A flock that has the wonderfull opportunity to free range durring the day will often pick up bugs and various plant stuff that will cause diarrea. Although disturbing to see this is usually harmless and normal. Watch for diarrea that is full of clear thick liquid. Feeding your laying hens strong flavored or spiced foods can flavor the eggs.Garlic may not be a good choice for a hen who is in general good health, if you are collecting her eggs to eat or sell.
Chicken Doctor 101 Q & A
hmmm, funny i have had people ask me if the herbs affect the flavor of the eggs. since fed in moderation, i would have to say it does not. and nobody who eats my eggs thinks so either. my layinhg hens have eaten garlic since they were a few days old, and parsley too. maybe it depends on the breed...
very good point on the diahrrea...
i guess i got them used to it LOL.... i think i give more info on that and ACV in the nutrition thread [and forgive hte late welcome to Dave's, i was in a hurry earlier]
tf
Is the pellet type bedding call something like 'comfort zone' for horses? Found it great for absorbing liquid, etc. But, believe some of my birds thought it food & tried to eat it. Not sure. Just happened to lose some birds for no apparent reason, so we stop using the comfort bedding......
Others may have had better experience with the pellet bedding. I am back with white shavings and 'bark'. I like the bark the best, it breaks down to nothing and helps with odor control.
Cheryl ~ Pea
Pea, that is exactly what it is. I haven't put it in yet...just used the last of the pine shavings. Maybe I shouldn't use it since I only have 3 birds!!! They are pretty particular about what they eat though. I haven't seen them eat any bugs even when they are in the pen...which is 12x16. They have plenty of bugs to choose from. Do they eat ants??? I did feed them chopped up carrots the other day and they LOVED that.
I use a pelleted wood bedding in my barn for horses. I have not tried it in my Hen House. They do go all through the bedding in the stalls kicking it up looking for crawly things they don't seem to eat it. Although Im not sure if it were on the floor of the house mixed in with spilled food? I don't think I would want to try it. I use straw in the Hen House 1/2 a bale every two weeks. House is 10x10. Come to think of it my neighbor uses it for her hens, with no problem. It seems as if it would be good to keep them dry, works great in horse stalls. Is anyone else using it for chickens with good results?
i ahven't tried it, and ll;ike wood shaving enough i liekly wouldn't... and i couldn't agree more about food scarps. i NEVER even put them in the coop, but out away from the coop, unde rthe pach tree or in the garden, where they can eat what they want and scratch in the rest. the garlic goes in their water, minced, and they have onion plants in their garden they eat when they feel the need...
the wood chips mix really well witht he hay, and it makes a great compost...
isn't it nice to be in good company. a fellow who moved from a big city just called to come see and buy some chickens. he thought he should bring them in his garage for the winter LOL, then admitted he has one red hen who gets in his lap but doesn't seem to care for his wife. of course, he is feeding her bread, and she hasn't laid an egg yet.... he was glad to hear that i have pet chickens too, so he didn't feel so odd...
nobody here is odd, if we all are, right?
The odd one would be the one here who doesn't like chickens.lol
fereal...where is norco ca? are you in northern or southern ca? just curious... :o)
aw, home sweet home. California beach, horses AND chickens... don't suppose you are hiring? LOL
oooh I grew up in Rosemead :o) well, okay... I didnt grow up yet... but thats where I spent my 'younger' years! lol!
lol hi neighbor! mom actually grew up in Los angeles... so i've family all over down there! just havent been back for quite a few years! its hot down there! LOL! i'm right near the bay here and love the evening breeze!
Ok I have a chicken that is squatting, she or he is about 2 months old. She looked rugged, she is eating and drinking from what i can tell. Her rear is always close to the ground and wings kinda out. Is there something wrong?
check her temperature, under her beak, right on the waddles...
do her feathers look wet from poo?
nope but they are just not shiny and clean like the others. it is like her legs are not strong enough to hold her. She looks like a penguin when she runs. She can run, but she cant fly.
do you have some blue ice or something else with menthol in it? i would give her a good rub down, all the way from toes to drumstick... she may just have a sprain and get over it. make sure nobody is picking on her whil e shes down...
did you see Claire's Sptiz??? i was just drooling [still am]
yes i did i took a few pics for you of mine.
