Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[pearcie]

bakashi, pellets, mash galic powder, apple cider vinegar....Verm-X for chickens mixed corn

im confused my chickens and are coming on friday i have been reading this forum for weeks and still not sure what i need so far i have bought :poultry spice garlic powder and apple cider vinegar and a bag of food which i ordered with the cube i want to keep the poos as less smelly as possible so any help there would be good and quantaties to add to food and which food is best which products to add to what and how often i got 3 chickens coming to start with to see how i get on at the moment not to good all very confuseing also worming do you need to or just if they get worms or should some of the products i got help avoid them the chickens will be free rangeing well anyway if you can make sence of all this help would be much appreciated sorry if its a bit jumblrd but i did say im confused ....................help....

[Hen Watch]

Don't panic.... just stick with what you have got so far otherwise you will spend a fortune on stuff you might not need.

 

Essentials are food, water & shelter.

 

Food - pellets or mash. Up to you. Mash is just a powdered version of pellets. I find pellets easier.

 

You say you've already got Poultry Spice, Garlic Powder, ACV and food included in your cube order. Those are my favourite 3 suppliments too. Garlic Powder - I love it, makes poop less smelly and I give some every day just tipped into their pellets - I just use a tablespoon a day. ACV (apple cider vinegar) I put a capful in their water (I have a glug). Poultry Spice I give if they are under the weather or maybe once a week sprinkled on a treat (like cooked rice).

 

Bokashi bran can be added to their feed and can help with poop smells and settle down squitty poops. I personally didn't buy some until I'd had my chickens for a year and one got the squits.

 

You say your chickens will free range so they will pick up grit from your garden to help with digestion. Over the winter my lot free range less and I bought a 25kg bag of Mixed Poultry/Hen Grit from a Country Wide Farmers Shop £6 and it will last me years (plus has soluable shell in it to give calcium). I keep a little pot in their run. So may be worth thinking about grit. Whilst you are at CWF look at the Mixed Dried Corn (which will last and last until it's use by date) is good as a treat. You must view corn just like sweets for children. Too much and they get fat. But I find that an egg cup full of corn, thrown in the run means my girls will stop free ranging and scoot back into their run EVERY time and it only then takes seconds to put them away when I need to.

 

If the chickens are from Omlet you won't need to worm them straight away. But free ranging chickens will eat parasites and get worms. I routinely worm mine every 3/4 months with a product called Flubenvet which you can buy online. If you want to go down the organic route, Verm-X can be added to their feed. I personally have never used it and I know some Omleteers on this forum have had mixed results with it. But there is a whole section on this in FAQ and I wouldn't worry about it just yet.

 

Hope you enjoy your chickens when they arrive.

[pearcie]

thank you very much for a detailed reply you have been so helpful and put my mind at rest nice to see theres some helpful people thanx again.....................

[chickenanne]

Totally agree with Hen Watch.

IF you are worried about it, then antiseptic wound spray is useful for emergencies, but TBH you can use warm salty water to wash any s"Ooops, word censored!"es and the chances are you'll not see any injuries for ages.

[cordelia]

I have to agree too...hen Watch gave great advice !!

 

Food Layers pellets

Grit with Oyster..they must have grit for digestion

Water.

Shelter..(perhaps straw, shredded paper or something in their nest box..

 

I have life guard...which is a vitamin mix for their water...and has echinacea too...as mine have had a cold and squeak with all the damp weather we've had..I ahve cider vinegar which I havent tried yet, and all sorts of other extras, but wait and see is a good idea

 

I dust my eglu with diatom powder...and I havent seen any bugs..

 

Very god luck when your birds arrive, they are lots of fun, and great characters..

[pearcie]

thank you all very much for replies very very helpful.................

[pistachio]

I'm really excited for you Good choice on the - I've got one too ( ) since Sept 4th and I love them. It sounds more complicated than it is and you soon get the knack. I agree with all the advice given. You've got more than the basics there - you'll be fine. Let us know how it goes I would advise a plastic/metal bin for the pellets and one for the straw (if you choose to use straw) - especially if you are keeping them in a shed/outdoors because it's important they don't get mould on them or any rodent's giving the bags a nibble. It's really exciting having chickens - I've had a few challenges with mine and I've always been able to get the help I need quickly on this forum - it's very useful and encouraging