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- #171
No not harsh - its something I consider every day. But, only a few diseases actually create "carriers" out of the bird from what I have been told by the Texas A & M vet as well as all the reading I've been doing for months now :/ The necropsy was inconclusive on all 8 birds. He said they had pneumonia but that it could be caused by so many different things it didn't really help. He tried doing a culture but that also apparently didn't answer anything. He would like me to send another bird, and I had intended to but have a hard time deciding where to invest the $ when hubby hasn't worked since November 4th or so and all the cancer bills are coming in. In spite of all this, my laying hens just keep on laying. They took a quick break to molt but other wise are laying well and I even have new ones laying. It doesn't seem to effect them once they are of age to lay
And - another weird thing. I have a separate coop on the other side of the house where I put my brooder babies when they were a month old. In spite of the close proximity and far less than perfect procedures none of the 17 birds on the other side have caught "it". But there were 3 roosters on that side that started bullying everyone and I had to move them out to the main coop. Within a week they caught "it" too and have runny noses. It doesn't seem contagious enough to be any of the serious viruses, abx haven't done anything so doesn't seem to be bacterial either, it seems to be environmental. Anytime I stir up the earth trying to clean really well I think a new round of sickness starts. I spent the last 3 days totally gutting it and turning it into a cote to get them all up off the ground. I am thinking of trying to bring in sand to cover the floor but I don't know if that would really help. I have given up all my plans of breeding for now and will just have them as a giant breakfast flock, although another interesting aspect of all this is the fact that the eggs and chicks are perfectly healthy - 100% hatch rates nearly every time I hatched my own eggs
Here it so far - its a 12 x 21 carport with a solid coop in the center which has been converted into a nesting area for the layers. The bottom was removed with roosts added and poop hammocks are underneath as well as all the high roosts I built. Some of the smaller birds still want to roost inside it at night so I am letting them but training them to go up higher soon. Tomorrow I am getting my 7 year old to help me chase all the chickens out and we are going to try to get back down to bare dirt everywhere in there. The blue tarp at the end leads to a run which they really don't use anymore since they free range all day.
Ventilation is great, It is enclosed with only fencing except when its cold they have tarps covering them, but with plenty of openings left to allow plenty of ventilation without making it windy or too cold. I am not concerned with it being too high - its only about 6 feet and they have multiple levels to use to get there. Plus prior to this I had 3 other coops in there that I built for them with roosts inside. Every last one of them except the chicks preferred sleeping on top of the coops which were 6 feet high - and they got to them without any help. So I tore apart all the other coops and consolidated them into strictly roosts at the same height which opened up all that floor space for easy cleaning and lots of room for everyone. Before it was like claustrophobic maze :/ The wall I had behind me while taking the picture opens completely and I swing it all the way out on nice enough days so they get lots of fresh air and are encouraged to go out and forage. I love my chickens so much, it is kind of ridiculous... well everyone except my Delaware rooster who is currently in a timeout coop outside for being a big jerk to the smaller juvies. I handle all of them a lot and many come running to me and climb in my lap or on my shoulder. They are definitely part of the family and I know the individual personality of every single chicken. Just deciding to slaughter them will be my last choice for sure. I want to give them every chance to make it through this. There will have to be a lot roos culled eventually though once they are big enough. Nearly all my young ones are male now. That will be hard because they are super sweet... but I can do what has to be done when it has to be. Normally I would offer them to others but with these issues no birds will leave my yard, period.
