"Girl, chickens are just looking for a place to die." My good friend Kelsey told me shortly after we purchased our first set of chicks. That's kinda harsh Kels. And every thing I read on chickens prompted me to not believe that... until about 3 months ago. And really are started coming 'round to the idea that chickens are a "dime a dozen" about 6 months ago. I was in denial.
This is our poultry ICU. Mr. Smash built another coop so we would be ready for more birds (hoping to house about 100 for meat and eggs). It has now turned into the sick/injured ward.
We have unintentionally lost 15 birds since January. 4 to injury/predator meals, 3 to random walk into the coop and they're dead, and 1 to drowning. The others we saw coming and immediately separated them from the flock. Chickens will obliterate the weak link in a flock. Whether it's a young chick or an injured rooster, you must separate a weaker bird because you will have a horrible homicide if you don't. It can get nasty. So, we do. Now they can have buddies and a bit more space.
The cage that our little English bantams are in was the former quarantine area. Perfect for these little ones. Sky is our lady and she's been acting out of sorts for a few days. We put her in here with her man so she won't get buddy sour and we can put her on antibiotics.
We treat any chicken that is acting sick with a general antibiotic for about 5 days. Here's the thing, we have close to 50 birds right now. I am not going to make a trip to the vet for every bird that gets ill. On the farm with lots of land and birds that free range... chickens die. That's just how it is. They get into things that you may not even know are available to them. With 19 acres of ours to roam and the neighbors extra 15 that is available to them, they can catch all sorts of viruses and bacteria that can lie dormant for years.
We are currently battling Marek's disease with our flock. So we think anyway. And the thing about this virus is that it is incurable. Some say St Johns Wort works but, ya know, I'm fresh out. The vaccine isn't very effective. Some chickens are effected by it and some aren't. Some will not survive it, and some will battle through and come out as good as new. So, knowing all of that, we will quarantine those who may be infected. We will give them antibiotics, just in case it isn't Marek's, and hope for the best.
Backyard chickens who live in coops are completely different. If you feel the need to take your bird to the vet for treatment, then by all means! If I only had a few backyard chickens I would probably do the vet thing. But we have a different situation and chickens lose their life at the drop of a hat. Whether from hawks or coyotes, coccidiosis or a respiratory infection, and even little hands who squeeze a bit to tight. It's unfortunate, but it's real.
Our kids know what to expect and how it all works. So, if you are looking into getting some chickens and letting them free-range. Know all this. Do NOT sugar coat it for your children. Let them see dead things, it's part of life.
We are going to continue getting more birds. We LOVE our ducks, and even I am partial to a few of our chickens; and buying them has become sort of an addiction. Preparing my own head to not get too attached has been a work in progress, because that is the life of a free-ranging farm bird.
No comments:
Post a Comment