Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds

[chickenmomma16]

I have a question about leg color on my Wheatens... As I was going through some of my males and deciding who can stay and who can go I noticed some have off colored scales on the front of their legs. Anyone ever see this pop up in their flock? Normal color: Odd (brown) color scales

I haven't seen that before. I don't see spurs so assume it's a cockerel? Could they be stained? Are the scales loose? Possible bleeding under the scales? That's about all I can think of because I just have never seen that color in scales before.

They are both cockerels about 20weeks old in those pictures. I do have some pullets with similar coloring. I evaluated them a couple times and I have noted odd colored scales a few weeks back so they are not dirty or injured. I have since moved them to a new location and completely new environment so its not staining either. It is their true color. I'm hoping to hatch as many chicks as I can next year and cull hard to remove the weird leg scales. The are quite healthy and friendly little buggers otherwise.

 

[Melissa Sakata]

Are they all the same age?  If the Blacks are much older, and they don't lessen up in a few days, I would take the two out and keep them in a separate pen for a few weeks.  Then I would introduce one at a time back with about a week in between before putting the other back.  That week will give time for that one to find it's place in the pecking order again and even if it does bully the splash for position, at least the splash won't have two at a time messing with it.  Like other poster said, more space is likely needed.  And hiding places and extra feeder.

The chickens in the flock are about 7-8 months old and the Splash is about 4 months old. I have been introducing the Splash when they are free ranging and have the whole backyard to run around in. The run in the coop is small 4x10, but I have a chunnel that is attached 4x15. There are 2 feeding and watering stations. They are confined in this area til I get home from work. Then they free range in the backyard til they put themselves to bed at night in the coop. I have thought about confining the 2, and will try that to see what happens. Thank you.

 

[dcba flock]

The chickens in the flock are about 7-8 months old and the Splash is about 4 months old. I have been introducing the Splash when they are free ranging and have the whole backyard to run around in. The run in the coop is small 4x10, but I have a chunnel that is attached 4x15. There are 2 feeding and watering stations. They are confined in this area til I get home from work. Then they free range in the backyard til they put themselves to bed at night in the coop. I have thought about confining the 2, and will try that to see what happens. Thank you.

Nice pen I like the hoop ru I want to add one of those in the spring!!!

 

[junebuggena]

The chickens in the flock are about 7-8 months old and the Splash is about 4 months old. I have been introducing the Splash when they are free ranging and have the whole backyard to run around in. The run in the coop is small 4x10, but I have a chunnel that is attached 4x15. There are 2 feeding and watering stations. They are confined in this area til I get home from work. Then they free range in the backyard til they put themselves to bed at night in the coop. I have thought about confining the 2, and will try that to see what happens. Thank you.

Space is definitely a big part of your issue. Extending the main run that is part of the coop would be more effective at relieving the crowding stress than a second run that they have to go through a tunnel to get to. Also, the feed and water stations need to be placed so that the older birds can't guard all of them at once.

 

[Saris]

So, if I'm going to breed for resistance for my flock, and I have a pullet who is still looking just... blah.... while the rest of the flock is over the illness I should cull that girl or give her vitamins or antibiotics? This pullet has no outward signs of illness other than she is just still a little pale and sleepy and a bit slow.


Also I have a girl that has some pus in her ears, I got out all that I could but the ears still appear a bit swollen, there's not more gunk in them that I can see, would they just take a while to go down or should I try and flush them, or just cull her as well? She is super active and appears fine except the ear thing.



edited to add: How long would you let a bird have to recover from an illness before you considered it to have to weak of an immune system to keep in a breeding program?

 

[Renee97038]

If it is Mycoplasma Gillasepticum or MS then you cannot keep them in a breeding program after they have recovered. They can remain carriers for life and even pass it down through the eggs I think. I culled my whole flock 5 years ago after having a couple MG cases, had necropsies and the State vet is where my advise came from. Have you had your sick birds tested to see what they have?

