Cull the Flock, Cleanse the Earth, Start Over. Again.
I noticed three or four days ago that Blondie, our new easter egger pullet smelled funny. "Stinky chicken, but you sure are pretty," I told her. "That's okay, you'll clean up and smell just fine after you've been here a while."
Later I noticed her being a little standoffish. She and her sister, Blue would huddle in the corner together with Blondie usually stooped low. I figured it was being in a new flock. She'll get used to it here. Chickens are resilient.
Saturday, during the morning routine of putting all the chooks into the run, I noticed her eyes were weepy and her nose was runny. Uh oh. Better check the FB group (whatever one hadn't been shut down yet) and see what's up.
"I just lost four chickens this week and one is barely holding on. It's called chronic respiratory disease." - My first responder.
Well shit.
I frantically replied with a few questions and set out googling. Is it contagious? What are the chances my other birds have it? How can I treat it? I received no helpful response from anyone in that group, and I found out from a friend that it's not CRD, it's an illness called Coryza.
The only options from anything on Google were to cull the flock, sanitize the coop and run, and wait two months before starting over or treat with antibiotics every three to six months for life. I commenced to losing my mind while some blessed angel rounded up everyone and started a fundraising drive from within the @naturalmedicine and Homesteaders Co-op communities.
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So back in the chat I was weighing my options. At home, Melissa got tired of me telling her I was worried about my chickens. I didn't know what to do. Do I kill the birds that so many people had helped us get? Do I start over again? Do I go forward knowing that my birds will be hooked on big birdy pharma for their survival the rest of their lives, and that any other bird we bring in will be infected too? Which of those choices is most in line with permaculture? Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. I realized that neither of those are permaculture answers.
Then along came @minismallholding, as I was closing my eyes to rest for the night, reminding me that to cull and medicate are advice from the industrial paradigm. Then it clicked. That's why that's all there is online. That's why I was so torn. And that's when the decision was made.
The chickens stay.
After all the different advice from everyone in the chat, that one comment from mini really just gave me clarity. Those solutions are industrial solutions. I'm not trying to run an industrial system. I'm trying to support a system of forgiveness and nourishment. Then all the other recommendations in the conversation all fell into place.
So to celebrate the decision, the birds got out in the forest today.
They didn't go far from the coop. In fact, they didn't venture to leave til after noon. The littles did though. Then when everyone came out they all hung out underneath it in the shade with the water. ACV, Turkeytail Tincture, and yarrow tincture in the waterer will be a regular thing for a while. And garlic too.
The stinker herself. Blondie was much more lively today. I'm glad I didn't cut her head off and bury her. She's a pretty bird. I'll enjoy seeing her in my garden.
This is where they spent the most of their time. I'd been tossing scratch grains over there to start a treat garden. So they got some sprouted grains today. Spoiled.
@minismallholding, this is Clyde the rooster. He says thanks.
All action for the good of all.
Nate.
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Yay! Glad you let them run free - I hope they'll be more accustomed foragers in time!
Is that sorghum in the second photo?
It's some kind of grain that's part of a chicken seed patch. Not sure what kind, I never really looked.
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Yay Mini! You save chickens from the other side of the world! @minismallholding! And we all cheered Nate up and got him through xxx
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Oh gosh, y'all helped so much. I was feeling really lost there for a bit.
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Do anything for ya mate x The best Texan I know.
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The best community!
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💚🧡💚
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Stay handsome and strong, Clyde. :D
One of the things I hate about the Facebook chicken forums is the people who come straight on with the worst case scenarios and tell you without a doubt that this is what your chickens have and these are the drastic measures you'll need to take otherwise the whole flock will die and you're doomed for months. If I wait long enough, the voices of reason come in and tell me their stories and how they dealt with it.
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Absolutely! Thanks for being that voice this time.
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Well said Mini, I'll have to remember that one when my time comes...
You made my heart happy tonight. Beautiful. No, we don't have to respond in the old paradigm ways anymore. That Clyde sure is a handsome dude!!!
I pray they all survive and thrive and you get to help a whole lot more people through this experience. 'Twas my pleasure to contribute. x
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There may be other options outside their paradigm. They're not well documented for obvious reasons, and we're still in the experimental stages in some of this!
Today they're all doing great. Ranging farther from the coop. The littles are super adventurous with TB (found out he's a boy) leading the way. They were eating bugs all around the forest today, while the bigs didn't stray much past the big peach tree, about 5m from the coop.
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TrufflePigWhat about colloidal silver and apple cider vinegar in their water?
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Yes! ACV is a regular part, and I'll be adding colloidal silver too.
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I am happy for your decision Nate! Natural medicine for the chickens, Yes!
...And from the bottom of my heart, I didn't hesitate once when I got the message about helping you 😁. Got on the horn righy away.
Good luck
It's an interesting conundrum weather to cull for convenience or take the time to care for our flocks. I know @minismallholding quite well and know that she'd have to be hard pressed to take that path.
I'm happy to help out with that small donation.
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Convenience is certainly the industrial way. Time is money for them and there's the hygiene regulations to abide by.
How has your flock been doing? I noticed they were all together in the last photo I saw. Amelia must be getting big. Her brothers are becoming real bruisers. They obviously take after dad!