Coccidiosis: The Chick Killer

It moves in as silently as a thief in the night, and if left untreated will claim the lives of poultry (mainly young chicks) swiftly and a lot of the time before inexperienced poultry owners even know what's going on.  Coccidiosis is an infection of the intestinal tract by a single-celled organism called a Protozoan.  It is one of the largest causes of chicken loss in the United States. There are nine species that affect chickens, with only two species that cause bloody stools.  The Protozoan are fast maturing and reproduce very rapidly, with one single organism capable of producing up to 900 eggs the first generation.  The Coccidia attack and destroy the lining and tissues of the intestinal tract, which interferes with the digestion and absorption of nutrients.  It causes malnutrition, hemorrhage, anemia from blood loss and malabsorption, and also opens the fowl up to secondary infection.

The oocyst, or egg of the Coccidia are passed in the droppings of infected birds.  A bird picks up the oocyst by coming into contact with food or water that has become contaminated with the droppings of an infected bird.  The oocyst then enters the digestive system of the bird, develops, and matures in 4-7 days and thus begins the cycle again.  Mainly it is younger fowl that is affected, the most critical time being 4 to 16 weeks, but Coccidiosis can be picked up soon after birth.  The younger the fowl, usually the shorter the time between infection and death.  Mature fowl don't normally die from Coccidiosis but will lack vigor, be thin breasted, and have weaker legs, not to mention will be more prone to flare ups of CRD (chronic respiratory disease.) 

Symptoms include:

• Lack of vigor
• Loss of appetite
• "Droopy" or "humped up" appearance
• Chicks will appear letharic and listless
• Ruffled feathers
• Pale comb and face
• Weight and breast loss
• Watery, bloody, pasty, light brown to yellow droppings
• Death

Treatment:

Treatment should begin ASAP because the more time that is allowed to pass between the onset of symptoms and death is not very long.  Death can occur as soon as a few hours after the fowl begins to show symptoms, but can take a day up to several days.  Usually once a chicken begins to "look sick" it is pretty bad.  This is a defense mechanism for survival.  Other chickens and predators prey upon the weaker looking chickens in a flock, so in order to survive chickens must hide their ailments and symptoms. 

Treat with Corid (amprolium) 9.6% liquid solution 9.5ml/cc to each gallon of water, or 4.75ml/cc to each 1/2 gallon (2 quarts) for 5-7 days. If using the Corid 20% powder, mix 1/2 tsp to every gallon of water for 5-7 days.  Up to 1 tsp of the powder can be mixed to each gallon as recommended by Mike Strecker who wrote "The Backyard Flock."  In cases of higher mortality and fowl that are showing more symptoms I would probably give 1 tsp to every gallon as to get more of the medicine into their system to prevent as much loss as possible.  If the chicks are too weak to drink, dip their beaks into the medicated water several times a day to make sure they are treated.  They don't like this much, but it is the only thing that will help them at this point.  And even forcing them to drink the medicated water doesn't guarantee their recovery. 

Breeding

For single mating pairs or breeding trios (one rooster and one or two hens) you must start with a good sturdy brood pen.  To prevent overcrowding the pen should be 4x4 square feet at minimum and should protect the fowl from the elements.  One rooster can service several hens hens, but the more hens he has to keep up with the more prone you will be to start seeing infertile eggs.  We like keeping our brood pens at a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio for best hatch results.  Use fresh straw in the pens as nest material to prevent muddy messes and to keep the chickens happy (happy hens = lost of eggs!)  Keep each rooster's spurs trimmed down to prevent injury to the hens as he mates them.  A bald or sparse patch to the back of the neck/head is normal and shouldn't cause worry.  The rooster grabs the hen's feathers on the back of her head while mating and is perfectly normal.  They can also start to get sparse patches on their backs as well.  If the feather loss becomes a problem, the rooster can be removed and only placed in the pen every couple of days so mating can take place and then removed after an hour or so.  Hens can retain a rooster's sperm for up to a week and sometimes longer, so daily mating is not necessary to fertilize the eggs. 

Nests can be made out of anything as long as it is sturdy and provides the hen the privacy she needs to lay and protection to the eggs from the other chickens.  An egg on the ground is often seen as a tasty treat for roosters and other hens if it gets cracked or busted while they scratch and kick the straw around.  This will lead to bad egg eating habits and needs to be avoided.  You can use nest boxes or 5 gallon buckets turned on their sides, but the bucket must be secured some way so to keep it from rolling around when the hen enters the nest.  She may not lay in a nest that is not sturdy.  You can place a brick or rock against the side of the bucket to keep it from rolling, or you can brace the bucket by nailing a piece of a 2x4 to the bottom.  We cut out the lid halfway to allow the hen to enter and exit the bucket easily, and it also helps keep the straw from being scratched out.  Smaller 2 1/2-3 gallon buckets can also be used, but these do better if used upright instead of on their sides but can also be used on their sides if you prefer.  If you use them upright be sure to secure the bucket with a bungee cord or nail it to the side of the pen so the bucket doesn't topple over as the hens jump up on the lip of the bucket to check it out.  I have seen hens lay very happily in old flower pots, large baskets, pet taxis, barrels, coolers, and what have you.  They can be as extravagant or as redneck as you want them to be.  If using milk crates, be sure to create a sturdy bottom with a piece of plywood, cardboard, folded up feed sack, or whatever you've got lying around.  They are not too particular as long as the nest is clean, dry, and sturdy.  

