Arizona Chickens

[desertmarcy]

I'm so sorry to hear about this desertmarcy.

When I was diagnosed with cancer they feared it had already spread to my lungs and an x-ray showed I had a large suspicious lesion/nodule. They biopsied it by having me take a deep breath and sticking this big probe device in between the ribs and into the lung. The sound of it puncturing is unforgettable. Anyway, they had a team ready to analyze the sample and before I got off the table my surgeon stood over me and said, "I never thought I'd say this, but congratulations, you have valley fever!" We were so relieved, given the alternative. I never knew I had it, but in retrospect it made sense given how tired I was all the time. I just attributed to the long hours I was working. I hope your body can rise up and squash it quickly.

Thanks, Gallo. I don't know for sure that it is valley fever, but symptoms are typical. I know avoiding stress is a big factor in helping any kind of recovery, but unfortunately, the announcement by our caretaker that she is leaving soon added a huge load of stress onto me, all at once. Add to that all these birds I've got....I have lots to sell and just hate to butcher pullets....if anybody wants pullets, contact me. I'm selling some of my heritage re-created Delaware chicks, too, the ones Kathyinmo re-created from heritage lines. They are 5th generation now. And if someone is interested in the German New Hampshires, I'm thinking of selling off the whole flock. I've got 15 hens, they are beautiful. I've been drinking strong Neem tea. Neem is known for it's antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties. I think most people would not like it, but for some strange reason, I do. It is extremely bitter.

Your experience with a lung needle biopsy is something I do not wish to experience! So you never had any other symptoms from valley fever other than tiredness?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
I had a chest rattle too and off and on I wondered if I had pneumonia. I was working seven days a week and often times in the summer I worked 48-78 hours in a row and I think that took a serious toll on my well being.

 

[desertmarcy]

I had a chest rattle too and off and on I wondered if I had pneumonia. I was working seven days a week and often times in the summer I worked 48-78 hours in a row and I think that took a serious toll on my well being.

Ugh, yes I'm sure it did. Years ago, when working in the lab, there was an accident involving a bottle of pure culture of the valley fever fungus (Coccidioides immitis). The bottle was on an upper shelf and got knocked down and broke. Growing the fungus in culture is EXTREMELY hazardous, since you have a concentration of the spores right there and they become airborne at the drop of a hat. Normally any culture growing the fungus would be kept under a biological safety hood/cabinet, but like I said, this was an accident. The room was immediately evacuated and the door shut, but the air flow throughout the whole lab was such that, this room's air flow was not contained to that room. Everybody, some 100+ employees, in the lab was requested to have a blood sample taken, to get a baseline serology for cocci antibodies, in case someone came down with it later, that would be evidence it was acquired at work. No one did, as far as I know. And my antibodies were negative at that time.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Oh my gosh!!! You all were lucky! Boy, I'd sure wouldn't have wanted to be the one to knock the bottle down. Imagine how terrible that person would have felt if someone did get ill.

 

[desertmarcy]

Oh my gosh!!! You all were lucky! Boy, I'd sure wouldn't have wanted to be the one to knock the bottle down. Imagine how terrible that person would have felt if someone did get ill.

Coming from PA where we would never see that fungus to AZ and working in a teaching hospital was a real eye opener. When I first started working here, there was no good definitive lab method of identifying the valley fever fungus. A lot of molds can be "white and fluffy". The fact that we saw the right kind of spores under the microscope wasn't good enough for a teaching hospital lab. Since we also had a virology lab, and they maintained a mouse colony, we would "convert" the mice. You see, there are only 5 molds, if memory serves, that infect humans that are what are called dimorphic molds. That means they take one form in the environment, and another form in the human body. Valley fever is one of them. So we would wash the surface of a mature culture with saline--highly infective--and draw it up in a syringe. Then inoculate mice intraperitoneally (and be VERY careful not to stick yourself with that needle!!), wait a couple weeks for the mice to look sick, then sacrifice the mice, dissect out the lung, spleen, and liver, and look for the classic and diagnosic form of the fungus that is produced in the body. That completes the life cycle and proof of the mold species. Imagine how hazardous that procedure is! None of us ever stuck ourselves with a needle full of valley fever spores. I am glad there are now serological methods of identification that don't involve injecting mice! And even more glad that I'm not working in the lab anymore

 

[pipemum]

Wow, so how was valley fever identified in people? Maybe I don't want to know! I assume now it's a simple blood test...at least, it was for my dog, and his titers are checked every so often via blood sample.

Who knew having a small flock of 5 chickens could be so complicated? 3 bullies, 1 neutral, 1 getting picked on. Separation of the bullies isn't proving very successful and is rather difficult for me in the space I have to work with. I've been offered bantam cochins to add to my flock, and hopefully take the pressure off my grey gal. Is that a good idea?

 

[City farm]

Sent you a PM.

Got a hold of Tammy thank you. Hoping to find a fit...

 

[a little chiken]

Thanks, Gallo. I don't know for sure that it is valley fever, but symptoms are typical. I know avoiding stress is a big factor in helping any kind of recovery, but unfortunately, the announcement by our caretaker that she is leaving soon added a huge load of stress onto me, all at once. Add to that all these birds I've got....I have lots to sell and just hate to butcher pullets....if anybody wants pullets, contact me. I'm selling some of my heritage re-created Delaware chicks, too, the ones Kathyinmo re-created from heritage lines. They are 5th generation now. And if someone is interested in the German New Hampshires, I'm thinking of selling off the whole flock. I've got 15 hens, they are beautiful. I've been drinking strong Neem tea. Neem is known for it's antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties. I think most people would not like it, but for some strange reason, I do. It is extremely bitter.

Your experience with a lung needle biopsy is something I do not wish to experience! So you never had any other symptoms from valley fever other than tiredness?

I am not physically able to help but I have two boys that will be out of school on Fri. Just let me know if you need help with anything.

 

[City farm]

here are more duck pics

I like the black billed.. What breed is that?

 

[desertmarcy]

Wow, so how was valley fever identified in people? Maybe I don't want to know! I assume now it's a simple blood test...at least, it was for my dog, and his titers are checked every so often via blood sample.

Who knew having a small flock of 5 chickens could be so complicated? 3 bullies, 1 neutral, 1 getting picked on. Separation of the bullies isn't proving very successful and is rather difficult for me in the space I have to work with. I've been offered bantam cochins to add to my flock, and hopefully take the pressure off my grey gal. Is that a good idea?

It is diagnosed either by serology (demonstrating antibodies in blood, like your dog), fungal cultures, or by seeing the in vivo form (called spherules) in body fluids or tissues. Seeing the spherules is diagnostic and quick, but takes an experienced eye to differentiate a spherule from an artifact. And you don't always find them. If my cough would produce something (it's not, it's a dry cough), I would look myself since I have a lab microscope here. And I know what to look for

With my chickens, it seems like there is something new to deal with every day! Mostly it is finding and moving broody hens, but sometimes one is getting picked on. Then there are the nightly checks to make sure none are roosting where I don't want them---namely IN the nest boxes, ON the nest boxes, or ON the nipple water pipe! I get really tired of chasing birds off every night. Most of them "get it" after a couple of times, but there are a few stubborn ones.