Livestock Thread

[squidward tentacles]

I know this isn't necessary the best thread for this question, but does anyone have any experience in treating bumblefoot in a wild duck? I say wild duck, but it's one of the Peking ducks at the local park. She's been limping for about a week now and seems to be getting worse. Should I just kidnap her and give her Epsom salt baths until the cyst drains?

 

[Happy Little War Painter]

I know this isn't necessary the best thread for this question, but does anyone have any experience in treating bumblefoot in a wild duck? I say wild duck, but it's one of the Peking ducks at the local park. She's been limping for about a week now and seems to be getting worse. Should I just kidnap her and give her Epsom salt baths until the cyst drains?

is there not an animal control where you live you can call? Maybe the Humane Society?

 

[Circus peanut]

I know this isn't necessary the best thread for this question, but does anyone have any experience in treating bumblefoot in a wild duck? I say wild duck, but it's one of the Peking ducks at the local park. She's been limping for about a week now and seems to be getting worse. Should I just kidnap her and give her Epsom salt baths until the cyst drains?

I did a combination of betadine (antiseptic)+warm water soaks and Veterycin spray for one of our ducks who had it (rip Gene), but he was obviously comfortable enough to let me tend to it. It will be much trickier to do the bandaging and all that with a wild duck. If there aren’t any local vets or Humane Society chapters you can call, perhaps try making her warm up to you first by bringing some food so that she eventually cooperates.

 

[Seared Strawberry]

I was wondering where the livestock and poultry thread was at.

I've got four wonderful rocks that are such good sisters, came from the same hatchery and were shipped to me because the store didn't have enough of the best cold Harty chicken breed.

Just eat the eggs from them.
It's not uncommon for them to double yolk though it isn't very frequent, especially in higher heat.

Saw that Flemish giant rabbits are good for more docile chicken breeds (my rock girls) and the kids want a pet rabbit or two.

So in the future I'm thinking of doing that.
Outside of ground proofing what must I do to make this a reality? My girls are very spoiled and have lots of space and I do not let them free range due to the amount of hawks that we have but they have very ample space, it's over 2k sq feet.
The rabbit/rabbits will be pets purely and large warmers for the chickens during winter. I do not intend to breed these unless someone local asks me to and even then I doubt anyone will.

Alternatively I am thinking about fencing in another area next year so we can get another animal holding center, mainly for the geese and possibly rotating them with the chickens so they don't get bored of sleeping/being in the same place always. The geese are going to be a larger breed so I'm less worried about a hawk attack with them, but they will have fencing of some sort.
At some point I'd like to put all my animals together possibly.

(Shock and awe at the size of these specimens)

What's a good amount of space for some big 20+ lbs breeds of geese? Let's say I'd have around 4-8. Could look it up elsewhere but I'd like to see more love on this board so let's talk about it here!

 

[${Sandy}]

Those bard rocks look adorable.

My favorite chicken is a bard rock.

 

[Seared Strawberry]

I only hear good things about bard and plymouth rocks.

How many bareds do you have in your flock?
Are all seven of them bareds?

 

[Rakovnik]

I don't want to have to build two coops when the one I have is already big enough for all the ducks I could want. Why can't these little fucks just get along. Anyone have any experience with similar problems? Are my ducks just assholes and it should have worked or did I do something wrong? Besides not properly securing the greenhouse, I'm retarded, I feel bad about it, I got complacent.

I got a couple older Pekin ducks for free, 1 has bad legs so I was worried it would be picked on but so far nothing. They won't go near the other group but they stay in the same coop (20x10 approx)

(Pekins not pictured)

Thanks. 3 days seems like sufficient amount of time. If they're still being dumb, they can go back in for a bit longer.

The layer group we raised this spring has been the worst group ever, they couldn't figure out going in at night for over a week. We finally gave up and moved their coop into the cow pasture so the electric fence is protecting them.

Outside of ground proofing what must I do to make this a reality? My girls are very spoiled and have lots of space and I do not let them free range due to the amount of hawks that we have but they have very ample space, it's over 2k sq feet.

What's a good amount of space for some big 20+ lbs breeds of geese? Let's say I'd have around 4-8.

Barred Rocks are my second favorite after Sapphire Gems

Are the chicken area and geese area the same thing or 2 different pens you're building? Are you building a space for them to be outside during the day only or secure enough for them to not be closed in at night? We do free range with hundreds of egg layers and the roosters do a good job of watching the sky, not as good at watching for coyotes.

I haven't raised geese but turkeys are close enough in size. We grew a batch of ~30 out in a 10x20 shelter, after they hit 20lb they were moved out with ~10 larger turkeys to a ~160' electric net (approx 50' diameter) and had enough grass to be moved once per week.

 

[Seared Strawberry]

Are the chicken area and geese area the same thing or 2 different pens you're building? Are you building a space for them to be outside during the day only or secure enough for them to not be closed in at night? We do free range with hundreds of egg layers and the roosters do a good job of watching

I'm unsure. Have ample land but fencing is expensive and I'd rather keep my flock small since if the CDC comes in and says my chickens need McNuked I might McLose it in these fine McStates.
I have a livestock guardian dog who is on site with coyotes, raptors and hates foxes too. Though I haven't seen any traces of coyotes/foxes around the chickens and the dog stays on a lead out next to them for now. Once we get fencing I want her to live in with a flock. If they're all together I'll have to make sure that she'll be ok with the rabbit which... she might be, she's usually great with animals that aren't raptors or coyotes/foxes. The rabbit/rabbits can be housed separately if need be.

Any specific suggestions? The Flems are becoming more a reality everyday so I'm thinking that I might actually put them in with both sets of birds if my tiny flocks get along.