Hens can share a nest, but if allowed to go broody and incubate their own eggs this can cause problems if the other hens in the pen are still laying.  You will have incubated eggs of various ages of gestation in the nest and they will not all hatch at the same time as the other hen or hens in the pen deposit their eggs on a daily or every other day basis.  Not to mention the clutch will become too large for the one broody hen to cover and some of the eggs may not be incubated properly.  Once you have a hen to go broody (start setting), I recommend she be removed from the main brood pen and placed in a pen by herself so she can tend to her clutch in peace.  The "broody" pen must be in a quiet, even secluded spot for privacy so the hen is not disturbed.  If she feels the nest is no longer safe she may abandon the eggs.  It is best to move the hen at night so she doesn't become frightened and jump off the nest.

Unless absolutely necessary to maintain a bloodline, close inbreeding should be avoided and line-breeding is the better route.  Close inbreeding such as brother-sister, mother-son, and father-daughter may not cause problems in the offspring at first, but after a few generations of close inbreeding you will start to notice subtle problems and flaws.  The chickens will begin to come smaller, shorter legged, and above all cold blooded (not literally cold blooded like reptiles, I am speaking in terms of gameness).  For the most vigorous fowl, the breeding of totally unrelated stock, or crossbreeding, provides the best results as the offspring obtains fresh genetics from both bloodlines. In order to maintain pure "seed stock," brood fowl for line-breeding must be carefully selected.  Look for birds with only the best qualities and no imperfections if possible. 

      Linebreeding:

• First Generation: Hen - Cock, ½ hen ½ cock
• Second Generation: Hen to son, Cock to daughter, ¾ hen ¾ cock
• Third Generation: Hen to grandson, Cock to granddaughter, 7/8 hen 7/8 cock
• Fourth Generation: Hen to grandson Cock to granddaughter 15/16 hen 15/16 cock
• Now in the 5th generation you breed the 15/16 hen to the 15/16 cock. Then, choosing the best hen(s) and cock(s) you begin again.

For best egg laying results, feed a good quality feed year round such as the Burkmann 18% we feed to our game chickens.  It has a good grain and pellet content and contains a small amount of calf manna for protein.  It also contains a good amount of black sunflower seeds, corn, millet, wheat, alfalfa, and milo.  Laying hens require lots of calcium as well, so offer oyster shell regularly to prevent egg eating.  We just throw the oyster shell directly on the ground and the hens eat it well if they need it.  They know what they need and how much they need.  You can also put the oyster shell in a separate cup or feeder in the pen for them to eat as they need it.  Hens will eat feathers and eggs if they don't get enough protein, calcium, sodium, and other nutrients from their diet.

Collect the eggs everyday if you are going to save them for an incubator, or leave them be if you are going to let the hens naturally incubate them.  Store fertile hatching eggs in a cool, but not cold place (55-68 degrees Fahrenheit) in a dry container, large (air cell) end up and turn them daily.  If storing them in a carton, place a block under one end of the carton and alternate ends daily.  This will keep the yolk centered in the egg and keep it from sticking to the side of the egg.  If collecting eggs from several different breeds, mark the eggs with a pencil or marker.  I have heard some people don't like using permanent markers, but we have used Sharpies for years and have never had a problem.  Pencil just doesn't hold up as well and can easily be smudged or fade.  Don't store eggs for longer than 7-10 days before setting them or your hatch rate will go down the longer you store them.  Be sure to check for mites and de-worm chickens regularly as hens with bugs or worms will not lay as well or may not lay at all.

Hatch Time!

'Tis the season of plentiful fertile hatching eggs and little baby chickens galore!  There is nothing more exciting than an anticipated hatch, but we must not let our curiosity interfere with such a crucial time in a chick's life.  Opening the incubator to "grab a quick peak" could be detrimental to your hatch.  As the incubator door is opened, moist warm air escapes and is replaced by dry outside air.  Humidity is important during the entire gestation of a chick, but is never more important than during hatch time.  You will never see a hen leave her nest during the time her chicks are hatching, so do yourself and the chicks a favor and LEAVE THE INCUBATOR ALONE!  We don't open the incubator to remove newly hatched chicks until the morning of the 22nd day.  Any remaining pipped eggs can be lightly sprayed with warm water and left for another day. 

"Should I help a Struggling Chick?"

Hatching can take a long time because the chick works in small spurts punctuated by periods of rest.  If you have a chick that doesn't progress as fast as the others, or doesn't progress at all past the pip stage you may ask yourself whether or not you should intervene.  This is a personal choice, as some people believe that nature should be left alone to take its course.  I have read several times that a chick that is strong and healthy enough to pip is usually strong enough to hatch unless humidity or temperature fluctuations occur (usually from someone overly disturbing the incubator.)  The person keeps "checking" on the chicks and wonders why the chicks aren't progressing so they step in to "help" the chick.  When some of the shell is removed to "help" the chick or "make a bigger hole" the chick gets disoriented and in a sort loses its place (is my way of looking at it) and a lot of the time doesn't progress any further. This chick may end up needing to be assisted further since his progress was disturbed. Also removing a hatching chick in progress exposes the membrane to the dry air outside. This causes the membrane to dry and it then acts as shrink wrap around the chick making hatching very difficult (and painful if the membrane dries to its down feathers). The longer the chick takes to hatch from the point of pipping, the dryer the membrane becomes and the chick can get stuck. If the chick hasn't hatched by itself within 24 hours you will need to intervene and assist the chick or it will become exhausted and will eventually die.

