We have 4 hens and 3 of them had pasty butt yesterday which is first time for any of our grown chickens.Over the years we had a couple of peeps with it but never a hen in 23 years of raising chickens. So it was no fun in heat index of 108 washing their vents outside with soapy water and gatden hose. We tteated them with D.E. Diamation earth little vinagar in water.Today vents looks ok hope that fixed it. We did change feed last month so not sure other than stress from continous damp and wet weather all summer long.But it could be worse it could be fires!
I've not heard of this, but I don't raise chickens. I've mentioned my friend who has a few kicking around his business, and some Icelandics that he's breeding for bucks, but he does not have any quantity to speak of. The worse I've heard happening to them is an unrelenting rooster.
LOL we don't have roosters but they can get aggressive to the hens. It was a nasty job but had to be done. We wear gloves but still messy.
Since I have all this property, I've thought of raising critters. But it's just not worth the hassle. If I had a large family, it might make economic sense to do so. But when I can buy fresh eggs for $2/dozen, I've got little motivation to mess with it. I sure would not get "hobby pleasure" out of it. I went to church with a woman who raised chickens. We had a brunch and (like everyone else at these things) I was lamenting the amount of leftovers I was taking home. She asked for my coleslaw to feed her chickens. I was shocked. I could see giving them the raw veggies, but not all that dressing. Apparently they aren't too far from pigs regarding what they'll eat.
Its just so much other suff going on that makes it harder.But we tke good care of our cickens and they free range most of the time. It has just been very hard on u all no sunshine much this year at all. It affects animals too. Last 2 days the sun came out for a little while. But it could be fires so guess it just the way it is. They all look ok today so maybe it did the trick.
Basically this is correct. They can't eat raisons or grapes though,that is two things I know of. They are like savengers they will even eat another chicken if it dies or kill one who is injured then eat it.Thats one reason to remove injured from pen till it has no open wounds. Or thats what I read so I don't tes it.
This may be true but we need eggs for some baking plus we eat them in most breakfast foods ,drssings ,etc,.
don't the grocery story raise eggs? mine come all dressed up in a paper or plastic box. And there is little mess unless you drop them.
According to a couple of sites that I visit (FarmHouseGuide and BackyardChickens) feeding grapes & raisins to chickens is perfectly fine. Maybe somebody's chicken once choked on a grape and the story grew from there, huh? Either that, or the sites are wrong...no one is perfect. When I search on "chicken cannibalism' out of curiosity, there are a ton of results saying "Prevention and Treatment," so that gory little fact is uncomfortably true. They are nasty critters. My friend who has chickens keeps one of the females on her own because the rooster would literally kill her with "love."
Yup. And the cold-hearted suckers stock them right next to the chicken. I will say that I enjoy having chicken and hard-boiled egg on my salad, just to contemplate the Circle of Life as I dine.
Sometimes its what you don't see that makes some of us want to raise our own,but then again who knows.