Pets chickens

[Kram]

You need to get them before they start laying. 16 weeks pullets. That way you can get the best production over the first couple of years of laying.

Feeding cooked chicken to a chicken is fine. You can feed them boiled eggs too.

You sicko!

 

[Kram]

Has anyone ever sat a clucky mother in winter? Got one sitting on the nest now, never ever had it this time of the year before.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Has anyone ever sat a clucky mother in winter? Got one sitting on the nest now, never ever had it this time of the year before.

I guess you just need to let nature take care of itself, Kram. The weather should start warming up a bit now, shouldn't it? We might get a few cold mornings in early Aug but hopefully that'll be all. Are you thinking of putting a few eggs under her now?

 

[Kram]

Maybe, thinking about it. The big sussex has started to lay eggs I could use. Was also considering crossing the Pekin with some of the bantam hens in the other pen.

I'd also have to watch out for the ****ing ticks ever coming back with them because they would kill tiny chicks.

 

[Kram]

Worked out where the poultry ticks must have came from, even though they only turned up a few months ago the lady next door had chooks a couple of years ago and looking over the fence realised that she had a sleeping pen only 4 metres away from mine. Bastards must have gotten hungry and gone wandering and eventually found my pen 18 months later. When they can live so long of the birds makes it difficult to 100% get rid of them.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Worked out where the poultry ticks must have came from, even though they only turned up a few months ago the lady next door had chooks a couple of years ago and looking over the fence realised that she had a sleeping pen only 4 metres away from mine. Bastards must have gotten hungry and gone wandering and eventually found my pen 18 months later. When they can live so long of the birds makes it difficult to 100% get rid of them.

Maybe try breaking the breeding cycle with Ivomectin?

 

[Kram]

Maybe try breaking the breeding cycle with Ivomectin?

I've put Ivomec in their drinking water to them twice. Problem is they don't need to feed of the bird so they could still potentially be somewhere else in the yard. Haven't seen seen any since I just found the solitary one on the back wall about a month ago.

edit - gave them Ivomec for scaly leg but it doesn't look like it's fixed them, scales are still bad a lifted. I know it should work because I gave it to that hen from the school that was half crippled from it and it got better enough after the medicine to start perching again.

 

[Teriyakicat]

I've put Ivomec in their drinking water to them twice. Problem is they don't need to feed of the bird so they could still potentially be somewhere else in the yard. Haven't seen seen any since I just found the solitary one on the back wall about a month ago.

edit - gave them Ivomec for scaly leg but it doesn't look like it's fixed them, scales are still bad a lifted. I know it should work because I gave it to that hen from the school that was half crippled from it and it got better enough after the medicine to start perching again.

I just put a couple of drops onto the back of the necks of my chooks at nighttime when they're roosting. I found it easier to use than worming them via their drinking water- they used to drink barely anything when it had worm medicine in it Ivomec is good for those stick fleas that I get millions of, as well as any possible internal parasites.

I would expect the ticks need to feed at some stage, so perhaps 2 drops each month on your chooks?

 

[Kram]

I just put a couple of drops onto the back of the necks of my chooks at nighttime when they're roosting. I found it easier to use than worming them via their drinking water- they used to drink barely anything when it had worm medicine in it Ivomec is good for those stick fleas that I get millions of, as well as any possible internal parasites.

I would expect the ticks need to feed at some stage, so perhaps 2 drops each month on your chooks?

So you can put the exact same stuff on their necks? Might have to ask the vets. One think I did unfortunately noticed when it was about finished is that the older birds seemed to get to the water first and get to drink a fair bit more of it.

It's funny in general they are very easy pets to look after apart from all these bloody parasites

 

[Teriyakicat]

So you can put the exact same stuff on their necks? Might have to ask the vets. One think I did unfortunately noticed when it was about finished is that the older birds seemed to get to the water first and get to drink a fair bit more of it.

It's funny in general they are very easy pets to look after apart from all these bloody parasites

Sometimes you just go with the flow. If you're getting eggs and the birds are lasting a few years, you're doing OK. Having a few fleas is OK and there are many many people who've never de-wormed their chickens. If the birds are looking infested and sickly, you have to do something about it. Otherwise just keep things down to a manageable level and collect your eggs every day- and don't stress!

Yeah, I get my Ivomec from the vet- she gives me a little syringe and it's like 2 drops- just part the feathers at the back of the neck and put the drops directly on to the skin.

I use the same amount for my red hens as for my bantams (we've had mites and lice- thank you pigeons!) but just ask your vet.