From the numbers you're giving me though, fencing might not be as much as I thought. Do you think I should try to just move them all together at some point? Do you have any price points from Rural King or Tractor Supply with labor rates/estimates? Or systems that we could install?
Just guesstimates. My husband is really busy right now with summer harvest and autumn harvest prep and the kids. I work full time so my time I can spend on research is limited, the answers have varied so much from flimsy fencing that seems barely suitable to the most expensive and boutique pens made up by some cottage core cringetokers. It's frustrating to say the least. Dunno why I can't find something between crack shack and barely working to Disney Princess Core crap.

If the geese are around I'm not thinking I'll need roosters? I'm not against them. We just don't have a use for them now due to our set up, and we're doing semi subsistence farming, and again, wanting to keep the flocks small so having a stud wouldn't be the best option, even if he was a gentleman. Might expand later but want to try it small scale first. Finding a butcher is nearly impossible due to the JBS BS, even a traveling one costs a bit so it would mainly be geese for friends, eggs, and an unlucky one might be food every few years.
So when geese are had I think it would be a good time to let all poultry free range.

If the price is decent let's say that I'd want to have a day area and then give them (either bird, or both) extra protection at night with the dog ideally in with them once we're sure that she knows that they're not only not food, which she mostly does by now, but also not dogs, we're still working on that part. To be fair, the hens thinks she's a large chicken and follow her around mimicking her, "foraging" which... LGD, we know what they're, "foraging"

Thank you so much for all your information! This was a wonderful starting point!
Your animals are beautiful btw! Did I see Orpingtons?

 

[Rakovnik]

I'm unsure. Have ample land but fencing is expensive and I'd rather keep my flock small

Small is anything under 1 or 2 thousand birds, most people are shocked when we tell them how many chickens we have since they spread out a lot mostly in groups of 10-20. Fence material prices are the same reasons mine are free range.

I have a livestock guardian dog who is on site with coyotes, raptors and hates foxes too. Though I haven't seen any traces of coyotes/foxes around the chickens and the dog stays on a lead out next to them for now. Once we get fencing I want her to live in with a flock. If they're all together I'll have to make sure that she'll be ok with the rabbit which... she might be, she's usually great with animals that aren't raptors or coyotes/foxes. The rabbit/rabbits can be housed separately if need be.

The dogs scent probably helps keep them away, I don't have rabbits so I've got to warn you any fencing advice I give won't factor that in

Do you think I should try to just move them all together at some point? Do you have any price points from Rural King or Tractor Supply with labor rates/estimates? Or systems that we could install?

Them all as in the chickens and future geese? Yeah I'm sure they'd be fine together. We have 1 Tom and 2 female turkeys that live with our main layer flock they get along just fine even though they were raised separate from the chickens.

The fence I used for the turkey's is this, there's a poultry version for $50 more but I think it's nearly the same. The temporary push in type fence is great for moving them around an area. Chickens will likely shove themselves through since it can't shock their feathers but it'll keep large birds in and coyotes out. I've posted about it before, I've had 1 turkey injured because she slept up against the fence and got bit through it. The fence did it's job, you can't prevent them from sleeping too close to it unless they're inside.

If you want a more substantial, permanent fence I'd suggest using posts and chicken wire. I don't have specific product suggestions for the chicken wire but you don't need something heavy like cattle panels if you've got electric wire on the outside. Use standoffs to make sure your hot wire doesn't connect with the chicken wire.

Another more substantial but less permanent option would be bending cattle panels into a hoop shape, add chicken wire 4' up the sides and pounding in T posts along the outer edges. That's how our meat birds cages are made except they're secured to a wood frame to be moved around, they stay in those 24/7 until butcher day after growing out in the brooder. We've lost a few meat birds to coyotes/raccoons digging or reaching under the edge and pulling them out.

Last but not least the cheap-n-easy, grab a 10x20 tube frame off of Facebook marketplace and wrap it in chicken wire. Get one of those used billboard tarps for the roof they're super thick.

If the geese are around I'm not thinking I'll need roosters? I'm not against them. We just don't have a use for them now due to our set up, and we're doing semi subsistence farming, and again, wanting to keep the flocks small so having a stud wouldn't be the best option, even if he was a gentleman. Might expand later but want to try it small scale first. Finding a butcher is nearly impossible due to the JBS BS, even a traveling one costs a bit so it would mainly be geese for friends, eggs, and an unlucky one might be food every few years.
So when geese are had I think it would be a good time to let all poultry free range.

Geese won't give their lives protecting the hens like a rooster will but yes having larger birds with the chickens helps deter hawks during the day. It's doesn't help at night though, I lost a guinea hen that stayed outside with the turkeys to a hawk or owl overnight.

I haven't been effected by that luckily, 1 processor nearby has been closed for almost 8 months now for renovations and I'm wondering if they'll ever reopen. The Amish place I use have been better than ever (USDA inspected, not some random Amish guy) they got new packaging so my cuts are on a foam platter instead of thrown in a bag!

To be fair, the hens thinks she's a large chicken and follow her around mimicking her, "foraging" which... LGD, we know what they're, "foraging"

Ugh gross, chicken shit it's what canines crave

Thank you so much for all your information! This was a wonderful starting point!
Your animals are beautiful btw! Did I see Orpingtons?

You're welcome, those are silver laced wyandottes, similar color to a buff orpington or speckled sussex

 

[Seared Strawberry]

Thank you so much for all the extra information @Rakovnik . I've been trying to figure out how to respond to your post but don't have much to say other than thank you.
I'll take this information with, learned a lot about poultry since entering this thread!