Biosecurity for free-range poultry
Common-sense measures which can be incorporated easily into your daily routine
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Poultry - winter moults
Q - We bought some Wyandotte bantams in early August last year at six-seven weeks old. We started them off on chick crumbs (they also have a source of grit), as that was what they had been used to. After about a month, we gradually introduced rearing pellets. We are about to change to layers pellets, and they get a little mixed grain. They started to lay about a month ago, and things went well. Then my partner noticed the Gold Laced and one of the Silver Laced were missing feathers on their necks, right below their beaks. They have a dust bath made up of fine wood ash and sand, and fresh water is always there for them. I would appreciate any advice you can offer.
Gareth Jones
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Separation anxiety in dogs
Q- My dog tends to get destructive when left alone, and damage the furniture. I am told this is because of ‘separation anxiety’. What can I do to reassure my dog and stop this happening?Read More ›
A rabbit loo; what to do?
Q - Our ‘free range’ garden rabbit has decided that the best place for her toilet is right outside the back door! OK, I can sweep the poo up, but it is a bit unpleasant, especially after rain. The real problem is the wee. I never knew that rabbit wee was so stinky! I’ve tried discouraging her, but don’t want to frighten her too much as she is a sensitive soul. I’ve also tried one of those deterrent sprays they sell at pet shops for cats and dogs - but she seems to like it! I’d be very grateful for any suggestions please. Read More ›
Solving the mystery of blood spots on Maran eggs
Q - I bought four Marans point of lay that have just started to lay. The eggs of certain birds have red blood spots all over them, and when you inspect the yolk it always has two white bits attached to the yolk, one on each sideRead More ›
Problem of penile prolapse in waterfowl
Q - I have six Call Ducks, two males and four females. I keep them in a large aviary with a pond. About three months ago one of the males started prolapsing his penis intermittently, but then would self-resolve. Read More ›
Is this a case of egg-binding?
Q - One of my hens showed signs of what I thought was egg-binding. She spent a lot of time on the nest and, when outside, she sat with lowered tail and rear end yet she had a bright eye and red comb. Read More ›
Importing eggs from abroad
Q - Do you know the regulations with regard to importing (fertile) chicken eggs from Italy for breeding purposes? I would like to import a ‘fresh’ line of Leghorns.
James Sessions, via emailRead More ›
Chickens: dealing with the problem of bullying
Q - I had five Sussex Stars and two ISA Browns that I put together on the same day at the start of May. All was well until August, when one afternoon I let them out into the garden and I noticed that one of my ISA browns had feathers missing from her bottom. Read More ›
Red mite infestation
My chickens have an infestation of red mite and in their house, but I cannot seem to eradicate them. What course of action should I take now? And what I should apply to the chickens themselves? Barbara Hudson via emailRead More ›
Duck suffered prolapse
A while ago, I purchased a young female Indian Runner and at around a year old she developed a prolapse. The whole experience was very distressing and eventually she passed away. I am very anxious to avoid this happening to my other girls and would like any advice you could give me on preventative measures.
Bob Jones via emailRead More ›
Advice on keeping quail
My family and I wish to keep quail. We’ve got a rabbit hutch which fits over a one metre square run and wondered whether that would be suitable (after a thorough clean, disinfect and dry) to house a few quail. I could easily extend the run to twice that size, or have a second run to transfer them to during the day. However, would I need to fit a light-bulb or similar for heating? If you think it’s workable, which type of quail would you recommend? We’ve found a few suppliers on the internet, but I’d rather have your advice before purchasing.
Frederick Snape via emailRead More ›
Chicks suffering from neurological problems
Over the past six months my Silkies have had sporadic cases of neurological problems in some of the six to eight week old chicks. I have a new brooder unit but I am having problems with significant numbers of two-week-old chicks dying. What am I doing wrong? Someone said they should be vaccinated but I haven’t done this.
Jane Brotherton
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Cockerel has no feathers under wings
I have a cockerel of four months old, an Araucana. He has no feathers at all under his wings and back half. They just never grew. The skin is smooth with no stubbs and no mites. He was the smallest of four hatched, the other three are well-feathered. Do I breed from him? He already tries to tread his mother, she is five times his size! I have kept chickens all my life and never seen this before. Mrs J McKeown IrelandRead More ›
Solving scaly leg
Q- I entered my cockerel in a show but the judge said he had scaly leg. What do I do about this please? James Farrow via emailRead More ›
Old English Game bantams
Q- What can you recommend for depluming mite? I am plagued by it every year on my Old English Game bantams. Do I need a spray, or something orally, or indeed something to inject?
William Martley via emailRead More ›
Goats milk and antibiotics
Q - Could anyone tell me how long I have to wait after a goat has had antibiotics before we can drink the milk again? Read More ›
Goats and St John's Wort
My sheep have developed what looks like sunburn on their ears. I understand animals can become sensitive to light after eating St John's Wort. Is this something you have come across?Read More ›
Rabbits and chickens?