 Assisting With a Hatch

Things you'll need...

• Spray bottle with warm water set on fine mist.
• Tweezers 
• Paper towels

Spritz the egg with a fine mist of warm water using a water bottle to moisten the membrane. From the pip hole, gently peel small pieces of shell and membrane in a circle around the egg simulating the way a chick hatches naturally.  If the membrane is stuck to the chick, moisten the dried membrane with water before peeling it off the chick as it can be painful.  Tweezers can be used to peel the membrane away and off the chick. 

When you peel the eggshell off, the outer membrane may still be in place. It is a white looking material and sometimes comes off with the eggshell. The inner membrane is below the outer membrane and is gooey, translucent and has a pinkish red tint.  You have to take extra special care while peeling or cutting as the inner membrane has a network of vessels that contains the chick's blood supply if the chick is not yet ready to hatch. Work slowly and the blood in the vessels will be absorbed by the chick through its umbilical cord when it is ready. A little bleeding is not bad and it will not harm the chick, but a large blood loss could kill it or make it very weak. 

 

If the membrane is still vascular (vessels or bleeding noticed) blot any blood with a paper towel, spritz the egg with a mist of warm water being careful not to drown the chick, place the egg back in the incubator and begin again in a few hours. Once you are have peeled the shell and membrane around the egg almost all the way around, allow the chick to kick itself out. If the chick is weak or it is stuck you can remove the top cap of the egg, and gently assist the chick's head out. I always let my chicks kick themselves the rest of the way out from this point and they do just fine. I have assisted many many chicks using this method and have NEVER lost one. =]

Good luck and happy hatching!  

Feather Picking

Feather picking is a nasty habit that is easier to prevent than cure.  We have found that feather pickers as chicks can lead to feather pickers as adult brood fowl.  If left to free range the behavior may not turn back up, but once penned with a rooster and/or another hen let the feather picking commence.  I have yet to see a brood cock feather pick a hen, but a feather picking hen is a nasty little devil.  She will destroy a good looking brood cock before you know it.  We feed the best feed from birth to adulthood so nutrition is not the answer.  Some say they do it out of habit as a "learned" behavior.  The most common places we have noticed hens to pick on a rooster are around the face, where the hackle feathers begin, the neck, saddle feathers, and tail feathers.  On other hens, they commonly pick the back, breast, and tail.  In laying hens, the feathers are an easy source of protein and other vitamins but only in a malnourished hen that is lacking such nutrients from her feed.  Just like nail biting is a bad habit amongst humans, feather picking is a bad habit amongst chickens and needs to be stopped before it is ever started.

When you notice a brood cock's feathers are starting to look a little thin in places, remove the hen and replace her with another.  If there are two hens or more in with a rooster and you are unsure which is the picker, look at their feathers.  The feather picker will usually be the one that is not missing a single feather.  Unless you have more than one picker.  You can leave the rooster separate from the hen and only place him in her pen every few days to allow mating, then he can be taken back out.  A hen may pick another hen as a display of dominance in the pecking order.  Sometimes moving a feather picking hen in with a more aggressive or seasoned cock will stop the behavior. 

If keeping older chicks with younger or smaller ones, feather picking can be a display of dominance.  There is nothing more aggravating than looking in on your brooder to find a chick with a bloody tail or shoulders.  We remove the injured chick and isolate it until the injuries heal because if the chick is left in the brooder with the others, they will begin to pick the bloody chick as well out of curiosity.  Once they realize they like the taste of blood, the feather picking spreads like a wildfire.  Feather picking needs to be addressed as soon as possible to prevent serious injury to your birds.  First, switch the "white" brooder bulb for a red one.  This makes everything have a red cast so blood isn't as easy to distinguish and thus it loses its appeal.  Keeping the feeders full at all times also helps to prevent the behavior.  Another way to prevent the behavior is to keep the chicks entertained with fresh litter or straw.  If they have plenty of stuff to scratch they are less prone to feather picking.  Since the behavior is more common amongst older chicks, we will also start to scatter feed and grain amongst the bedding to encourage them to scratch and forage.

 Chicks may feather pick as a display of frustration from a hot or overcrowded brooder, boredom, bullying, and/or hunger or thirst.  It can also be a sign the chicks aren't getting enough protein or sodium.  If a chick doesn't get enough protein or sodium in their diet they often look for it in the feathers, flesh, and blood of other chicks.  Chickens are cannibalistic and once blood is drawn they often won't stop pecking until the chick or chicks are seriously injured or dead if they are not removed immediately.  Try increasing their protein intake by supplementing their diet with hamburger meat, eggs, and so on.  They should also be getting a good quality chick starter/grower.  We prefer 20% but if picking is severe the 20% can be mixed with some 28% gamebird starter/grower for extra protein.  It is not recommended to feed young chickens straight gamebird starter as it can cause weak bones and legs because it causes them to grow and put on weight very rapidly.  Sodium can be supplemented in the chicks' water for a few days by adding 1 tsp of table salt to one gallon of water in their morning water.  Replace the salt water with fresh water in the evening and repeat this the next day.  This should stop the feather picking if the problem is sodium related, but do not give salt water for more than two days.  Puppy chow can be blended into smaller morsels and fed for extra protein and sodium.  Do not allow chicks to eat whole dry dog food as it can swell and lodge in their throats causing them to choke. 