No i dont have anything here. I am thinking she was on the bottom of the pile when they sleep and she got trampled. Been 2 days now. No one is picking on her unless she is in the way when they HERD out of the coop in the morning.
CHARGE!!!! [trmaple trample trample] yeah, i get the picture... anything you would use as a rub for you should be fine for her. even a soak in epsom salts. all the easier, if she can't walk. you will know she feels better when she steps out of the tub...
she can walk just squatty.
I have a sneezing chicken - my speckled sussex. No nasal discharge. What should I do? She is only sneezing every once in a while. Like maybe once every 5-10 minutes.
She is not lethargic or anything. Just sneezing, and when she sneezes, it sounds a bit sort of mucusy.
feed her some garlic and watch her. mince it up and give it to her raw. she is coming down with a cold i think.
OK, I will have to separate her to do that otherwise the others will eat the garlic because she is not at the top of the pecking order!
I had to separate my buff polish tonight - the one missing her top feathers. I realized her head was bleeding. The others pick on her a lot. I have her in a pet carrier for now - she is a small girl. I held her for a while and realized she had lice so I dusted her with DE and put a ton of neosporin on her head. I think I need to put some DE in the coop nesting boxes because I don't want everybody with lice. She is the one that came from the Parkersburg tornado. Poor girl. I hope she will recuperate nicely in the pet carrier. Maybe after a bit I could put her together with Red Rosie because Rosie's beak can't break the skin I don't think.
I had to separate a Buff Orpington hen last night. A roo grabbed her and ripped the back of her neck. She was bleeding from it. I didn't dare put anything on it since that would attract the other chickens to peck at it. She spent the night with Little Hen who is still too terrified of the roos to come out. This morning she seemed better and went out into the yard. We really need to get those roos out of there. I have two more in line for butchering so that leaves 3 with the hens. We're going to keep the one that is up with the goats. He'll live there permanently. Paul likes to hear him crow. I like it too and if he doesn't stir up any trouble for the does he's okay there. Yesterday I saw him perched on a doe's back as she laid resting. She didn't seem to mind and I think he was catching flies off her back so it was a win-win situation. He now sleeps with the does LOL. I think he's starting to think he's a goat too.
MollyD
SORRY AOBUT YOUR bo, that is agood deal fo rthe roo. free flies, or the pot. he better be a ood boy
Thanks TF. This morning she wasn't bleeding and seemed alert. Looked her over a short while ago and the cut on her head looks nasty but seems to be healing. If we can get the rest of those roos butchered before another one takes it into his head to grab her she'll be alright. Three roos to go in there. Two caged up waiting to go. I think the hens have a cheering squad going every time another one is removed!
MollyD
hoo-rah! hah-roo!
LOL! She's still doing well. Tonight we butchered one of the roos. Paul will do the other tomorrow morning. Tuesday morning I will pick another roo to go. Things are way quieter in the chicken yard these days!!
MollyD
Ouch! Lots of problems.
Why not use neosporin in the eye if you don't have anything else? Terramycin or VetRx are good.
The leg/foot problems sounds like scaley leg mites--soak in warm soapy water for as long as you can, then scrape as much of the gunk off as possible. Rub bath or any form of vegetable oil into the scales--repeat every 2nd day until clear. You can also apply ivermectin.
For a broken/split beak, make sure she has soft food--soak her feed in water and/or give her mashed potato consistency hand feeding formula.
Tape the misaligned toe into the correct position. For a 2 week old it may take a month to correct, but it can be done. Just check the tape regularly to make sure it is holding hte toe in the correct position.
Suze
Now I have a hen with an eye problem. half closed, covered with a gray film, and swollen down and in front of it...
OMG tf! What more? How much more can you & your birds handle?
I am so sorry, though I have never had a chicken with that one......
Cheryl ~ Pea
i tried pushing stuff out, then saw how swollen it was. she is in a small cage till i figure out what to do. i have neosporin or can pick up the oxy-something-mycin...
Make sure it's neosporin "otic" if you're putting it in her eye.
thx...