A few questions about chickens?

Question

hi I have 3 silkies 2 females and 1 male and I also have 1 female

barred cochin. the silkies will be a year in aug and my cochin will

be a year in sept I hatched my silkies from eggs and got the cochin

at 2 days. I live in the city so they dont have a coop outside. I

made a large part of my basement into there coop but they do go

outside "to play" every day. (when its warm and not raining) my

chickens are very friendly to people and love to be held and pet. now

a few questions we had our basement waterproffed a few moths ago and

I had to send them to my moms, she has around 30 chickens of her own

with a lot of land. when I got them back my male was sneezing and is

still doing it. its been about 1 month. also my female silkies are

not laying eggs at all only my cochin lays around an egg a day. I

seen my male try to mate with the silkie but it did it on the side of

her. I feed my chickens a mix of egg layers, scratch, and cracked

corn. I have been putting the

Answer 1

did u pick up the right chickens. or maybe your chickens got sick from the other chicks

Answer 2

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ever mix animals from two different places together. Always keep the new birds quarantined for a minimum of 30 days and six weeks is probably better. You never know whose chickens are carriers and whose are not. I keep new stock separated for six weeks. Then I put one of my animals in with the new animals. I watch them for three weeks. If nothing surfaces then I go on and mix both bunches of animals. It doesn't matter what kind of animal you are are talking about this procedure should be followed.

Now on to the bird that has the respiratory problem. The hardest thing to clear up in fowl is a respiratory illness. In pigeons and chickens the best way to treat them is with two different medications at once. I like Doxycycline 20% and Aureomycin.

Tylan and Aureomycin is a good combination of drugs to treat respiratory problems. Always follow up medicine regimens with a round (2-3days)  of

Good bacterial like Ornebac or any other Pro-biotics. I like to give this Pro-biotics two days per month and always after being treated with medicine. Put your ear to the chickens breast and listen to see if you can hear a raspy breathing. If you can it is a respitory illness.

I am not a vetrinarian but I have studied pigeons, chickens and other birds my whole life. I have lost birds under vet care. I have lost birds under my own care. The only difference is I know about pigeons but most vets don't. When it is a 250 mile round trip you only go to a vet when you have to. I am continplating having Dr. Scot McDonald come and have a well visit with him. I don't like to clip their nails or beaks because they get so upset at being caught. Since they have to be trimmed then they might as well have a little look see. It will probably cost at lest 2K.

For the small stuff you need to do a little studying and learn simple first aid for your birds. There are tons of books to help a layman treat his own animals. I don't claim to be a vet. I just take care of my birds out of necessity.

Answer 3

Its probally the reaction from not having contact with natural weather and such if what you say is true that you only let them outside when its nice and not rainy. From going from city to county like that they could just have allergies. Animals get them too, my horse has em.

Answer 4

one thing I know is that too much corn or scratch can make them too fat around their liver and they will die so maybe cut them back to mostly layer pellets,and use scratch (and corn) as a treat.