At witts end

[NestingHillsSC]

I have no problem with culling. Have to cull a few more cockerels tomorrow. He was going to be one of them. So he just got it early. That place is like 2 hours away. Not sure how I would get it there. The hen that is.

If you would have seen this cockerel I just culled, you would think he was fine. Ran around eat like a pig and crowed all day. Dusted etc etc. But had that deep horse breathing. No runny nose or coughing. I'm getting to wonder if it's still not mite/lice. His butt were clean of eggs. So I don't know. Maybe they don't like that pine shavings from TSC as bedding. Running out of options. Again the only thing I haven't done was get some Corid. Might as well try it. Tried everything else.

 

[casportpony]

From a post of mine:

How to Send a Bird for a Necropsy​

They need the whole bird, refrigerated, not frozen. If you live in CA, there are four labs that do necropsies on poultry (chickens, turkeys, waterfowl) for free. I know that they do out of state necropsies, but I think they charge for those. You could call them and ask what they charge for out of state "backyard poultry". The lab I use is the one in Tulare, CA. If you are in CA, call them and ask for their FedEx account number, it will save a bunch on shipping charges.

CAHFS
18830 Road 112
Tulare, CA 93274-9042
(559) 688-7543
(559) 686-4231 (FAX)
[email protected]


The other labs are listed here:
http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/services/lab_locations.cfm

If it's Friday, unless you want to overnight for Saturday delivery, I would suggest shipping on Monday for Tuesday delivery. What you need to do, if you haven't already done so, is put your bird in your refrigerator, NOT the freezer! Then you need to find a box, line it with styrofoam (I use the 4'x8'x1" stuff from Home Depot. You can also get smaller pieces at an art store like Michael's, but is way more expensive. Click here to see foam options. You'll also need at least one ice pack. Here are some pictures that I took of the last bird that I sent:

Box lined with foam on four sides and bottom. Seams of foam taped sealed.


Box, sides, bottom and and top.


Frozen ice pack in ziplock baggie.


Brown paper on top of ice pack.


Hen in ziplock baggie on top of brown paper.


Brown paper on top of hen.


Ice pack on top of brown paper.


Lid on top of brown paper.
​

Inside the box you should also include a submission form in a ziplock baggie. Do not tell anyone at FedEx that you're shipping a dead animal... that seems to really worry them. Just make sure that nothing will leak.

Hope this helps!

-Kathy

 

[dawg53]

Algae can be harmful to chickens.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Algae can be harmful to chickens.

Would that make them sleep and have breathing problems? But why only 1 hen out of 16?? Roosters had more of a problem. There's not as may of them. So there water last a lot longer. But in my other area have 8 pullets. So there water last along time. Had one that got a runny nose. Gave her a shot of Tylan 50 she was great the next day.

I'm just not getting the stretching of the beck and the head shaking. I haven't had a sick chicken in years, so this is really throwing me off. And they are all pullets and cockerels from this springs hatch. Which I got from all over. 4 breeds. So it's not like older birds with younger birds.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

From a post of mine:

Thanks. If she don't get better, she maybe be taking a truck ride with USPS.

 

[dawg53]

Algae releases toxins in the water. What the toxic effect is on chickens...I have no idea, I've never dealt with it.
Head shaking, runny nose...shot of tylan "curing" the problem....are all indications of possibly a mild strain of a respiratory problem...unless there's an environmental issue going on or maybe a fungal issue as well. However, tylan wont treat fungal issues.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Environmental issue...as in??

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Been reading some stuff on Blue-green Algae (Cyanobacteria). It has to be blooming. I mean there's not that much in it and I do wipe it clean ever time I refill it.

 

[dawg53]

Environmental issue...as in??

Ammonia fumes inside the coop due to improper ventilation, pollen, dust, pesticide/fertilizer use on lawns, mosquito spraying trucks, feed dust, inhaling a feed crumble, simple yawning, crop adjustments etc...

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Ammonia fumes inside the coop due to improper ventilation, pollen, dust, pesticide/fertilizer use on lawns, mosquito spraying trucks, feed dust, inhaling a feed crumble, simple yawning, crop adjustments etc...

I keep a very clean coop. My eggs are like spotless when I collect them. If they even start to get a bit dirty them I clean the coop out. So that's not it. Pollen could be an issue. Very high pollen this year here. I'm sure GA was the same. Feed dust, well that could have been. I noticed they started to get like this when I switched from fermenting the feed to giving it to them dry. This feed is a bit dusty. Mosquito spraying trucks, no. We don't have any. But the bugs have been very very bad this year also. If I walked down there to fill the feeders I was eaten alive in minutes. Simple yawning, all the time!!!

That's all I can think of.