Cynthia, I for one appreciate the things you have written from your experience. I can take it or leave it. My choice. But as with any advice I always consider it carefully. Thank you for your willingness to share.
Speckledhen's Ten Commandments of Good Flock Management
- Thread starter speckledhen
- Start date
I am not someone who posts rants on the forum, but I have had major static from members who think I have said things which I have not, regarding items on this list of mine. This list was written in response to the many PMs I receive asking what I would do in a certain situation. This is a summary of my own philosophy, mine, as I have said several times in this thread and many times in other threads on the board. So, I want to reiterate a few points here that apparently are not getting through to some folks:
1) I have never said I was an expert in the field, NEVER. People keep saying that I have held myself up to be such and I have absolutely NOT. If you have access to an avian vet and can afford one, wonderful! I am not that person nor have I ever claimed to be.
2) I do NOT cull at the first sign of a problem., which is exactly what someone recently stated about me. I will cull if any bird in my flock has a respiratory illness. Yes, I will! Me! Most old time poultry keepers will do the exact same thing rather than whip out the antibiotics and risk infecting the rest of the flock. However, at the first sneeze, which may just be dust in the air, I dont run for the axe. I check for an environmental cause and have told many to do the same thing. I have never told someone they had to do kill their birds, never. I have told them they must be aware of the ramifications of treating an illness and creating carrier birds and the ethical considerations of selling such birds to our members afterward. It's a matter of having all the facts and not putting fingers in the ears so they don't hear the truth of the situation. We've had many folks upset that they were sold sick birds by another BYC member and asking what they should do now. If everyone would be conscientious and informed about disease in the chicken world, we wouldn't have these issues all the time. I'm really weary of folks acting like I said to euthanize their own grandmother! Have you ever heard the story of Typhoid Mary? If not, look it up. That is the situation many of you are facing with your birds.
3) If you do not want my answer, do not ask. If the answer isn't palatable to you, don't take my advice, but I'd rather not to be followed around the forum for the express purpose of being sneering at, poked fun of, misquoted and misrepresented.
4) One more time....these are my Ten Commandments of Flock Management, the way we do things here. I posted them because I am constantly asked the same questions and wanted to present my management techniques in a concise manner. You ask, What would you do? THIS is what I would do. If you want to do something different, then do something different. You do whatever you want with your flock, but if you ask my opinion, I will tell you the truth and won't pussyfoot around the facts. Just don't try to sell birds from your flock to me or anyone else--that's where the ethics come in.
These points came from years of reading and studying reference material and books on chicken raising, not out of some random fantasy in my head. If you feel like giving someone a piece of your mind, then complain to the Merck Veterinary Manual or the multi-hundred dollar reference book, Diseases of Poultry or the vast numbers of highly experienced poultry keepers here, many of whom have decade upon decade of first hand knowledge. (I could name a few of them, but do not want to risk having their inboxes flooded)
Speech over. No replies needed.
What? You are not the best Avian Vet in the World
? That might explain why you have never billed me for one of my ridiculous calls of "Cyn...this one is acting weird...what is it?"
I love your 10 Commandments and I value your advice. I know you well enough to say that you do not misrepresent yourself nor are you a cull happy axe carrier....if the fools who think that only knew the truth about you they would laugh at themselves for being so foolish in the first place.
Anyone who seeks advice and has a problem with speckledhen's advice in response, is welcomed to PM me directly...I assure you she is 100 times more patient, 100 times more knowledgeable and a 1000 times nicer in her responses than I .... but I do answer all PMs.
1) I have never said I was an expert in the field, NEVER. People keep saying that I have held myself up to be such and I have absolutely NOT. If you have access to an avian vet and can afford one, wonderful! I am not that person nor have I ever claimed to be.
2) I do NOT cull at the first sign of a problem., which is exactly what someone recently stated about me. I will cull if any bird in my flock has a respiratory illness. Yes, I will! Me! Most old time poultry keepers will do the exact same thing rather than whip out the antibiotics and risk infecting the rest of the flock. However, at the first sneeze, which may just be dust in the air, I dont run for the axe. I check for an environmental cause and have told many to do the same thing. I have never told someone they had to do kill their birds, never. I have told them they must be aware of the ramifications of treating an illness and creating carrier birds and the ethical considerations of selling such birds to our members afterward. It's a matter of having all the facts and not putting fingers in the ears so they don't hear the truth of the situation. We've had many folks upset that they were sold sick birds by another BYC member and asking what they should do now. If everyone would be conscientious and informed about disease in the chicken world, we wouldn't have these issues all the time. I'm really weary of folks acting like I said to euthanize their own grandmother! Have you ever heard the story of Typhoid Mary? If not, look it up. That is the situation many of you are facing with your birds.
3) If you do not want my answer, do not ask. If the answer isn't palatable to you, don't take my advice, but I'd rather not to be followed around the forum for the express purpose of being sneering at, poked fun of, misquoted and misrepresented.
4) One more time....these are my Ten Commandments of Flock Management, the way we do things here. I posted them because I am constantly asked the same questions and wanted to present my management techniques in a concise manner. You ask, What would you do? THIS is what I would do. If you want to do something different, then do something different. You do whatever you want with your flock, but if you ask my opinion, I will tell you the truth and won't pussyfoot around the facts. Just don't try to sell birds from your flock to me or anyone else--that's where the ethics come in.
These points came from years of reading and studying reference material and books on chicken raising, not out of some random fantasy in my head. If you feel like giving someone a piece of your mind, then complain to the Merck Veterinary Manual or the multi-hundred dollar reference book, Diseases of Poultry or the vast numbers of highly experienced poultry keepers here, many of whom have decade upon decade of first hand knowledge. (I could name a few of them, but do not want to risk having their inboxes flooded)
Speech over. No replies needed.
What? You are not the best Avian Vet in the World
I love your 10 Commandments and I value your advice. I know you well enough to say that you do not misrepresent yourself nor are you a cull happy axe carrier....if the fools who think that only knew the truth about you they would laugh at themselves for being so foolish in the first place.
Anyone who seeks advice and has a problem with speckledhen's advice in response, is welcomed to PM me directly...I assure you she is 100 times more patient, 100 times more knowledgeable and a 1000 times nicer in her responses than I .... but I do answer all PMs.
Last edited:
Ditto!
Me too!
I Love You speckled Hen (;
Your Ten Commanments are wonderful.
Your Ten Commanments are wonderful.
- Jun 11, 2007
- 12,148
- 550
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And if you don't follow those Ten Commandments, she willeth smite thee.
- Thread starter
- #147
Quote:
Now, let's not start that rumor!
Thank you, Mark.
Now, let's not start that rumor!
Thank you, Mark.
Quote:
I second this. I really do value your advice!
I second this. I really do value your advice!
I just got new birds and they are sick. I think I will need to cull all four. Two are showing symptums runny nose sneezing other two had been in with them for 1 week. Did not notice discharge when I got birds.Of course neither person says that they have any sick birds. They have been issolated form my original two birds. I am correct in thinking to cull all four and just wait and see if my original two are still ok and that there had not been any cross contamination.
I don't want to do it but I don't want to be raising sick birds for the rest of my life. Bad day
I don't want to do it but I don't want to be raising sick birds for the rest of my life. Bad day
Quote:
I second this. I really do value your advice!
Ditto
I second this. I really do value your advice!
Ditto
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