The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Ms Jellybean]

They are totally ignoring the vinegar & dish soap ....

I would carefully cover the container your sprouts are in to trap as many FF as possible and then take them outside, far from the house/door and open them up. s
Shake the container around and rinse it out. You should get rid of a lot of them. Rinsing well will remove their eggs.

I do think your sprouts are fermenting though and that is why you have them. I would toss the whole thing and start again.

 

[Jewelwing]

well, an update on Lucky. 8) he's standing and moving around a lot more and has graduated from the tote to the dog crate. he's walking a lot like someone who's had a mild stroke and is re-training their brain how to do things... which I think is probably a lot closer to the truth than anything else. he has a shuffling kind of unsteady walk but has improved tons over how he was Monday night.

he was preening a lot today (including finally cleaning his icky butt) as well as eating and standing a lot. he is stepping over the low roost, but hasn't got enough balance to stay on it long. but he's trying.

he's also VERY vocal, and talks to us constantly, telling us what's going on in his world I guess.

Cool! He's such a pretty guy, too. I'm glad he's doing better.

I hope the trend continues!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I opened up Ethel to see if I could tell anything about why she died. It all looked really normal to me except for her heart. There was a lot of fluid in the sac around her heart.

But I have no idea really what's normal. I'd like to post a couple pictures, but I don't want to gross anyone out. Should I just put them in an album? Or is there an etiquette for posting necropsy pictures on the thread?

Here is how I prefer to find a post with the nasty kind of pictures in it:

Start off with a warning saying the post will have nasty / graphic / poo whatever pictures in big bold font.

Then skip a few lines before inserting the not so cute and fuzzy pictures. Insert them at the small size so those interested can make larger and other can skim.




Optional finish by posting 5 cute tiny pictures in your next post so the recent picture box does not have bloody pics. This is a personal preference and most don't include the 5 pictures.

 

[armorfirelady]

I opened up Ethel to see if I could tell anything about why she died. It all looked really normal to me except for her heart. There was a lot of fluid in the sac around her heart.

But I have no idea really what's normal. I'd like to post a couple pictures, but I don't want to gross anyone out. Should I just put them in an album? Or is there an etiquette for posting necropsy pictures on the thread?

Pictures are always welcome. They help us newbies learn and sometimes the OTs can see what it might be or tell you if the organs are normal.

You can also click on the button next to the paper clip above and it will mark it as a spoiler and will be hidden unless a user clicks on it
this is where you would put pictures

 

[Leahs Mom]

yes. Photos, please.

 

[Kassaundra]

I opened up Ethel to see if I could tell anything about why she died. It all looked really normal to me except for her heart. There was a lot of fluid in the sac around her heart.

But I have no idea really what's normal. I'd like to post a couple pictures, but I don't want to gross anyone out. Should I just put them in an album? Or is there an etiquette for posting necropsy pictures on the thread?

There should be no discernable fluid around her heart. There is only the tiniest amount of fluid in the pericardial sac normally, just enough for lubrication, you wouldn't even be able to see it as fluid at all. Was the fluid around the heart clear, colored, cloudy????

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: Question on that. Would there possibly be more fluid the longer the bird is dead and not "bled out"?

Most of us would bleed them right away, but in the case of a bird that is found dead and processed later, is it possible that the fluid pooling is due to them having been dead longer and not processed right away?

 

[lazy gardener]

Re: the fruit fly issue. I've found that when I have them in my kitchen, they can be gotten rid of in 48 hours or less simply by removing/covering anything that they would use as a food/breeding source, AND... this is the key: Keeping some soapy water or bleach in the sink. They will breed in the trap. When ever I make my sink inaccessible to them, they are gone almost immediately, as I don't think the adults have a very long life span at all. Of course ripe fruit on the counter... and of course the fantastic tomato season.... Any one here remember what a warm off the vine sun ripened tomato tastes like? That's fruit fly heaven.

 

[LoveChickens123]

Is it true that chickens will drink molasses and water together

 

[Kassaundra]

Question on that. Would there possibly be more fluid the longer the bird is dead and not "bled out"?

Most of us would bleed them right away, but in the case of a bird that is found dead and processed later, is it possible that the fluid pooling is due to them having been dead longer and not processed right away?

No, not a fluid build up in the pericardial sac. W/o bleeding out the heart would have clotted blood inside the chambers, but not in the sac. That is more an infection (pericarditis) process. (other poss causes, are injury, CA, kidney failure, MI (heart attack)