Ok, well, no. The bread thing is really supplemental, they have a 4 nipple water system from a 5 gallon covered bucket. When we got them they were laying, 2-4 eggs per day. After a few days, it went up to 5-7 or so. Since these are wintered over birds, all hens, they lay, are really clean in their walkunder house and 5x 12 pen, that moves every other day or so. A lb loaf is given nearly every day, Along with feed in the pan, checked twice a day. Their crop looks like a tumor near nightfall. They are well fed. All the birds we have are supplemented with range coop grazing, and bread products, with an eye to strange things, like raisins and onion bagels, to limit that kind of stuff. bun hotdog, burger buns and whole wheat breads, are common fare, making up maybe 20% of diet by weight. Otherwise their staple is Layena, with a little scratch grains, oyster shell, since they layed thin shell when we go them, now better. The other young birds are not laying yet and are on Flock crumbles, scratch grains, and supplemental Bread things. There are no sugar, frosted or fruit based anything in the huge bags of Off Code we get. As much as 20 lbs for $2.25. So all Purina, Bagged oyster shell. and bread things. They went many weeks with this, and no problems.
I handle the birds constantly and always look for problems, Picking, broken toes, droopy and closed eyes, looking around the neck and under wings for parsites or damage. They have taken to getting pretty docile about the handling. We lost a couple of foreign birds in another coop. Given to us, they seem to be bred back X-rocks or something, and appear to have the 'fatal gene' condition. One lost, starved before we undertood what was happening, her sister was bigger, but 'swims' with her wings across the coop, as she cant walk more than a step or two. She is marked to be culled soon, as she is cared for by hand, and separated daily. Her legs ar tiny.
We ahve a hand raised group, that we made a mistake with, adding 5 older birds to the group of 12 RIR we raised in the living room. The foreign birds are layed out, only giving one rough egg a day, for the 3 surviving birds. Right after we got them, we noticed droopy tails in most of the birds in that coop. Ya, snotty noses and crunchy feathers on the back. The whole cage ran through it, with the gaping and gurgles and the whole thing. We lost half the coop over a coupla weeks. These are the girls I carefully dunked in soapy Bleach water, and cleaned their gunky feet, as I figured it the best course against contamination, and they were just dirty, from a horse barn. Well, EEEeehhhhh! big Buzz. They were sick, and all that coop came down with this Cold and raspy cough. They are now over it mostly, only one at this time 'poses' and has one eye glued shut. All ten birds in this coop, one survivng Sussex, 6 RIR, 3 Cinnamin Q, are going to be culled, as they are now carriers for life of this infectous respiratory thing. ( What I have read from this very board.)
I need the coop, so I have a weed burner torch to play over the exposed surfaces of the coop to flash the living areas, and wire. Then sprayed with a strong bleach water, followed in a few hours with a Brominated cleaner, as used for Hot Tubs and Spas. I will allow this to 'age' 48 hrs, before comitting my JUNK birds to it. If we sell the unwanted oddballs, we will be down about 25% with the culls and have 4 coops for about 50 birds.
I am finishing a mental copy of the 5x6 Tall coop, with the side nests. It is a walkunder, 16 inches tall, and the girls love it, retreating from the heat and storms under the building. A framed wire yard of 6 x 12 x 24 inches tall, will complete this Chicken Condo.
I appreciate any opinions and input, as I have never dealt with illnesses. Only three crop stoppages from new birds. 2 for 3 on that one. Can any one steer me to sterilization and recycle techniques for the coop - runs..
