Saturday, March 14, 2020
Chicken pedicures
So, it is that time again. Despite my best efforts, my three little sabelpoots have got mud and poop all stuck around their little feet and their foot feathers. I decided to make a video of how I sort this out. In fine weather, it is actually quite nice. I'm sure it helps the chickens bond with me, the more handling the better. Enjoy the video
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Dustbathing chickens
Just trialling putting my little videos on YouTube and linking them from here. Not sure whether it is best to do that or embed them within the blogger post.
Friday, January 4, 2019
[NOT] Bumblefoot
After Maud died in spring 2018, I amalgamated my two little flocks of bantams into the bit walk in run. There are Lulu and Velvet the white and black bantam silkies, and Mapp and Lucia the lemon sabelpoots and Porsche the porcelaine sabelpoot. They soon settled in together, with Lulu and Velvet the most dominant and little porsche the bottom of the pecking order.
The weather has got colder, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed that Porsche was looking pale and not herself. Feeling her, she seemed thinner than the other sabelpoots so I gave her three days of chicken nutri-drops. That made an amazing difference. Her comb went a good shade of red, her eyes were bright and she seemed right as rain.
During 2018 I've felt really on top of keeping the chickens healthy. Now that they are all in the WIR it is much easier to keep their bedding clean. Every morning I go in and poop-pick and also use a trowel to fluff up their aubiose bedding. When it rains, water does get in despite the rain coverings, and the bedding can get damp, but if I fluff it up it dries really quickly. I can then easily sweep it up every few months, when it starts to look a little used and the chips are beginning to break down into dust, and put down fresh. I do this particularly with a view to stopping the chickens from getting muddy feed. The feathered footed sabelpoots in particular are very susceptible to collecting mud and poop on their feet and feathers. When the weather is fine, I let them out into an enclosed run with a little green eglu so that they can dustbathe and scratch around which they really enjoy. Now it is winter, I top up a seed tray so they can dustbathe in that and they seem to like it.
The WIR is quite fun for them. There is a nice perch, two blocks of wood for perching, a chicken swing that I have seen the sabelpoots using as well as the regular hentastic treats I put out for them.
As I've been spending lots of time daily with the hens, they have become more and more tame, so it has been really easy to pick them up and feel their condition. Imagine my horror today when I decided to give their feet a really good check (I'm always woried about scaly leg with the feathered legged breeds) and I saw that one of the lemon sabelpoots had what looks very much like bumble foot. The other has got round clods of mud on her toe nails! I feel like I have been so neglectful. How could this have happened. They must wait until I've gone, then quickly poop and then stand in it!
I've phoned Scotts in Bedford and made an appointment with the exotic vet for Monday at 10:45. I hope they can treat it. The Sabelpoots are all a bit shirty with me today as I've been poking and prodding them alot to check what is wrong, also it is bitterly cold, so I'm going to leave it until tomorrow then wash and blow-dry their feet. Then they will have Sunday to recover before I take one of them to the vets by car. Hopefully she won't get too stressed.
I guess this sort of thing happens to the best of us. It just goes to show the importance of checking ALL aspects of your chickens on a regular basis.
UPDATE
The vet pointed out the little red scab which was probably the point of entry for bacteria that had caused an infection. Chicken pus is thick and doesn't respond well to antibiotics, so best thing was to give her a general anaesthetic so the vet could open it up and clean it out. £200 later I have a chicken with no lump on her foot, a few teeny stiches, and my wallet is much lighter. All good :)
The weather has got colder, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed that Porsche was looking pale and not herself. Feeling her, she seemed thinner than the other sabelpoots so I gave her three days of chicken nutri-drops. That made an amazing difference. Her comb went a good shade of red, her eyes were bright and she seemed right as rain.
During 2018 I've felt really on top of keeping the chickens healthy. Now that they are all in the WIR it is much easier to keep their bedding clean. Every morning I go in and poop-pick and also use a trowel to fluff up their aubiose bedding. When it rains, water does get in despite the rain coverings, and the bedding can get damp, but if I fluff it up it dries really quickly. I can then easily sweep it up every few months, when it starts to look a little used and the chips are beginning to break down into dust, and put down fresh. I do this particularly with a view to stopping the chickens from getting muddy feed. The feathered footed sabelpoots in particular are very susceptible to collecting mud and poop on their feet and feathers. When the weather is fine, I let them out into an enclosed run with a little green eglu so that they can dustbathe and scratch around which they really enjoy. Now it is winter, I top up a seed tray so they can dustbathe in that and they seem to like it.
The WIR is quite fun for them. There is a nice perch, two blocks of wood for perching, a chicken swing that I have seen the sabelpoots using as well as the regular hentastic treats I put out for them.
As I've been spending lots of time daily with the hens, they have become more and more tame, so it has been really easy to pick them up and feel their condition. Imagine my horror today when I decided to give their feet a really good check (I'm always woried about scaly leg with the feathered legged breeds) and I saw that one of the lemon sabelpoots had what looks very much like bumble foot. The other has got round clods of mud on her toe nails! I feel like I have been so neglectful. How could this have happened. They must wait until I've gone, then quickly poop and then stand in it!
