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Post by woodyz on Dec 2, 2014 4:24:10 GMT -7
Get some Diatomaceous Earth and make a place they can take a dust bath. The winter makes it harder for them and the spend more time just sitting around or digging at the ground.
The DE will also help with any "worms/parasites" that might be in their coop area and nest boxes.
Change of the straw in the nest boxes and put some of the DE down before the new straw. Get some alfalfa from somewhere that sells rabbit stuff, they have small blocks of it. Here I would get everything at both Tractor Supply or one of the feed stores.
even though she had laid recent, because she had stopped she could have been egg bound, some times they will lay more than one in a day when they restart, but I suspect it is respiratory as you say.
Just my .02
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Post by cowgirlup on Dec 2, 2014 6:45:58 GMT -7
I read about that one while researching raising pheasant. They use a piece of horsehair in a loop to try to hook it and pull it out. I looked down his throat last night and didn't see anything. The other thing I thought of was that after the other hen died She did have a lot of mites. The others don't seen to have them or have them that bad. I keep the coop really clean but I took out all the straw and litter and cleaned it really well. Then I treated the coop with a spray. it said to air it out and I did for a few hours before they went in for the evening. When I closed up the coop it still had a strong chemical smell. But since the can said it could be used as often as needed I didn't worry too much. The roo does breathe a lot deeper especially before crowing. Not sure if it bothered his lungs or it's one of the other things. He's congested this morning but really feisty and wants out of his mini jail so I think that's a good sign. |
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Post by cowgirlup on Dec 2, 2014 6:49:00 GMT -7
Get some Diatomaceous Earth and make a place they can take a dust bath. The winter makes it harder for them and the spend more time just sitting around or digging at the ground. The DE will also help with any "worms/parasites" that might be in their coop area and nest boxes. Change of the straw in the nest boxes and put some of the DE down before the new straw. Get some alfalfa from somewhere that sells rabbit stuff, they have small blocks of it. Here I would get everything at both Tractor Supply or one of the feed stores. even though she had laid recent, because she had stopped she could have been egg bound, some times they will lay more than one in a day when they restart, but I suspect it is respiratory as you say. Just my .02 I used DE for a while and switched to Sevin when the one hen had a lot of mites. The coop has a sand floor and an area with straw over the sand where they sit. They dig their little dust bath holes and seem to have a great time. I was reading that straw harbors mites and other pests that live in the hollow straw pieces. Do you think hay would be a cleaner alternative? |
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Post by woodyz on Dec 2, 2014 15:45:55 GMT -7
I think the straw is still a better bed and nest box material, just change it out every couple of months and put the old mites and all into your compost.
I had a problem with 7 dust and chickens dying in the winter they lay around more in it. Make sure it is 5% or less on animals.
The DE should kill the mites just as good as the 7 but if it doesn't try a 50/50 mix
take the old bedding out, sprinkle (not coat) the entire floor area with DE, 7 or DE/7 then rake the sand and put fresh bedding down. Even though they do dig their own little dust bowls in the sand they are not getting anything to combat the mites or parasites that may be in the sand and the bedding.
Make a depression twice as big around as your biggest chicken and a few inches deep and mix the loose dirt/sand you took from the hole with 7 or DE and fluff it up. They will use it and get rid of anything on them.
Once you get rid of the existing parasites you can stop for the winter at least unless you bring something new into the coop.
I dont know what your DE situation is, if you have a Tractor Supply or even go to their website you can get a 50 lb sack (food grade) for $20 rather than $5 a LB. But it doesn't take that much. I got the 50 lb bag because I use it for all of the animals, dogs etc. and I use it in the garden beds.
You may have brought the mites in on the straw or if you added any new to your coop.
You can also put the DM or 7 or DM and 7 into a sock, then hold the animal and pat it with the sock giving it a good dusting.
put some moth balls in an old sock and put it in the coop. You don't want them to be able to eat it, but the odor will drive away some parasites and any snakes, spiders, scorpions, etc.
Winter drives creepy crawlies into the coop. Spiders can bite a chicken just like anything else. If the chickens see it and eat it no problem, but if it gets on them and under the feathers it can bite.
just some options
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Post by thywar on Dec 2, 2014 15:56:02 GMT -7
I've learned more about chickens than I ever knew reading this thread.. who knew you could look down a chicken's throat.. or why you would want to. Thanks for the info..
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Post by woodyz on Dec 2, 2014 16:02:00 GMT -7
I don't know that I have ever seen anyone blowing into a roosters but during a cock fight. But it may have been confused with the sucking of the roosters head/combs during a fight.
It pulls blood into the head/brain and gives the rooster a boost of energy.
Not that I have ever seen a cockfight, they are illegal now
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Post by cowgirlup on Dec 2, 2014 17:49:12 GMT -7
I'm in a rural area so I have my choice of Agway, TSC and Blue Seal. I have a good sized bag of DE. How did you know it was the Sevin dust killing your chickens? I'm pretty sure mine is 5%. I sprinkled it on the sand floor before adding new straw.
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Post by woodyz on Dec 3, 2014 8:40:32 GMT -7
Years ago I used some 7 dust on my chickens and on some dogs. I don't remember what % but it was more than 5 something I had for garden.
Within 3 days I had dead chickens and dogs and the rest were sick. The vet said it was the 7. It was either too strong or I used too much.
Since then I have used the 7 5% but sparingly. Once I started using the DE I stopped using 7 on the animals.
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Post by cowgirlup on Mar 2, 2015 12:25:13 GMT -7
And it happened again. Other favorite chicken died Saturday morning. Same deal. Went out Friday night and she was weak and laying under the coop. Brought her in and did what I could but she died in the night. This one also wanted to eat out of your hand and was very chatty. She used to come and peck at the back door 3 times to get you to come out and hopefully bring a treat. I didn't plan to get attached to any of them but those two were very interactive with us. When we'd come home they led the race to greet us. The others are just plain chickens. I'm really bummed out. She went broody 4 times last summer and I was going to have her hatch out some eggs this year. The sad thing is that her sister who barely made a sound before has been looking for her. I let them out yesterday and she went to the left and made a call and tilted her head to listen. Then she went a few feet to the right and did the same thing. Then she jumped up on a cement block and did it again. We have one really irritating hen who will probably live for years.  |
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Post by insaneh on Mar 2, 2015 15:27:30 GMT -7
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Post by cajunlady87 on Mar 2, 2015 15:27:59 GMT -7
I feel your pain at the loss of your favorite hens, especially when you do everything you can think of to try and save them when they're sick. And although we don't wish any of them any harm it seems the wretched, fiendish ones are the ones who survive.
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Post by angelhelp on Mar 2, 2015 17:11:28 GMT -7
That's terrible. |
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Post by solargeek1 on Mar 2, 2015 22:40:48 GMT -7
So sorry for how it turned out for you
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Post by Redneckidokie on Mar 2, 2015 22:56:35 GMT -7
Sorry to hear bad news.
I don't remember grannys chickens having health issues (except for granny), they were just there and seemed indestructible. Of course my memory is not to great.
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Post by insaneh on Mar 3, 2015 4:53:50 GMT -7
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