Padreug
7e5decb5bd
Correct alpaca names: Onyx (Onu), Flocon (Floco), and Sapphire (Sapphi) with descriptions, ages, and herd roles. Add Anatolian Shepherd LGD page covering duties, daily care, bloat prevention, and adolescent play stage. Frame LGDs as gentle and approachable working dogs that welcome guest socialization. Add prominent rule against uninvited outside dogs with leash requirement for approved visiting dogs; mirror in house rules. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
84 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
84 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Chickens & Ducks
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description: Daily care for the flock
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tags:
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- animals
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- poultry
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- chickens
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- ducks
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---
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# Chickens & Ducks
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Our flock includes chickens and **4 ducks**: Tango, and 3 others (names TBD — candidates: Polka, Pinto, Skippi, Rio, Silo, Pippi).
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## Daily Routine
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- **Open coop** in the morning, **close at dusk** (predator protection).
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- **Fresh water** every day — ducks need water deep enough to dunk their heads.
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- **Feed** — appropriate grain/pellets, plus kitchen scraps (no avocado, chocolate, raw beans, citrus peels, onions).
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- **Egg collection** — daily.
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- **Quick health scan** — count birds, check for any acting "off."
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## Watching for Issues
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### ✅ Good signs
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- Active, foraging, scratching/pecking
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- Bright eyes, alert
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- Normal comb/wattle color (chickens) — bright red/pink
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- Smooth, glossy feathers
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- Eating, drinking, laying
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### ⚠️ Watch closely
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- Eating or drinking less than normal
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- Ruffled feathers + lethargy
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- Runny diarrhea
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- Discharge from eyes/nose
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- Fewer eggs, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs
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### 🚨 Emergency — see [[emergency|Animal Emergency]]
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**Chickens:**
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- **Open-mouth breathing, gasping, tail bobbing** → severe respiratory distress
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- **Comb/wattle blue, purple, or very pale** → oxygen / circulation crisis
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- Standing isolated, head down, feathers ruffled, eyes partly/fully closed → critically ill
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- **Stops eating completely 24+ hrs** → serious problem (digestive, infection, pain)
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**Ducks:**
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- **Limp, weak, eyes closed, cold feet/bill, shallow breathing** → shock
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- **Predator attack** — even no visible wound, shock can kill. Call vet.
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## Predator Protection
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- Coop **closed every dusk**, opened in the morning.
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- Watch for tracks, dug holes, missing birds.
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- Big bee/wasp activity around stables/coop → check for nests.
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- Our [[guardian-dogs|Anatolian Shepherd LGDs]] patrol the area and deter most predators.
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## Natural Daily Health Boosters
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The **"Holistic Trinity"** — see [[natural-care#poultry-holistic-trinity|Natural Care: Poultry]] for details.
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| Supplement | Dose | What it does |
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|------------|------|-------------|
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| **Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)** | 1 tbsp / gallon water | pH balance, electrolytes, immune support |
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| **Garlic** | Crushed clove or powder in feed | Worm prevention, anti-mite/tick (in blood) |
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| **Diatomaceous Earth (food grade)** | Light dusting in feed and dust-bath area | Internal & external parasite control |
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Plus useful herbs in feed/water: **oregano, thyme, turmeric**.
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## Predator-Attack First Aid
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Even if no visible injury, **call vet** — shock kills.
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1. Move to quiet, warm, dim space.
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2. Wrap in towel if cold/shocked.
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3. Dropper of warm sugar water or electrolytes if conscious.
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4. Don't force food.
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## Related
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- [[emergency|🚨 Animal Emergency]]
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- [[natural-care|Natural & Preventative Care]]
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- [[first-aid-kit|First Aid Kit]]
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