I've phoned Scotts in Bedford and made an appointment with the exotic vet for Monday at 10:45. I hope they can treat it. The Sabelpoots are all a bit shirty with me today as I've been poking and prodding them alot to check what is wrong, also it is bitterly cold, so I'm going to leave it until tomorrow then wash and blow-dry their feet. Then they will have Sunday to recover before I take one of them to the vets by car. Hopefully she won't get too stressed.
I guess this sort of thing happens to the best of us. It just goes to show the importance of checking ALL aspects of your chickens on a regular basis.
UPDATE
The vet pointed out the little red scab which was probably the point of entry for bacteria that had caused an infection. Chicken pus is thick and doesn't respond well to antibiotics, so best thing was to give her a general anaesthetic so the vet could open it up and clean it out. £200 later I have a chicken with no lump on her foot, a few teeny stiches, and my wallet is much lighter. All good :)
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Last pictures of Maud
These photos were taken on 21st April, so I've dated this post to that date. I love the one of Maud listening to my Dad's old radio. Sadly, Maud passed away just days after this photo was taken. She had reached the grand old age of 6yrs and 9 months. My oldest chicken to date. She always was a character. Lovely hen.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
RIP Vera
About a week ago Vera started to look a little peaky. She was a little unsteady on her feet, though her comb and wattles were still a good read colour. I picked her up and felt her, but she didn't seem overly thin, or lumpy in any of the wrong places, so I decided to see how things went. After two or three days she began a big moult so I thought maybe this was the reason she wasn't on top form.
She tended to stay in the roosting area in the morning, so I would look in on her and she would begrudgingly go down the ramp. Always a little unsteady, but otherwise seeming fine.
Last night she was lying under the bottom of the ramp. She seemed to be just resting, but I suspected the worst. At this point, I suppose were I able to despatch a chicken, this would be the time to do so. However I have never learned to do that. She didn't seem to be in any discomfort, just lying down, and the other chickens were ignoring her and certainly not bothering her, so I left her be. This morning I came down to a dead chicken.
I often wonder what is best. I could have taken her to the vet, but I have done that in the past, and the journey to the vets has pretty much finished the chicken off. On the whole, if they don't seem to be in any distress, it feels kinder to just let them drift off.
RIP Vera
She tended to stay in the roosting area in the morning, so I would look in on her and she would begrudgingly go down the ramp. Always a little unsteady, but otherwise seeming fine.
Last night she was lying under the bottom of the ramp. She seemed to be just resting, but I suspected the worst. At this point, I suppose were I able to despatch a chicken, this would be the time to do so. However I have never learned to do that. She didn't seem to be in any discomfort, just lying down, and the other chickens were ignoring her and certainly not bothering her, so I left her be. This morning I came down to a dead chicken.
I often wonder what is best. I could have taken her to the vet, but I have done that in the past, and the journey to the vets has pretty much finished the chicken off. On the whole, if they don't seem to be in any distress, it feels kinder to just let them drift off.
RIP Vera
Friday, July 29, 2016
Feeding eggshells to your chickens
There are many articles and blog posts about giving calcium supplements to your chickens. Egg laying is a real drain on calcium, and all chicken keepers will have encountered the odd wierd softie in the nest box, or inadvertently put their finger through the shell of an oh-so-fragile egg.
 |
| Dry the eggs fully |
Some people give eggshells to their chickens, so I decided to have a go and share my experiences via my blog.
It takes a bit of planning. I normally throw the eggshells into the kitchen compost bin, so I had to train myself out of that.
Each time I use an egg, instead of throwing it away, I drop it in the sink. I then wash the inside out thoroughly. If you leave too much of the membrane inside, it can be difficult to crush the shell - it sort of sticks together.
 |
| Crush the eggshells |
It is important to dry the eggs before attempting to crush them. Some people bake them in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. I simply leave them out for a couple of days before putting them into a plastic freezer bag.
 |
| Crushed eggshells |
Once I have enough eggshells in the plastic bag, I crush them using a rolling pin. This can take a little while, but it is worth it. I then put the crushed shells into a washed out jam jar and add them to my hens' food every couple of weeks.
My hens eat layers pellets with added vermix alternating with omega mash which they love. Sometimes I mix the mash with the pellets. They don't seem to notice or care if there is eggshell added or not. However I do notice the eggs have good strong shells. I haven't had a softie or delicate shelled egg since I've been doing this, but without having a control group of chickens that I do not feed eggshells to, I can't be absolutely sure that the extra calcium is causing this.
I recently read an interesting blog post from The Prairie Homestead on how to feed eggshells to your chickens which suggested feeding the eggshells to your hens in a separate container from their usual food so that the chickens could choose if they needed extra calcium or not. I may try this. I don't want to overfeed them with calcium.
Update 21 Dec. 16 - I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but using a blender speeds up the crushing. It does generate a lot of dust, but it saves all that rolling pin work :) Also, since giving the eggshells in a separate container, I find my hens gobble them down, so they are clearly keen on the extra calcium.