Also, determine whether the brooder is too hot.  Chicks don't have to be kept at roasting temperatures to survive.  They need to be kept warm, but not so warm they are holding their wings from their bodies and panting.  Chicks that are too hot will move as far away from the heat lamp as possible.  You can raise the heat lamp or exchange the heat lamp for a regular 100 watt bulb if the chicks are getting too toasty.  Just be sure to put the heat bulb back if temperatures drop to prevent chilling or "piling."  Piling is when chicks huddle on top of one another or "pile up" in a big mound to keep warm.  They often smother chicks to death that are on the bottom of the pile.

Marking Chickens for Identification

Toe Punching

In order to keep up with certain bloodlines or strains we mark each of our chickens soon after birth.  When you have several different breeds or strains being born at the same time it can be quite easy to get them mixed up, especially if the strains resemble one another after they are older.  For example if we have pure Radios hatching at the same time as a crossed breed such as Hatch/Radios, we have to mark each bird with a breed specific toe marking so they do not get mixed up.  Our School Teacher Radios come straight combed and yellow legged, and our Deadend Blueface Hatch come straight combed and green legged when bred pure.  If we cross a Radio rooster and a Hatch hen, the chicks come straight combed and yellow legged (a few can crop up green legged).  If we don't mark the chicks at birth we have no way of telling the chickens apart when they are older as they look similar.

You can use this method using a toe punch tool that can be purchased at some farm supply stores or Randall Burkey (http://www.randallburkey.com/.)  They are easy to use and very inexpensive.  It works the same way a hole puncher is used to put a hole in a piece of paper.  The web between the chick's toes are placed into the puncher hole side down, tooth side up.  The puncher is then clamped firmly through the web.  I relate the pain to that of getting your ears pierced.  It hurts the chick for a second, but doesn't bother them after it's done.  A few different mark examples would be "In and In" or both inner webs punched, "out and out" or both outer webs punched, but there are tons of different toe punch combinations. 

Nose Marking

Even more marking combinations can be added by nose marking (left nose, right nose, or both).  The nostril covers of a chicken are clipped using this method with a small pair of scissors, fingernail clippers, or cuticle trimmers.  We nose mark soon after birth. 

Leg and Wing Banding

We use leg and wing bands to identify older chickens.  The bands have a specific number on them and the numbers are recorded in a book.  Leg bands come circular and are opened up and slipped over the chicken's leg or come in metal strips that are fitted around the chicken's leg and clamped in place.  Wing bands are clipped through the wing of the chicken at the shoulder using a wing banding tool.

Basic Poultry Medicine and Maintenance

Cuts and Abrasions

We use Scarlet Oil or Witch Hazel to clean any cuts or injuries to the face and head.  It also helps with dry skin in the winter and makes their heads and faces look really red.  Be careful not to get any in the eyes as the antiseptics can cause irritation and burn the eyes. 

Eye Injuries and Infections

If the eye is swollen closed, gently open the eye using a clean finger or Q-tip.  Flush the eye using a saline eye drop solution, but saline in a syringe (without a needle) works well too.  If you don't have any saline on hand, flush with water.  Apply Neosporin or a generic triple antibiotic ointment to the eye.  This will help prevent infection that may result in loss of the eye or vision.  Repeat this daily until the eye heals.  If the eyeball is damaged, there may be permanent loss of vision in that eye. 

Chronic Respiratory Disease or "CRD"

CRD is a pretty common illness amongst chickens.  It can be brought on due to a suppressed immune system in times of stress, such as during the molt, mite and worm infestations, and malnutrition.  Chicks can develop CRD symptoms from becoming wet or chilled.

Signs and symptoms of CRD are: 

• Runny nose
• Bubbles in they eyes
• Coughing and sneezing
• Rattling when breathing.  Might not be heard until the chicken is on the roost at night or until the chicken becomes winded and is breathing harder (i.e. from running while trying to catch bird).
• A "humped up" or sulky appearance.