 

[Saris]

If it is Mycoplasma Gillasepticum or MS then you cannot keep them in a breeding program after they have recovered. They can remain carriers for life and even pass it down through the eggs I think. I culled my whole flock 5 years ago after having a couple MG cases, had necropsies and the State vet is where my advise came from. Have you had your sick birds tested to see what they have?

I have indeed LT and MS have been confirmed. I've spoken to several vets, including my state vet and they say I should breed for resistance, especially since my birds have recovered (mostly) without intervention, so I have a decent starting point. I just had to cull my boys because I was reported to code enforcement and I have 11 hens left. I have a plan for going forward and I will soon have birds with strong immune systems.

 

[Sylvester017]

So, if I'm going to breed for resistance for my flock, and I have a pullet who is still looking just... blah.... while the rest of the flock is over the illness I should cull that girl or give her vitamins or antibiotics? This pullet has no outward signs of illness other than she is just still a little pale and sleepy and a bit slow.


Also I have a girl that has some pus in her ears, I got out all that I could but the ears still appear a bit swollen, there's not more gunk in them that I can see, would they just take a while to go down or should I try and flush them, or just cull her as well? She is super active and appears fine except the ear thing.



edited to add: How long would you let a bird have to recover from an illness before you considered it to have to weak of an immune system to keep in a breeding program?

If it is Mycoplasma Gillasepticum or MS then you cannot keep them in a breeding program after they have recovered. They can remain carriers for life and even pass it down through the eggs I think. I culled my whole flock 5 years ago after having a couple MG cases, had necropsies and the State vet is where my advise came from. Have you had your sick birds tested to see what they have?

Research thoroughly on MS/MG before culling. State agencies panic and always will recommend destruction automatically -- a Calif breeder was issued a decree to cull his birds when eggs shipped to him had been shipped from an area found with AI last year yet none of his birds were tested positive as having contracted AI. He got a reprieve from the State after much media attention about slaughtering beautiful exotic breeds and the State decree overnight suddenly changed to a "quarantine" for a certain number of weeks and birds were tested and AI negative again for his flocks of chickens, geese, peacocks, etc. A senseless slaughter decree of 100's of beautiful birds was stopped.

I can't for the life of me remember now but I read up on serious diseases like Marek's, CRD's (MS/MG), cocci, etc etc, and one of those doesn't pass through to the embryo but the fertile eggs can be handled a certain way and incubated rather than set by a hen. Wish I had a better memory but since I don't hatch or breed I didn't make notes of the detailed scientific stuff. I've had birds shipped to me with cocci, worms, Marek's, CRD issues, and who knows what other hidden stuff. The Marek's was obvious within a couple days and the shipped birds put down by the vet and the breeder stubbornly refused to believe they had sick birds since they bred "naturally-resistant" birds. Someone who isn't aware their "healthy" flock at home are carriers will walk into a feed store and already expose the chicks sold in the store and then customers buy those chicks and bring them home yet those chicks may be resistant enough to never contract what they were exposed to but still will be carriers -- how secure are we really from chicken disease carriers? Not every bird in an infected flock will ever show symptoms of Marek's, CRD, etc etc when exposed. And in research I found that 95% to 98% of USA backyard flocks have carriers of these diseases and never know it because some breeds are tough to not ever succumb to symptoms yet these sturdy but carrier birds can be shipped to another flock and expose the new flock -- that owner will never know his flock was exposed either if none of his birds ever display/contract symptoms but the exposure will already make them carriers. I would be willing to bet if we backyarders were all to take the time to test our birds for various diseases we would discover all or some of these carriers are in our flocks but never have known or realized it because our birds are healthy or resistant enough never to have displayed symptoms.

A lot of breeders want to breed naturally resistant stock and improve the immunity of weaker stock with diverse breeding but I rationally don't believe the threat of carriers will ever go away from our USA flocks. Also, with some diseases, they are transmitted by dander traveling in the wind or on wild birds that visit our backyards, insects/parasites, or transmitted through incoming eggs, chicks, juveniles, or adults. With many backyard chicken owners with flocks in our neighborhood I can never say my flock is 100% safe or vice versa from something transmitted from a neighbor's flock on the same street. It's just not rational to think we have pristine property otherwise the most bio-secure poultry industries wouldn't have had such a horrible AI epidemic like the past couple years.