 

[Kram]

Gave my 2nd Sussex rooster away just then to a bloke that has some hens he wants to put him with which is good, so it's just Big Boy and Smokey now in the other pen with the mongrel bantams.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Gave my 2nd Sussex rooster away just then to a bloke that has some hens he wants to put him with which is good, so it's just Big Boy and Smokey now in the other pen with the mongrel bantams.

Well, that's fantastic, Kram! Much better than giving away to get the chop.

 

[Kram]

Shit thinking about it shouldn't have chucked the Pekin in with the others until I'm certain the scaly leg is gone, don't really want him to get it especially with his feathered feet, paranoid about it now. The scales on a lot of them still look raised, maybe the just haven't healed yet? It was while ago now since they had the medicine.. Gave them all a scrub with soap and a covering of vaseline last week that might help hopefully.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Sorry Kram
I know nothing about scaly leg. Can't help you at all.

 

[Kram]

Sorry Kram
I know nothing about scaly leg. Can't help you at all.

Oh I thought have had it before? That's quite lucky to have never come across it it's pretty common, I've always had the occasional bird get it at least slightly. It's weird they only seem to go after certain birds, others seem to almost be 100% immune to it.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Oh I thought have had it before? That's quite lucky to have never come across it it's pretty common, I've always had the occasional bird get it at least slightly. It's weird they only seem to go after certain birds, others seem to almost be 100% immune to it.

Might just go unrecognised here, Kram. Especially when we are battling stick fleas, lice, mites, pecked out eye, etc.
Oh, and the ear infection...

 

[Papa Juggs]

The Chicken Chick always has a page for these things

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/03/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens.html

 

[Kram]

I'm sure he very likely wouldn't have got them. Main thing with a Pekin is if he ever got them is having feathers all over his feet it would be hard to even notice and a massive pain in the backside to get rid of.

I've been putting oil and vaseline on the others and they look a lot better already. They didn't actually have it that bad, certainly nowhere near as bad as the poor one on that website

 

[Papa Juggs]

Good to hear it's not as bad as those pics. Pretty gory.

I hope you can get on top of it soon.

Seems like the more chooks you have the more pests you attract.

 

[Teriyakicat]

The Chicken Chick always has a page for these things

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/03/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens.html

Thanks, JB. Nasty looking stuff.

 

[Kram]

Teriyakicat just had to put my oldest hen down because I noticed the poor thing was flyblown on the backside I had just caught it a few days ago to give it a good dusting with powder and didn't notice anything. It had been struggling with the cold and had been sleeping the laundry.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Teriyakicat just had to put my oldest hen down because I noticed the poor thing was flyblown on the backside I had just caught it a few days ago to give it a good dusting with powder and didn't notice anything. It had been struggling with the cold and had been sleeping the laundry.

Oh bugger!! That's really sad. Sorry to hear that, Kram. Wish you'd told me. I might have had a few tips.

I caught my rooster with flyblown underside- stomach just near his bum.
I washed the stinking mess- it was covered in poop. I used dilute Betadine, I think.
Then sprayed the whole thing with purple spray. Cetrigen.
He healed up beautifully. Think he'd had it only for a few days, though, maybe a week, but the flies had eaten through his skin. I guess yours was worse than mine. I clipped feathers and dead skin off and it was probably and area an inch wide by 2-3" long that had been damaged.

My Silkie roosters were prone to shit sticking to their bum feathers. I was fairly regularly (a couple of times per year each) catching them all and trimming the feathers around their bum. Might have to do it before the weather warms up. haven't even given a thought to flies at this time of the year but Sat and Sun were very warm.

Had a bit of a scare this morning. one of the silkie girls was poopy-looking, so I went to clean it up and saw she'd turned her bum inside out slightly- looked like early stages of prolapse but she was pooping, not laying, when it had bulged. bugger. Cleaned it off as best I could with my hands (ugh)- well, actually squeezed the remainder out by holding onto clean skin, then tried to push what was bulging out of her vent back inside with a clean finger and let her run. I was on my way to an appointment. When I got back at lunch, I went and checked both females as I couldn't tell which one it was. It looks like it's gone back in Might put antibiotic and anti-inflammatory cream on it tomorrow in any case.

Last time I had a hen with prolapse, I had to use the axe. Spent days trying to push it all back in. Apparently you can try and keep them in the dark for a few days to try and heal it- prevents them from laying and making it worse- but most of the time it's a case of the quicker the death, the better.

 

[Kram]

Oh bugger!! That's really sad. Sorry to hear that, Kram. Wish you'd told me. I might have had a few tips.