Q- Can rabbits and chickens be mixed together? We would like to give our rabbit some outdoor exercise, and since the area where the chickens are kept is well fenced, it seems an ideal area for the bunny too. Not sure, though, what the cockerel will do! Might there be a worm risk to the rabbit? Read More ›
Magpies pecking pigs
Q - I have three mini pot-bellied pigs, and local magpies have learnt to sit on their backs and peck away at the flesh, creating large wounds. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this? (apart from shooting!)Read More ›
Asthma
My cat has developed asthma this year. She’s eight years old and helps keep our smallholding free from rats, mice and rabbits. My vet says that asthma is an allergic reaction to something breathed in.
I’ve thought about it since and the only thing that has changed is that my daughter likes to use scented plug-ins. Could this be the problem?
Sharon Davies,
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Stone the crows
My young poultry are growing nicely in the warm weather, but I’m plagued by black birds. Are these crows? Someone said they might be rooks. Some of them are smaller and have grey heads.
How can I protect the eggs, birds, food and water from them? Magpies don’t seem as numerous around here.
Benjamin Woodley,
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Bald patches
We acquired three Leghorns and three Warrens a couple of weeks ago and noticed yesterday that the gang leader, the older Leghorn, has a couple of bald patches on the back of her head. She’s eating well, bright and healthy looking, and laying, but naturally, this is causing us some concern. Read More ›
Vets Forum - Scouring
I remember a case of a hen with watery green/white scouring for which you recommended an antibiotic,but I can’t find the back number. My hen is about three years old. She’s been a little scoury for about a week and this is clogging her feathers at the vent. She is still eating and preening and usually has access to the garden and orchard. Read More ›
Vets Forum - Bad leg
I have a four week old chick with a bad leg and wondered if anything can be done to help it. The hock joint is slightly larger than on the other leg (I don’t think this is swelling) and there’s a hard lump on the side of the joint. It does put weight on the leg but has a limp and tends to walk on the area between the foot and joint. Any suggestions?
Murray Hatton,
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Mismatched couple?
One of my ducks was quite badly injured recently by the old gander they live with. The injuries are around her head and beak. The vet put her on Terramycin powder in her water and gave her some Metacam. She also had some Arnica to reduce the bruising. She doesn’t seem too bothered by it all at the moment, but I’m worried about infection and keeping her in the house at present.Read More ›
Safe eggs?
I wonder if you can help me please – I’ve three bantam chicks, living with their mother and two other hens in an Eglu. We leave out chick crumbs for the chicks and layers’ pellets and maize for the hens, but the hens seem to be rather partial to the chick crumbs, and it’s difficult to separate the feed.
Is it safe to eat the eggs that our hens are laying when they’re eating chick crumbs or should we disregard them?
Steven Kingston,
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Broody, or what?
I have four hens that live together in my garden. One of the bantams will do anything to find a particular plastic box and sit in it for hours on end. We presume she’s broody so we keep getting her out of the box and shutting the hen house so she will eat and drink, but as soon as the door is open, she’s back in there. Read More ›
Vets Forum - Unsuccessful hatching
I’ve had two appalling hatches of chicks so far this year, quite the worst ever but I’m not sure why. On both occasions I’ve used youngish but mature (two to three year old hens) cocks of the same age for one of my rare breeds but last year’s cockerels for the other. Read More ›
Which predator?
I’m having a problem with my Pekins and mixed race small chickens and some cockerels who live in a shed at night. There don’t seem to be any holes for rats to enter, but every few days, in the morning when I let them out, I’ve been finding dead chickens which have been partly eaten. Read More ›
Avoiding sour ground
I have three hens which are in an ark attached to a pen which is 7’ 7”. The hens are let out every day and are in the pen/ark at night and the odd afternoon or day. I have limited room and can move the pen into three different areas in my vegetable garden. Do you know how long it takes for the ground to become ‘sour’ and what is best to do with the area when they aren’t on it? Read More ›
Cyst
I am writing to you in the hope that you can offer some advice about a two-year old Sussex Utility hen which appears to have developed a cyst. In September 2005, I noticed a small bare red patch of skin about a couple of inches below her vent. I examined her and discovered a round, soft, fluid-filled lump approximately 1.5 inches in diameter. The surrounding skin and feathers were clean and free of parasites. Read More ›
Avian leukemia
I’ve just been told by my vet that one of my birds (now destroyed) had avian leukemia. Can anyone tell me if my other six birds are likely to contract this? I’ve just purchased three new birds, a Buff Orpington, a Cream Crested Legbar and a Rhode Island Red. The other three remaining birds are hybrids which I’ve had for two years. Any advice would be most welcome.
Jill Jones,
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Losing feathers
I write in the hope you can shed some light on a feather loss problem I have with my Pekin bantam (frizzled). I purchased Millie at about 12 weeks old in June 2004, and she was in very good health with good plumage. In March 2005, I arrived home to find that during that day, she’d had some loss of feather on the back of her neck. Over the next few days she had quite a drastic loss of feather from the top of her head behind her comb right the way through to her shoulders. There was absolutely no obvious reason for this loss.
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Cider vinegar
You have previously mentioned putting cider vinegar in the water to keep down bacteria, but I’ve found that my galvanised drinkers are reacting to this. Is this harmful to the hens?
John Lloyd,
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Bark chippings
I have a chicken run which isn’t very well drained. I’ve heard that bark chippings drain well but aren’t a good idea for poultry. I don’t understand why – can you enlighten me please?
Sarah Blackdown,
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