Well it has been seven month since we started raising chickens. I thought that I would share a few tips that I have learned along the way since raising chickens. They might make a difference in how you do things too.
1. Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 gallon of water that they drink. This helps to promote gastrointestinal and crop health.
2. Mix food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) into their feed. Approximately 2%. This helps to keep parasites down and also provides the chickens with extra vitamins and minerals. This also keeps pest from living in the chicken's feeders and eating their food.
3. Buy a Pest Pistol from www.treatsforchickens.com. Fill it with DE and blast the nooks and crannies of your clean coop. This will keep down any mites or bugs that like to bother your chickens. You can also dust your chickens' bottoms and under their wings too.
4. If your hen ends up with an egg stuck in her vent, gently coat the area with Vaseline and coax the egg out. If the egg breaks inside, then you will need to go to the vet. It can lead to egg peritonitis.
5. If your hen has a prolapsed vent (the inner portion of the vent is sticking out), treat it like a hemorrhoid. Put a mixture of Neosporin and Preparation H on it. Keep her in a warm dark place and limit her amount of food, not water, until the vent returns to normal.
6. In winter or a wet spring while cleaning the coop, toss the dirty shavings and straw from the coop into the run. This helps dry out wet areas and the chickens will turn it into compost very quickly for use in your garden.
I hope you enjoyed these tips. Do you have any to share?
Sharing our adventures in keeping backyard chickens, bees and gardening from a quaint New England town on Cape Cod
Just found your blog....I can't wait to read more! We live in New Hampshire and are thinking of getting chickens. We're a little nervous about predators since we're on 6 acres and right at the edge of a deep woods. I know we have fisher cats and fox. My main concern now is keeping or flock from predators.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Kristen, I am so glad you found us! I have talked quite a bit about predators and how to prevent them. If you haven't already, take a peek at the Chicken Care/Resource Guide on the right hand side of the page. There are a few posts on predators. With a few precautions I think chicken keeping is definitely in your future.
DeleteWhere do you get the food grade diatomaceous earth? I also live in MA (Littleton MA). Agway doesn't seem to carry it and Tractor Supply didn't have it either. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteI actually purchase the food grade DE from www.treatsforchickens.com. It is organic and it comes in a 2 pound bag. Thanks for asking and hope this helps.
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