Not saying not to take precautions but do research with reasonableness in mind. Marek's, CRD issues, cocci, etc etc don't have to be a death sentence as I've had survivors of these who were exposed to other birds that never showed symptoms -- I don't breed or re-home my birds or take in other re-homed birds into my yard simply because I've been thru those carriers and don't want to spread it around -- although rationally I know they've probably all been exposed anyway. My vet upon leaving his office always reminds me to make sure I give my chickens their vitamins to keep them as healthy as possible to fortify resistance. Even we as humans have to stay fit to ward off the countless germs we're exposed to daily.

 

[Ravynscroft]

I have indeed LT and MS have been confirmed. I've spoken to several vets, including my state vet and they say I should breed for resistance, especially since my birds have recovered (mostly) without intervention, so I have a decent starting point. I just had to cull my boys because I was reported to code enforcement and I have 11 hens left. I have a plan for going forward and I will soon have birds with strong immune systems.

Oh, dang... so sorry, Saris... when it rains, it pours... :/

So, if I'm going to breed for resistance for my flock, and I have a pullet who is still looking just... blah.... while the rest of the flock is over the illness I should cull that girl or give her vitamins or antibiotics? This pullet has no outward signs of illness other than she is just still a little pale and sleepy and a bit slow. 


Also I have a girl that has some pus in her ears, I got out all that I could but the ears still appear a bit swollen, there's not more gunk in them that I can see, would they just take a while to go down or should I try and flush them, or just cull her as well? She is super active and appears fine except the ear thing.



edited to add: How long would you let a bird have to recover from an illness before you considered it to have to weak of an immune system to keep in a breeding program?

How's the pullet now? Honestly, at this point if she's still struggling I'd cull her, but that's personal choice... in hardcore breeding for resistance I believe it's recommended to cull any that show major symptoms and continue with the ones that don't... but in small flocks that's not alwasy feasible... maybe give them a week, and cull the ones not improvihg at that point? I'm not sure though, just tossing ideas out...

As for the one with the ear infection, I think you treat that similar to bumblefoot... clean out, topical antibiotic, observe for reoccurrance of pus and if necessary for bad infection give some oral antibiotics to help fight the infection... I'd just watch her for compoications due to compromised immune system, but if she's active and healthy otherwise, I'd not cull her...

Hope this helps and hang in there... you've chosen a long, hard road that won't be easy in many ways...

 

[Saris]

Oh, dang... so sorry, Saris...

when it rains, it pours...

How's the pullet now? Honestly, at this point if she's still struggling I'd cull her, but that's personal choice... in hardcore breeding for resistance I believe it's recommended to cull any that show major symptoms and continue with the ones that don't... but in small flocks that's not alwasy feasible... maybe give them a week, and cull the ones not improvihg at that point? I'm not sure though, just tossing ideas out...

As for the one with the ear infection, I think you treat that similar to bumblefoot... clean out, topical antibiotic, observe for reoccurrance of pus and if necessary for bad infection give some oral antibiotics to help fight the infection... I'd just watch her for compoications due to compromised immune system, but if she's active and healthy otherwise, I'd not cull her...

Hope this helps and hang in there... you've chosen a long, hard road that won't be easy in many ways...

The "weak" pullet, my last Blue Wheaten, seems to be improving slowly..... I don't think I'll intervene either way, she'll either fight on her own or weaken. if she weakens I will cull her. She may just be a slow recoverer.....


I need to work up the courage to flush the ear of the black one. I pulled out what I could with tweezers. I will try and get pictures of the ears to see if they are "normal" for recovering from an ear infection or not.....


The support always helps. ^_^ I know you all will understand my sadness and desire to persevere.