I caught my rooster with flyblown underside- stomach just near his bum.
I washed the stinking mess- it was covered in poop. I used dilute Betadine, I think.
Then sprayed the whole thing with purple spray. Cetrigen.
He healed up beautifully. Think he'd had it only for a few days, though, maybe a week, but the flies had eaten through his skin. I guess yours was worse than mine. I clipped feathers and dead skin off and it was probably and area an inch wide by 2-3" long that had been damaged.

My Silkie roosters were prone to shit sticking to their bum feathers. I was fairly regularly (a couple of times per year each) catching them all and trimming the feathers around their bum. Might have to do it before the weather warms up. haven't even given a thought to flies at this time of the year but Sat and Sun were very warm.

Had a bit of a scare this morning. one of the silkie girls was poopy-looking, so I went to clean it up and saw she'd turned her bum inside out slightly- looked like early stages of prolapse but she was pooping, not laying, when it had bulged. bugger. Cleaned it off as best I could with my hands (ugh)- well, actually squeezed the remainder out by holding onto clean skin, then tried to push what was bulging out of her vent back inside with a clean finger and let her run. I was on my way to an appointment. When I got back at lunch, I went and checked both females as I couldn't tell which one it was. It looks like it's gone back in Might put antibiotic and anti-inflammatory cream on it tomorrow in any case.

Last time I had a hen with prolapse, I had to use the axe. Spent days trying to push it all back in. Apparently you can try and keep them in the dark for a few days to try and heal it- prevents them from laying and making it worse- but most of the time it's a case of the quicker the death, the better.

Maybe I could have fixed it I didn't even look that closely at it just saw blood and big maggots there.. My friend did it for us and he seemed to ask why not try and fix it but he initially didn't realise it was 9-10 years old and then agreed with us.

Shit maybe I should have at least had a look at it better and at least tried but I thought that it had looked a bit dodgy and slightly crook already in the extremely cold weather 2 weeks before that's why it was sleeping in laundry. Perhaps that's why they got to her being weak, it's surprising that I didn't notice anything when I dusted it upside down on a bench a few days before but it was under the lights at night. If it was younger I would have definitely tried to help it just thought it might be better to put it to sleep at that age, although it did still seem to have decent strength when I caught it and it might have even laid an egg that morning causing the blood.

I've seen it once before when I was a little kid, the poor orp must have cut itself under a wing and got strike really bad, dad had to put it down. Surprisingly the old bloke had never seen it before although he said it makes sense that they could get struck by them.

 

[Kram]

Thinking about it in that cold weather I doubt the flies would have gone for it, so it might have been a bit crook then maybe scouring a bit which gave the flies a chance to attack when it warmed up. Was actually one of my favourite chooks, it was the original one that introduced that 'hat' thing. I've still got its daughter and a grand daughter, it's actually annoying that I didn't breed more from it.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Maybe I could have fixed it I didn't even look that closely at it just saw blood and big maggots there.. My friend did it for us and he seemed to ask why not try and fix it but he initially didn't realise it was 9-10 years old and then agreed with us.

Shit maybe I should have at least had a look at it better and at least tried but I thought that it had looked a bit dodgy and slightly crook already in the extremely cold weather 2 weeks before that's why it was sleeping in laundry. Perhaps that's why they got to her being weak, it's surprising that I didn't notice anything when I dusted it upside down on a bench a few days before but it was under the lights at night. If it was younger I would have definitely tried to help it just thought it might be better to put it to sleep at that age, although it did still seem to have decent strength when I caught it and it might have even laid an egg that morning causing the blood.

I've seen it once before when I was a little kid, the poor orp must have cut itself under a wing and got strike really bad, dad had to put it down. Surprisingly the old bloke had never seen it before although he said it makes sense that they could get struck by them.

I think if your chicken is that old, then recovery may have been long- things don't heal as well when you're old and there might be a bit of shock/infection, involved as well..

Flies are drawn to any wound- surprisingly, even in winter. My neighbour said she had a pile of blowies around her house the week before last, thought it may have been a dead rat somewhere- though you can usually smell them once the day warms up. I've used Cetrigen on the goat as well as the chickens - when I used it there was nothing that said that the eggs couldn't be consumed while the chicken had purple spray all over it so I rang up and asked about it. They weren't sure so I fed the eggs to the dog for a week One of my young silkie girls had been attacked by a hawk/some flying predator, and it had claw marks from where the bird had picked it up under the bum. I just sprayed the wounds and checked it for a while. Cetrigen repels flies as well as acts as an antibacterial spray.

http://www.virbac.com.au/home/horse-owner/products/wound-injury/cetrigen.html
You can usually buy it at City Farmers or your vet could source it for you if you didn't want to get it online.