Treatment

We medicate our newly hatched chicks with LS-50 for the first 7 days of life in their water.  This helps the chicks to ward off the illness while they are young and vulnerable to infection.  If symptoms are noticed in older chicks after being treated at birth, another round is given in drinking water for another week.  In adult chickens, we treat with Tylan 50 injectable.  It comes in different concentrations, 100mg/ml, 200mg/ml, and so on.  Ours is a 100mg/ml vial (every cc or ml contains 100 mg of medication.)  The recommended dosage for poultry is 35ml/kg, or basically that 35mg of medicine is needed for every kilogram of body weight.  To convert pounds to kilograms divide the weight of the chicken in pounds by 2.2.  Then multiply the weight in kilograms by 35 and you'll get the correct dosage.  Our chickens weigh around 4-5.5 lbs (some hens a little less, some roosters a little more).  We give 1cc and that is a little more than what they need based on their body weight but it has always worked really well for us.  It cures them every time.  Using preferably an insulin needle as the gauge of the needle is smaller and penetrates the skin easier while making a smaller hole.  The bigger the puncture, the more painful the injection and the more medicine is leaked out and not absorbed.  A 27-29 gauge, 1/2 inch needle works well.  In an insulin needle 100 units is equal to 1 cc or ml.  Inject into the breast muscle to the left or the right of the breast bone, then follow up with another injection in 24-48 hours.  May be given daily for up to 7-10 days.

Once poultry is exposed to CRD they are always carriers, even if they recover from the symptoms.  In times of stress or suppressed immunity the illness can flare up again.  Prevention requires proper care and nutrition.  Keeping the birds worm and mite free is important.  During the molt, keep handling to a minimum because it is uncomfortable for the birds during that time.

Worms

We treat all of our chickens at least once a year for worms even if they all appear healthy and show no outward signs of worms.  We do this usually around the time when the birds are molting as that is when their immune systems are at their lowest.  During the molt, chickens are using extra protein and vitamins to make new feathers.  If they have worms depleting their bodies of nutrients during this time they can become malnourished and have a harder time during the molt.  A chicken with worms will usually be thin with pale comb, wattles, and face.  Bloody or watery stools may be noticed and live worms may be passed in the stools.  We treat with Wormazole (fenbendazole) capsules for the adult birds or Wazine liquid wormer in the drinking water for chickens 6wks and older.  To administer a capsule, open the chickens mouth and put the capsule into the throat.  Push the capsule gently into the throat with your finger to prevent the chicken from spitting it back out.  It will then swallow the capsule.  Some chickens will gladly eat the capsule off the ground themselves, especially if they are hungry.  The capsules can also be opened and mixed with a cc/ml of water and administered orally with a syringe.   Wormazole kills tape, round, and cecal worms, and Wazine kills only roundworms.  Mix 2 oz Wazine to every 2 gallons of water.  Retreat again in 10 days to kill any newly hatched worms.

Mites

 There are two different types of mites that infest chickens, the Red Mite and the Northern Fowl Mite.  Infestations are more common in warmer months but can occur anytime throughout the year.  The mites are almost always brought in by wild birds, but can also be carried in by newly purchased or obtained chickens infested with mites.  We go through and inspect each of our chickens carefully several times a year for mite infestation.    We look at the skin and the feathers around the birds' vent thoroughly and a mite infestation is usually pretty obvious.  There will be visible mites on the feathers and skin, and often there will be clumps of scabbed tissue, feathers, and droppings around the area.  Most of the time, unless the infestation is really early there are mites in enormous concentrations around the vent area.  Some signs that a chicken may be infested with mites is paleness of the comb and wattles, decreased activity and a sulky "humped up" appearance.  An infested bird may hold his or her tail lower and an increase in preening of the feathers may be noticed (especially around the vent area.)  Usually if we find one bird infested with mites we go ahead and treat the entire flock as a precaution.  If straw is used as litter in pens, be careful where the straw is purchased.  If the straw was stored where it can come into contact with wild birds, it can be infested with mites and will then infest your chickens.

Treatment for Mites


We use several different products that are all effective at killing mites.  Sevin dust is an excellent product and can be found at any farm supply store, Lowe's or Walmart.  It is used in gardens to kill and repel bugs, but also works exceptionally well to treat mites.  We buy it in the bags but it also comes in a canister that can be sprinkled on the birds.  What we do is put the Sevin dust in a small bucket and just go from chicken to chicken until all are treated.  Take the chicken by the legs and hold the legs with one hand.  Rest the chicken's breast on the ground or another surface and use your free hand to dust the chicken.  Start at the vent rubbing the dust into the feathers down to the skin thoroughly.  We pluck any clumps away from the vent area.  Dust the tail feathers, the feathers under the wings, on the thighs, back, saddle, and hackle feathers.  Cover every square inch of the chicken if possible, taking care not to get a lot of the dust in their eyes as it can be irritating.  The pen, roost, and any nest boxes will also have to be treated.  Even if your chickens are not infested with mites I recommend adding a little Sevin dust to nest box straw or wood shavings as a precautionary measure as broody hens always seem the most prone to mite infestations, especially free ranging ones.

Permectrin (our bottle says Permectrin II) diluted with water in a pressure sprayer also works well for treating the pen area, roost, and nest boxes.  Permectrin can be used as a dip too, but this is the chickens' least favorite treatment.  Just follow the directions for dilution on the bottle.  Adams flea and tick spray for dogs is a good treatment for mites also and we alternate between that and seven dust and both work very effectively.  After the initial treatment you will need to re-treat the chicken in 6 days.  If the infestation is severe, a third treatment may be necessary to kill any newly hatched mites.

