don't have any, find some. Provide plenty of additional calcium during peak laying times and in the winter during molt recovery. Feeding their shells back to them will not result in cannibalism, no matter what anyone says. Yearly, during peak laying times, cull for nonlaying, inconsistent lay, abnormal lay(eggbound, prolapse, etc.) and for unhealthy appearance, non-thriftiness and undesirable behaviors. Keep only the brightest, healthiest, most proficient flock members and let them reproduce their own bloodlines. Put new chicks on the ground as quick as possible, keep some of the old bedding in the coop at all times to reculture the new bedding. Feed pumpkins in early and late winter, if possible, for their antihelmintic effects and for the good nutrition. A drop or two of Dawn dishwashing detergent in the water is a natural dewormer also and won't hurt them a bit...after all, you wash your own dishes in it. Accept the fact that sometimes they die for no apparent reason. Accept the fact that, if you have to kill one, it is best to do it quickly and humanely, for this is part of animal husbandry and goes hand in hand with owning chickens. Accept the fact that they are chickens, not humans, and should not be treated like humans if what you really wanted was just chickens. I hope I've covered everything....anyone else?
I get there fecal matter tested for worms/parasites every now and then by the vet. Its cheap only about $12.
