We have a bit of a mixed flock: one 4 yr old Silver Laced Wyandotte, then 3 Red-Sex LInk that we got as chicks in April, 1 White Silkie (who thinks she is one of the Red Sex-Links), and 2 black ones (not sure what they are) that we got in May. There were 3 three sex-links and 3 white silkies...
I only have 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes right now, Heckle and Jeckle. It has been ridiculously cold (days without temps above 0F, nights -30F for the last 3 months), so the girls have stayed right in their coop. They are happy and content, but I just noticed that it looks like their upper beak...
I am looking for a small egg incubator with a self turner for my daughter's Catholic school. The development of the eggs would be a wonderful science project and we can handle the chickens after they are born. Since it is for a small catholic school, we are looking for as inexpensive as...
Heckle & Jeckle, sister Silver Laced Wyandottes, tussled over a dead toad that had started to rott! Jeckle got it and started running around the yard with it dangling from its beak by one foot....then Heckle got it by another foot and took off with it. They spent half an hour back and forth...
We took in the Brahmas last November, and they were very sickly. We had to worm then and worked like dogs to bring them back to health. I haven't wormed since then.
My entire flock (3-18 month old Brahmas and 2-18 month old Wyandottes) just went through a giant molt. Feathers from one end of the property to the other. Everyone is filling back out beautifully, except for Heckle, one of my Wyandottes. Her sister Jeckle has beautiful new plumage and has...
Saranac Lake is often the "cold spot of the nation" so we planned for below zero temps and gusting winds from the beginning...6" of foam board insulation!! And the heat lamp is on a thermostat. The coop is insulated better than our house! Our girls are a little spoiled.
I was just wondering if you had had any developments. The pre-sickness egg situation sounds just like my Paula Dean (2 yr old Silkie) that died Saturday night. Do any of your other hens have any symptoms? Are you treating any of the other hens preventatively?
My Silkie went very quickly. Being Silkie and just going through a gigantic molt, she was never a great egg layer and often layed "egg in a bag" or none at all. We just saw symptoms on Saturday and then she died Saturday night. If it was Botulism what should I do? They are free range. Scrub...
Ask your local hardware about setting up a heat lamp on a thermostat. It is not very expensive to do and would prevent overheating or freezing, especially if the temperature changes significantly while you are away.
Our girls are free range too, so if it is Marek's it is all over my entire property. We are due for snow and Saranac Lake is repeatedly the cold spot of the nation. Will the freezing temps kill off the remaining contagion? I can deal with the coop, it is the great outdoors that I find daunting.
That definitely looks like my Paula Dean. I have read thte links from UNH and Cornell. The only thing that seems odd is that we only saw symptoms for 12 hours and she was dead that evening. How long have y'all seen symptoms? The other question I have is that all our girls are atleast 18...
You aren't alone; I had my first significant sick chicken last night. Make sure there is water nearby, dehydration won't make anything better. BYC member Eggcessive gave me a few links on Marek's disease and one has a bunch of photos. They helped me out...
We have an old dog crate that folds down for easy storage. It works great for isolating one bird from the flock and wasn't very expensive. We have actually used it a few times. We set it in the corner of the kitchen; then he is safe and clean and you can easily keep an eye for other...
My husband bought 6 chicks...3 hens and 3 roos. At first we thought we only had one, George. He was pretty docile but we sent him away when a friend had a place for him. Harry and George, on the other hand, were a hand full. They beat up the girls terribly. One or both would bite every time...
I have had one chicken die today, a BYC suggested it might have been Marek's. What should I be looking for in the rest of the flock as far as symptoms?
Thank you for your reply...my non-chickens friends don't get the whole "chicken thing". Even my husband felt really bad.
I don't know if she had a Marek's vaccine. My husband bought 6 chicks (that he was told were Brahmas....what a surprise when they had dark grey skin and just kept...
Went out to tuck the girls in tonight (1-2.5yr Silkie, 2-1.5yr Wyandottes, & 3-1.5yr Brahmas) and my Silikie seemed funny. She really didn't move much when I went to pet her, even when I reached under her (normaly I get a peck or too and she'll switch boxes) she barely lifted. I crawled in the...