About Old West's Farms & the Animals

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Newbie Chicken Owners:

I have to be the worst blogger known to the blogging world.
I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and blog.
Well I could just blog ... but trying to make it entertaining takes ... well, see there ... I got nuttin.
I feel the pressure of finding time to read my bible, cook, clean, exercise, take care of the animals, be a mom, be a Noni, be a daughter, a wife ... SEE, my life is exhausting. And yet, so many do it!!
I don't even play WWF any longer because it was stressing me out trying to find time to play.
Anyway, the reason for this post is important ... SEE BELOW!

IMPORTANT TIP FOR NEWBIE HOMESTEADERS WITH CHICKENS:
So my beautiful flock was doing so well, we were up to about 6-7 eggs a day when all of a sudden
they come down with some sort of respiratory infection :'O .
I write my friend who knows bunches about chickens and she says you have to kill them all.WHAT :O -
I of course said NO, I must have another option. So I began treating them all with antibiotics. She said the 6 chickens I rescued/purchased from a yucky farm must have been infected and then infected the rest of my flock... EPIC FAIL ...

1. NEVER EVER EVER buy chickens from yucky places -
2. If you do buy chickens from yucky places because they are in horrible conditions and are nothing but feathers and bones ... ISOLATE them for at LEAST 3 weeks.
3. Go back and kick those YUCKY PEOPLES butt for selling contagious birds.
4. Kick yourself in the butt for not knowing better.

Symptoms of sick birds:
Not eating -
Yuckiness around beak -
Wheezing -
Goopy eye -
Major drop in egg production -

Currently, not all my birds are sick. And the ones I have treated seem to be responding to treatment well.
I could have spiked their water with antibiotics, but doing them individually insures they are all being treated.
My brilliant idea of marking them was HOT PINK finger nail polish on the tips of their beaks. Genius right!

So, I hope my newbie mistake saves someone else from this mistake.

There ... I blogged ... Whew ...

Ain't she purdy!!