Scaly Leg Mites

Scaly Leg Mites live under the scales of a chicken's shanks (legs) and feet.  They are spread by direct contact and cause irritation to the skin which causes the scales to become thick and rough looking.  We have used several different things to treat this type of mite.  Red Scarlet Oil helps to smother the mite and works quite well.  Take a washcloth with scarlet oil and apply a generous amount to the legs and gently rub it into the scales with the washcloth.  Treat every few days and after a week or so all of the mites under the scales should be dead.  Vet RX is another good treatment for scaly leg mites and the application is the same as the scarlet oil.  I have heard that Adams flea and tick spray works well for scaly leg mites but we've never used it for that purpose but I'd say any insecticide would work.  As long as you work it into the scales good I'd say it would work quite well.  Same applies to Seven dust and Permectrin. Vet RX and Scarlet oil can be purchased at farm supply stores like Tractor Supply. 

I've heard that straw is the major culprit for Scaly Leg Mites in chickens so again be careful where you purchase your straw.  If it has come into contact with wild birds, more than likely it is infested with mites and isn't worth the aggravation.  The straw can be treated (dusted) with Seven dust as a preventative measure if you want to be extra careful.  If the straw has been stored in a barn or building then odds are it should be okay. 

Crowing Hen!

Just thought I'd share a video of one of our crowing brood hens.  I finally managed to catch her on camera!  She is around a year old and is a pure School Teacher Radio (strain of American Game).  She crows all day long just like the roosters do.  She sounds a bit squeaky, kinda like a young rooster first learning how to crow but she sounds pretty good.. for a hen!  lol

Oh and that music is my husband's truck radio.  He likes to listen to music when he's outside with the chickens.  The song is "Heartache" by Jamie Johnson.  Also, pay no mind to the brood cock's gimpy tail.  He was feather picked by some hens a few years back and it hasn't grown back in good since. 

Egg Candling

Candled egg at 9 days gestation

After about a week or so into incubation, I like to see how my embryos are coming along.  At this point you should be able to visualize the chick and vessels within the egg.  A good egg will glow a reddish-orange when the beam of the flashlight or egg candler is placed against it.  You should be able to see movement as the chick kicks and squirms inside the egg.  Some chicks move around more than others.  This little guy was moving up a storm so I decided to get a video.  (The video is of the same egg as pictured above at 9 days gestation). 

 

Egg candling is very easy.  All you need is a flashlight, a dark room, and of course an egg (or eggs).  I use a small flashlight but it has a very strong beam.   Just place the beam against the egg and behold.  Before your very eyes you can watch your chicks grow and develop.  I usually candle at least 2-3 times during the 21 days of incubation.  I always try to at least candle after the first week and then again at day 18 before they go into the hatching tray.  After that I don't like to bother them a lot.  After the first week you can easily see which eggs are good and which are bad.  At this point I throw away any bad eggs.  Bad eggs will be clear with only the yolk and air cell visible.  You may also see some blood spots or streaks indicating that the egg began to develop but stopped very early during incubation.  If you are unsure about any eggs and can't tell whether they are good or bad, leave them for another week and check back again then.  Eggs that appear porous when candled or have thicker or darker shells can sometimes make it difficult to see what is going on inside the egg.  I always like to draw a dot or a question mark on the top of any eggs I'm unsure about.  If I candle them again in a week and there has been no change, I'll throw them away.  

Small flashlight

 

Babies! Brooding and Care

Toppie hen and babies

They're not as fragile as they look.  Those little fellers are tough and don't let them make you think different!  Baby chicks are very self sufficient and as long as you provide the food, water, heat, and shelter they can practically raise themselves.  They learn quickly and before you know it they are out of that incubator and eating, drinking, and scratching like they've been doing it forever.  Nobody teaches them to scratch, they just know how.  It's fascinating.  Nobody teaches them to dust bath either, but once they start getting feathers provide them with a place to dust bath and they'll do it like pros.  It's instinct and somehow they just know all they need to know to survive.  Well that goes for most breeds anyway. 

I have turned week old babies out of a brooder during nice weather to let them scratch in the yard (under supervision of course) and when something startles them or a bird flies overhead, they instinctively run and duck in taller grass to hide.  And contrary to some beliefs, game chickens are not "taught" or "trained" to fight, they just fight.  It's an instinct and there's nothing you can do about it aside from separating the roosters and making sure they can't get to each other once they reach sexual maturity.  Baby game chickens start play fighting at just a week or so of age and do it almost daily throughout their adolescence.  We have had to separate 8 week old roosters before because they were fighting to the point of blood and exhaustion.  But that's me getting off topic.  Sorry.. lol.

Brooding Baby Chickens

Things you will need...