Update 21 Dec. 16 - I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but using a blender speeds up the crushing. It does generate a lot of dust, but it saves all that rolling pin work :) Also, since giving the eggshells in a separate container, I find my hens gobble them down, so they are clearly keen on the extra calcium.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Red Mites!
Found, to my horror, that I had red mite in my pink Omlet cube housing four hens. I had cube and a separate pink eglu with separate run and 3 bantams. I dusted hens in diatomaceous earth, moved them to a clean red eglu that I also treated with poultry shield (PS) & diatom earth. This eglu is at the other end of the garden.
I also checked the pink eglu and it appeared clear but I cleaned it with PS and dusted with diatom earth. I dismantled the cube & sprayed with PS that appeared to kill the mites. By this time they were everywhere and I was creeped out so I went inside, changed, washed my clothes and showered.
3 days later I checked both eglus. There were about 10 dead mites in the diatomaceous earth in the poop tray of the pink eglu. I suspect I may have introduced them myself when I was dealing with the cube. The red eglu appeared clear. I cleaned and retreated both eglus with PS and diatomaceous earth. I jet washed the cube and left to dry.
Next day I sprayed with poultry shield. Each time I checked, I would find a few more mites that I would kill. Meanwhile my bin was teeming with mites from the bedding I'd disposed of! Yeuch.
So I covered it with poultry shield which seemed to do the trick. I am reassembling the cube bit by bit, spraying for mites as I go. I don't plan to put the hens back until November, but I would like it to be clear. I plan to use red mite concentrate on my birds, but have been using diatomaceous earth only so far. The four hens now in the red eglu are looking much better, nice red combs etc. However I'm sure that some of the mites will have moved across with them.
As I sit here in the garden, I have the odd mite (grey) wander across my iPad or arm. I checked the deckchair and there were two under the canvas fabric. Has my jet washing spread the mites across my lawn? Is it normal to have some level of mites in the environment and can I keep on top of them by cleaning my hens assiduously every 3 days? I've read conflicting discussions. Can red mites live on me or on my cat? I've been washing my mite infested clothes, but can they survive water? Can they only lay eggs after a feed, and could they get a feed from me or my cat? When I catch them on my iPad, they are grey not red. Have I triggered some form of technologically adept red mite? Are they using my Twitter account to tweet their followers? :)))
I've had chickens for 10 years without red mite. This is such a shock. Yeuchy Yeuchy Yuck Yuck
I've been using a pink eglu cube for the past year and I wonder if it needs a more thorough cleaning regime. I've ordered every red mite product under the sun and read all manner of advice. The most helpful seems to be http://poultrykeeper.com for advice. In particular this pageon how to kill red mites and this blog post on how-to-get-rid-of-red-mites which described step by step how to clean and this page which lists the top 8 products, many of which I now have.
watch this space
I also checked the pink eglu and it appeared clear but I cleaned it with PS and dusted with diatom earth. I dismantled the cube & sprayed with PS that appeared to kill the mites. By this time they were everywhere and I was creeped out so I went inside, changed, washed my clothes and showered.
3 days later I checked both eglus. There were about 10 dead mites in the diatomaceous earth in the poop tray of the pink eglu. I suspect I may have introduced them myself when I was dealing with the cube. The red eglu appeared clear. I cleaned and retreated both eglus with PS and diatomaceous earth. I jet washed the cube and left to dry.
Next day I sprayed with poultry shield. Each time I checked, I would find a few more mites that I would kill. Meanwhile my bin was teeming with mites from the bedding I'd disposed of! Yeuch.
So I covered it with poultry shield which seemed to do the trick. I am reassembling the cube bit by bit, spraying for mites as I go. I don't plan to put the hens back until November, but I would like it to be clear. I plan to use red mite concentrate on my birds, but have been using diatomaceous earth only so far. The four hens now in the red eglu are looking much better, nice red combs etc. However I'm sure that some of the mites will have moved across with them.
As I sit here in the garden, I have the odd mite (grey) wander across my iPad or arm. I checked the deckchair and there were two under the canvas fabric. Has my jet washing spread the mites across my lawn? Is it normal to have some level of mites in the environment and can I keep on top of them by cleaning my hens assiduously every 3 days? I've read conflicting discussions. Can red mites live on me or on my cat? I've been washing my mite infested clothes, but can they survive water? Can they only lay eggs after a feed, and could they get a feed from me or my cat? When I catch them on my iPad, they are grey not red. Have I triggered some form of technologically adept red mite? Are they using my Twitter account to tweet their followers? :)))
I've had chickens for 10 years without red mite. This is such a shock. Yeuchy Yeuchy Yuck Yuck
I've been using a pink eglu cube for the past year and I wonder if it needs a more thorough cleaning regime. I've ordered every red mite product under the sun and read all manner of advice. The most helpful seems to be http://poultrykeeper.com for advice. In particular this pageon how to kill red mites and this blog post on how-to-get-rid-of-red-mites which described step by step how to clean and this page which lists the top 8 products, many of which I now have.
watch this space
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)