The Chicken Club (The Flock)

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Comment by Alys Kennedy on November 3, 2009 at 9:49am

Hey Alicia - here is some info on woming chickens: garlic - you can make a cold extract by standing several cloves of crushed garlic in half a cup of water for 6 - 8 hours. then use an eyedropper or teaspoon to administer the extract to each bird. Or, place the garlic extract in the hens water bucket for several days in a row. Keep plain water away from them while using this method. Another method is to crush garlic cloves and put them in a stocking and let the stocking hang in their water for a week. Use about 2 pounds of garlic per 13 gallons of water. Then give them a weeks break and repeat. Repeat again in 3 months. You can also feed them chopped garlic, which they will only eat as needed. This can cause your eggs to taste a bit garlicy during the treatment. And, here is another anti-work recipe: This recipe is for one hen. 1 handful of wormwood and tansy tips, 1 leaf of comfrey, 1 cup of crushed oats or barley, 1 clove crushed garlic, water. Chop up the worwood and tansy and the comfrey leaf. Add the chopped leaves and the crushed garlic to the oats/barley. Mix with a little water to make a porridge and feed the mixture as the only food every other day for 3 days. Give them a litle grain on the alternate days.
Other anti work herbs include: the leaves of horseradish, elder, cotton-lavender, rue, hyssop, and white cedar; oniions; grated or cooked carrot; wormwood tips; tansy flowers and seeds; mustard and pumpkin seeds. Nasturtium seeds are asl a good wormer as well has having a tonic, antiseptic and medicinal action. The birds will eat only what they need so you can experiment to determine how much is needed: observe amounts left over and adjust rations accordingly. The pumpkin seeds can be preserved in apple cider vinegar, and the vinegar will help to repel worms as well (you alreadyknow that one). All the above information came from Alanna Moore's Backyard Poultry Naturally bood - which I have found to be the most comprehensive book I have seen so far. And, what I do is to feed the chickens a little garlic and/or onion or pumpkin seed on a regular basis, at least 1 - 2 times a week, all the time. This acts as a preventative to keep them from getting worms. Another thing they are fed nearly daily is nettles. Nettles promote good health, help increas egg production and are very fattening. They are high in chlorophyll, iron, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, calcium, sulfur, silica, protein, and vitamins A, C, and D. They are also a preventative against worms and contagion. A combinaton of powdered start to lay. I feed my girls some comfrey about 2 times a week in summer, and 4 times a week in winter. Hope some of this helps.

Comment by Kate Clark on November 3, 2009 at 9:09am

Everybody keep in mind (even if you don't need one you might know someone who does) there is a chicken coop building seminar this weekend from 12-4 (I think) put on by the REStore. Unfortunately it coincides with the Mad City Chickens movie at the Pickford which starts at 2.

Comment by Alicia Wills on November 3, 2009 at 8:26am

I'd like to hear what others do for worms in their hens. I've been using ground pumpkin seeds in oatmeal, but I'm not sure it's working. a couple of my older hens are getting pretty thin - not sure how to tell if it's worms. Anyone got info to share?

Comment by Terese VanAssche on November 2, 2009 at 4:35pm

Hi I am new here to this group, but not to raising chickens. We raised Cornish cross for meat and Rhodies & Australorps for eggs. Will never raise chickens for meat again, we eat so little of it, and they were a lot more cannabalistic than our layer B'Gaks! Love that name! So anyone in Ferndale, I am looking for help building another chicken coop and getting things together for a flock in the spring.
Terese

Comment by Kate Clark on October 30, 2009 at 12:18pm

My brother Will has one who picks on one of his other two. Perhaps he would trade with you...he's at willyskinsclark at hotmail dot com. I think its an australorp...all black.

Comment by Alys Kennedy on October 30, 2009 at 11:12am

Hey Alicia, I am happy to see you here!!! YEA! Welcome, welcome, welcome to a very knowledgable chicken lady!!

Comment by Alicia Wills on October 30, 2009 at 10:27am

Hi there. Sounds like I've found a place to be with other "feather-heads" aka folks who love chickens! I've had chickens for about 6 years now. I have a mixed lfock of ten hens: 2 buffs, 2 australorps, 2 rhodie reds, 2 americaunas, a columbian wyandotte, a barred rock; oplus two khaki campbell ducks (yes, that is lovely Betty's behind!). All quiet on the coop front right now after introducing three newbies this summer. On the bully question: I had a bully once and when I gave her away to be introduced to another flock she apparently settled right down - going from the upper echelons to being a lowly newbie in a new flock. Sometimes hard to get adult layers; perhaps a trade with someone else who has a malcontent? Alicia

Comment by Deanna Lloyd on October 29, 2009 at 8:42pm

Yes, my older ladies are a "Red Star"...I like that title much better than "red sex-link". My little ones are "Brahmas" which I hear are much more gentle. Thanks for all your advice everyone and good luck Danah with your bully....I'm going to try to reintegrate my flocks and hope they get along without getting to be like Mertle.

Comment by Ro Donelson on October 29, 2009 at 8:27pm

Dannah, I'd cull the bully, Mertle - to the table - no sense keeping her, Keep your featherless hen in a warm draft free place. If she is reasonably young and otherwise healthy, she should regrow her feathers fairly quickly without the stress of the other hen attacking her. I'd suggest you look for a second hen from one of the more docile breeds. I've had great luck with Orpintons and Australops being fairly docile.

Comment by Kate Clark on October 29, 2009 at 6:38pm

We are having an event on November 15, called Walk the Walk. Part of it will be for people in neighborhoods to meet up, and for people who want to start groups and projects to meet up. Let's plan on gathering in a corner and I'll have a sign up sheet for the Chicken Lovers...first thing- a potluck! I should get to the re-showing of the Mad City Chickens movie and connect with those folks too. I guess I've been lucky with my girls- 2 rhodies, 3 buff orpingtons and one all black lady (Latifah). They get along good and are great layers.

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