• A brooder - A simple cardboard box will do, but plastic totes and tubs work well.  Brooders can be as simple or as extravagant as you want them to be.  The chickens won't mind if it's nothing fancy.  As they get older and more flighty the brooder will require a wire or mesh cover.  Be sure you provide enough space as not to overcrowd.  Overcrowding leads to feather picking!  Also make sure brooder is placed in a draft free area.  Baby chickens can become chilled easily. 
• Feeders/Waterers - Inexpensive and can be purchased at your local Tractor Supply or farm supply store.   If you use a "water bowl" make sure it is shallow so that the chicks can reach it and won't drown if they fall in.  If you use a bowl for feed instead of a feeder, keep in mind that the chicks will sit in the middle of it without a shadow of a doubt and poop in it so it will need to be cleaned out more frequently.  Same applies to the water.  For the first few days, vitamins and electrolytes can be added to the water.  We also add LS-50 to our water for the first week to help keep the chicks healthy and free of CRD (chronic respiratory disease).  If you have purchased baby chicks from a catalog or online, sugar can also be added to their first water to give them energy as shipping puts stress on the birds.  Use 3 tablespoons of sugar to each quart of water. 
• Heat source - Whether you use a good old fashioned heat lamp or one of the new Eco Brooders that I'm seeing advertised in catalogs, heat is very important for your chicks.  Heat lamps can be purchased at Walmart or at your local farm supply store.  It's very simple, if your chicks are huddled together they're too cold.  If they're panting with their wings held out from their bodies they are too hot.  Happy chicks make a very distinct "happy noise" and anyone whose ever raised baby chickens before will know what I'm talking about.  It kind of sounds like a "chi-chi-chi..chi-chi-chi" sound.  Hard to describe.  Unhappy chicks make a sorrowful "Peep, peep, peep!" sound.
• Bedding - My preference is wood shavings.  I have used cedar and I have used pine.  Some people don't like ceder, but our chickens don't seem to be bothered by it.  You can use straw but just make sure it is broken up good.  Be careful about straw though because if wild birds have been in the area where the straw is stored, it could be infested with mites and will infest your chicks.  Newspaper is a big NO because it doesn't give the chicks enough traction and can cause spraddled legs (splayed legs).  Make sure the bedding isn't too fine or the chicks will eat it.  Chickens eat everything!  Eating a little bedding is okay, but if they eat too much they could get constipated or worse an obstruction (blockage in digestive tract).  
• Chick Starter - We buy it by the 50 pound bags, but it can be sold by the pound at your local farm supply store.  Chick starter is a smaller morsel of food that can be easily eaten by baby chicks.  I've seen really finely ground chick starter and then some comes in "crumbles" that are a little bigger.  It is also available with various protein contents for different types of poultry.  The higher protein chick starters are designed for game birds like turkeys, pheasants, quail, etc.  A good protein content for chickens is anywhere from 14-20%.  For meat birds you can use a higher protein starter that is closer to 22-24%.  

Small brooder

Larger Brooder

American Gamefowl

Hatch rooster in perfect feather

American Games are a gorgeous breed of chicken, but due to its highly aggressive nature sexually mature males must be kept separated.  If left to free range or penned together, males will fight to establish dominance and due to their gameness, often fight to the death.  If more than one rooster is kept, care must be taken to ensure the birds cannot reach each other.  A penned up cock or stag and a free-ranging one can cause serious damage to one another through the wire of the pen.  We have lost several good roosters this way by accident.  If death does not occur from a pen fight, the result is beak deformities, broken spurs and toes, eye injuries, and so on.  The same even applies to the hens of the breed.  If a new hen is introduced to an established flock or breeding pen, the dominant hen will fight the newcomer to maintain the pecking order.  Often the newly introduced hen doesn't give up easily and the hens will fight to the point of exhaustion and sometimes death unless one of them submits or runs off.

 Brood cocks (breeding males) will protect their hens with their lives and can become quite aggressive and hard to handle.  This often depends on the strain as some strains are more aggressive than others.  Our Radios are the most gentle roosters we have, but the original cock or "Old Man Radio" is the meanest rooster I have ever seen.  He has punched holes in my husband's legs many times and entering his pen to collect eggs is always a chore.  Even if we wait until he is on the roost at night he still pecks and attacks anything he can get a hold of. 

At 1-2 years of age the roosters are dubbed or "trimmed" which means the comb, wattles, and earlobes are removed.  This is important for the roosters' health, but is also done for show and fighting purposes.  During the winter, big floppy combs get frostbite and become necrotic, especially in a straight combed rooster.  This can cause the rooster to become ill and they will drop weight and "droop up."  If the source of infection is not removed and he doesn't get antibiotics the rooster will die.  We've had roosters to get sick because of this before and trimming them as early as possible is for the best. 

Game hens lay well during the spring and summer, but without supplemental lighting egg production pretty much stops during the molt up through cold weather.  Depending on the weather, in February egg production picks back up and by March they are laying like crazy.  Hens lay medium to large sized eggs that are white, cream, and sometimes light tan.  I have been around many breeds of poultry in my life and I have found no better mother than a game hen.  They are very protective of their chicks and have been known to burn up the legs of anyone who gets too close.  A seasoned hen will hatch and raise two clutches of chicks each year.  Young hens usually get the hang of motherhood by their second go around, but a few have surprised me and did excellent with their first chicks.  We had one little hen to hatch off a dozen or more chicks and she raised every one of them to weaning age.  That's pretty impressive, especially since she was one of our free-ranging hens.  

Roosters on leg-hitches

*stag:  a young rooster a year old or less.
*bull stag:  a rooster 13 to 18 months of age.
*cock:  a fully grown rooster, 18 months to 2 yrs of age or older.
*pullet:  a young hen, less than a year old.

