Comments on: “Backyard Chicken Coop”, Chickens http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/03/27/backyard-chicken-coop-chickens/ Cultivating the best of gardening, vintage containers, home-grown food, and vineyard lifestyle. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:58:15 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Bonnie Manion http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/03/27/backyard-chicken-coop-chickens/comment-page-1/#comment-1196 Bonnie Manion Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:07:48 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=1685#comment-1196 June, I'm not sure if there is something going on, besides the manure environment your new hens came from. Do you see anything like mites or lice crawling on them? Bald spots might mean there were penned with a rooster. I'm not sure what has happened to their toes, or comb (top of their head), could they be scabbed from being pecked on. Yes, use bag balm for those spots. The big ball in her chest is normal, it is called her crop, and is how she digests her food. Chickens don't have teeth, instead they have an organ called a crop that grinds their food. If she has eaten recently, her crop will be full, and feel like a soft ball. Observe your flock. Are they friendly together? Are they picking on each other? A clean environment is a big step, for improving the health of your chickens. Yes, I hang my waterer and feed buckets about chicken shoulder high, with a chain, to keep water and feed clean. Keep up the good work....VintageGardenGal June, I’m not sure if there is something going on, besides the manure environment your new hens came from. Do you see anything like mites or lice crawling on them? Bald spots might mean there were penned with a rooster. I’m not sure what has happened to their toes, or comb (top of their head), could they be scabbed from being pecked on. Yes, use bag balm for those spots.

The big ball in her chest is normal, it is called her crop, and is how she digests her food. Chickens don’t have teeth, instead they have an organ called a crop that grinds their food. If she has eaten recently, her crop will be full, and feel like a soft ball.

Observe your flock. Are they friendly together? Are they picking on each other? A clean environment is a big step, for improving the health of your chickens.

Yes, I hang my waterer and feed buckets about chicken shoulder high, with a chain, to keep water and feed clean.

Keep up the good work….VintageGardenGal

]]> By: June Strothenke http://www.vintagegardengal.com/2009/03/27/backyard-chicken-coop-chickens/comment-page-1/#comment-1191 June Strothenke Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:00:43 +0000 http://www.vintagegardengal.com/?p=1685#comment-1191 Okay, I have another couple of questions for you. Thank you, for your very prompt replies to my messages. :) I gave my birds a foot bath and checked them over today. They were very amenable to the warm water and stood there like good little puppies. :) Happily, most of their feet were much cleaner than when we picked them up. The clean litter must've helped them. I got very sad, though. Some of the hens have "toes" pecked to nothing, huge bald spots on their undersides, caked stuff in their head ruffs (not sure if this is what it's called). I know that there is a specific ointment that can be used on sores, however, I have bag balm and am wondering if that would be an adequate balm for those bad looking areas. One of the hens, as I was rinsing her feet, had a big "ball" in her chest. Would this be where eggs develop? It was about the size of an egg and was moveable. I need to find a diagram labeling all the parts of then hen, so that I can make informed decisions. We're also looking to build some sort of wall-mounted feeding trough, the things on the floor just get full of litter and the food is wasted. Thank you for taking the time to address my questions. June in AK Okay, I have another couple of questions for you. Thank you, for your very prompt replies to my messages. :)
I gave my birds a foot bath and checked them over today. They were very amenable to the warm water and stood there like good little puppies. :) Happily, most of their feet were much cleaner than when we picked them up. The clean litter must’ve helped them. I got very sad, though. Some of the hens have “toes” pecked to nothing, huge bald spots on their undersides, caked stuff in their head ruffs (not sure if this is what it’s called). I know that there is a specific ointment that can be used on sores, however, I have bag balm and am wondering if that would be an adequate balm for those bad looking areas.
One of the hens, as I was rinsing her feet, had a big “ball” in her chest. Would this be where eggs develop? It was about the size of an egg and was moveable.
I need to find a diagram labeling all the parts of then hen, so that I can make informed decisions.
We’re also looking to build some sort of wall-mounted feeding trough, the things on the floor just get full of litter and the food is wasted.
Thank you for taking the time to address my questions.
June in AK

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