Whitehackle - 1/2 Gleezen, 1/2 North Brittan

School Teacher Radio Breeding Pen

School Teacher Radio

Battle cross - Albany, Radio, Hatch, and Cardinal Club

                              

The Protector of the Flock

Anyone who keeps chickens or any type of livestock for that matter needs a good dog.  Buddy is our male Great Pyrenees.  Buddy looks like his father, but has the heart and dedication of his mother.  He devotes himself to his flock and religiously makes his rounds around the perimeter.  During the day he lays around, only stirring when a stranger approaches or to beg for head rubs and food.  But at night he is constantly on the move, barking and pacing with his tail up and over his back.  Thanks to him we have yet to lose one chicken to a varmint in our new place. 

His brothers Bear and Rowdy also help guard the flock, but because of Bear's love to chase anything that will flee from him and Rowdy's inherited roaming gene we have to keep them chained to their stations in the yard. 

                           Bear                                                                       Rowdy

Artificial Incubation

As my favorite time of year rolls around, springtime brings an abundance of fresh fertile eggs to be collected.  Our hens are laying like mad and the incubator is primed and ready to go.  At maximum capacity our incubator holds around 250 standard sized chicken eggs.  Our hens lay anywhere from a medium to a large sized egg.   Different breeds produce different size and color ranging from white, tan, brown, to even green, pink and blue. 

There are 5 levels to our incubator.  In the top area is where the humidity pan and hydrometer is located along with the motor and whatnot that makes the incubator function.  Then there are 3 levels of turning racks for egg trays.  The racks turn the eggs automatically every so often and can also be turned manually depending on what position the switch is in.  The lower level is where the hatching tray is placed.  This is where the eggs are moved to during the last three days of incubation, where they require a slight raise in humidity and no longer need to be turned.  We have the hatching tray separated into 3 different sections to keep different breeds from getting mixed up as the chicks hatch.  The temperature can be monitored from the outside of the incubator as the bulb of the thermometer is placed through a hole in the side of the incubator. 

For best hatch results eggs should not be stored longer than 2 weeks prior to incubation.  We set eggs every week during breeding season to maximize our hatch results.  The longer you store eggs past 2 weeks the lower your hatch rate will be.  We store our eggs at room temperature (our house stays around 69-71 degrees Fahrenheit) and they should be turned daily.  We elevate one end of the container or egg tray on a solid object and alternate ends every day.  You can use any solid object to elevate your egg trays as long as it's stable and won't fall.  Eggs should be stored and set in incubator large end up (air cell up).  In smaller incubators that require manual turning it is okay to set eggs on their sides as long as your mark one side X and the other side O so you can ensure all eggs are turned properly.  During the first 18 days of incubation eggs should be turned ideally four to six times a day, but two or three times will do.  Our automatic turning racks turn the eggs every four hours (six times in a 24 hour period.) 

It is important to maintain proper humidity and temperature during incubation for a successful hatch.  Our incubator maintains a constant 100 degrees Fahrenheit thanks to an automatic setting by the manufacturer.  It can be adjusted but we haven't ever found it necessary.  Humidity pads can be added or removed to adjust humidity.  I try to keep the humidity around 60% during the first 18 days of incubation, and up around 65-70% the last 3 days.  Anything lower than that will cause the hatch to be too dry and the chicks will become stuck inside the egg.  The eggs can be lightly sprayed with water each day the last 3 days of incubation to raise humidity.  Use a clean spray bottle with warm water.  It is important that you open the incubator as little as possible to maintain the proper temperature and humidity inside.  Maintaining good humidity during incubation is crucial because as the chick develops, moisture evaporates from the egg.  If too much is lost (humidity too low) the chick will become dry and stuck, if too little is lost (humidity too high) the chick will be too soggy and may drown.  In terms of mortality however, I have found that chick deaths are more often the result of a humidity that is too low than a humidity that is too high.  We have had successful hatches with little to no drowning when the humidity was kept at 65-70% the entire incubation.  In situations of a dry hatch, the chicks become stuck to the membrane of the egg and die of exhaustion if not assisted by manually opening the shell.

Under normal circumstances when humidity and temperature were maintained properly, we have found that sometimes a chick or two will begin to hatch and not progress past the pipping stage regardless of ideal incubator conditions.  This is natural selection taking its course and usually means that the chick had a defect or is not in the best of health.  If assisted to hatch the chicks are found to be usually unable to walk or stand due to abnormalities or deformities in the legs, neck, head, or vertebra.  In most cases these chicks have to be culled because they are unable to eat or drink normally. 

If you do assist a chick to hatch, whether it has dried up and stuck to the membrane or whatever, make sure the membrane is no longer vascular first.  When a chick is ready to hatch the blood in the vessels around the chick in the membrane will dry up.  If you tear through the membrane before the blood has dried up, the chick could die of blood loss or develop an infection.  If you see blood vessels or notice any bleeding, put the egg back in the incubator and try again in a few hours.  Peel around the shell in a line imitating as best you can how a chick hatches naturally.  Once you get almost all the way around the egg, try to let the chick kick its own way out.  If it is too weak, you can remove the top cap and allow the chick to come the rest of the way out.  

During the last 3 days of incubation the incubator needs to be disturbed very little, only checking it once a day to fill the humidity pan, spray the eggs, and (if any) remove any newly hatched chicks.  We leave the eggs in the hatching tray an additional day or so as some chicks can hatch later than 21 days depending on genetics and a number of factors.  After that however, any eggs remaining are discarded.