Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Anniebee]

Luv1another ...... what gorgeous photos and adorable chickens.

I would love to have a black araucana ... but would freak out if I had a silkie get wet !! Only because I lost a beautiful silkie ( my avatar ) due to her being drenched overnight when I didn't realise the coop had let in water from a huge storm. So very sad.

You should be very proud of your lovely flock. Such a proud and beautiful roo, also.

LuckysMum ........ more wonderful photos and a beautiful assortment of pretty hens. Are some of them yours, or mostly your nephews'. ?

You sure will have fun integrating them I would think ... I could not tell any of the breeds, but then I am not at all proficient in that dept.
Is there a barnevelder there by any chance ?

Great photographs.

Cheers .....

 

[Anniebee]

On the commercial layers, they usually don't treat the problem, but shutdown the line and sell or destroy the birds and restock.

However since doxycycline is used as a prophylactic antibiotic in many species, I wouldn't be surprised if many commercial layers are given it consistently to prevent possible problems, and the eggs would just be sold as normal.

sjturner79 .... That wouldn't surprise me either. I could not imagine a business running thousands of chickens, to destroy and restock, every time there was something suspicious. I would imagine they'd find some way around it.

There have been a few cases where entire breeding / egg laying farms have been shut down over the past few years, reported on TV - but that was for some really serious spreadable disease the birds had acquired.

I am surprised at the info. about doxycycline .... it is the usual anti-biotic that I take myself, when I need one. Does a good job too. Must go look up what is the difference
between prophylactic and non-prophylactic a/bs .... you have me intrigued now.

Cheers ......

 

[SilkieChickStar]

 sjturner79  ....        That wouldn't surprise me either.   I could not imagine a business running thousands of chickens,  to destroy and restock, every time there was something suspicious.    There have been a few cases where entire breeding / egg laying farms have been shut down over the past few years, reported on TV - but that was for some really serious spreadable disease the birds had acquired. 

I am surprised at the info. about doxycycline .... it is the usual anti-biotic that I take myself, when I need one.   Does a good job too.  Must go look up what is the difference
between prophylactic and non-prophylactic a/bs .... you have me intrigued now. 

Cheers ...... 

Just means preventative

 

[Luv1another]

One of my Buff Sussex lays double yolker S every few weeks today's egg I think is the biggest she has laid yet lol

 

[sjturner79]

 sjturner79  ....        That wouldn't surprise me either.   I could not imagine a business running thousands of chickens,  to destroy and restock, every time there was something suspicious.    There have been a few cases where entire breeding / egg laying farms have been shut down over the past few years, reported on TV - but that was for some really serious spreadable disease the birds had acquired. 

I am surprised at the info. about doxycycline .... it is the usual anti-biotic that I take myself, when I need one.   Does a good job too.  Must go look up what is the difference
between prophylactic and non-prophylactic a/bs .... you have me intrigued now. 

Cheers ...... 

Basically it was given in case we got something rather than to cure something we had. It was whilst on a military deployment in area filled with mozzies and heaps of disease

 

[Fancychooklady]

I am concerned about one of the eggs that one ailkie us sitting on. Even though she is isolated from the others one eggs shell has a what looks like a dents and is cracked... i dont think it has broken into where the baby is but still worried about infections getting into the little thing inside. I am expecting probably a blood ring will appear now that the egg shell is broken...whats the chances this little embryo survival rate with a cracked shell?

The chance of bacteria entering the egg are fairly high. I have heard of people painting the egg with a clear nail polish.

 

[manualname]

my family, dont know if i got them all in the phota, one jumped on me when i tried to take the photo.

 

[Fancychooklady]

One of my Buff Sussex lays double yolker S every few weeks today's egg I think is the biggest she has laid yet lol

Both of those eggs look to have been ' body checked ' . The same amount of shell is released by the shell gland to cover each egg, so the danger is that if the shell is thin it may break up inside the hen and cause complications. Be sure to have a calcium supplement on free take in the coop.

 

[Anniebee]

All that being said Annie it's worth remembering that the vets advice is ' all care,but no responsibility taken '. Avian vets as with equine vets train for years in their ' specialised ' Field and while I know that they are few and far between they are up to date and at the top of their game. On the odd occasion that I have not been able to get the equine vet and the local vet has been called in it has been immediately obvious that she is out of her depth, but when your animals are sick any help is welcome.The studies that I have read suggest that while ivermectin is useful in combating blood sucking mites the amount required to control intestinal parasites would be lethal to the birds. It's also infective in the control of lice as they live on the dander of the bird not blood. So it's not the ' one fix ' product that we would all love to have.
So here we have the equine vet for the horses, the avian vet for the chickens and the regular vet for the cat and dog and there is a folder for each and believe me the equine one is the thickest by far.

Fancy ..... thank you again for your input.

It's often difficult to 'detach' from a favoured vet, and while I was aware he is not a specialist in this field, he is excellent, if a little gung-ho at times. If anything further erupts with Mandy, I will take her to the avian specialist who is about 30 minutes away from here. He charges a fortune I believe, but I will get around that somehow. Just hope nothing else occurs. And you are so right - when loved animals are sick, any help is welcome.

I said in my 3rd last paragraph the following : " But I will be cautious about that. " ( re : his advice about ivermectin ).

I agree with always seeking the best advice, which is specialist at any time - especially for my pets. That however, had a dreadful outcome for our first Golden Retriever, Murphy Brown - who was referred to a 'whizz bang' surgeon for surgery on her spine. The surgeon ( ugh !!

) ... did advise that the surgery had 'never been attempted before' ... and we ( foolishly in hindsight ) said ok - go ahead, because he came so very highly recommended. Yeah - right !! ... so I carry an understandable 'wariness' when it comes to specialist anything ( including for humans - but that's another story, one that damb-ed near cost me my life ).

$4000 + later, we found him hailing his own work on her ( even though she died prematurely a short while later ) on his own damb-ed website. To say I was furious would be an understatement, not to mention broken hearted. But - we live and learn, don't we. The money was nothing at the time, if she had been relieved of the situation, and had lived longer. But money now is a bit of a problem, which is why I sought first the advice of our own vet - considering Mandy was eating and drinking well and doing her normal thing - except for the slow walk and sit. ... And then a susbsequent conversation about worming mixtures !!

There seems to be so much diverse opinion about worming fluids / tablets / drops / whatever. I use levamisole - pink fluid in a specific dose in water - and they loathe the stuff. Will not touch it ... no matter how thirsty they might be. Eventually they obviously do have some, and it is thrown out after 2.5 days. Not ideal, but there's nothing much else I can do. I can only 'guess' that they have been wormed !!!

Am thinking to put something naturally sweet in with the next lot ( some form of pure fruit juice I can make myself - sweet apple ? )...... I have NO idea if that would be good or not - can anyone advise on that - or on a home made fruit juice that would be best ).

Would also appreciate your advice - and anyones' advice at all, as to some form of tablet - - - or liquid that can be put onto a small amount of food. I know this subject has been discussed many times here, but cannot trawl back through so many posts to find them.

I will contact the avian vet. to see if they sell tablet form worming .... and if they do, that will be good enough for me, and will get it. .... Will let you all know about that, if they have.

Again thank you ...

Cheers .....

p.s. I can only imagine the folder you have for all equine specialist attention ~ !! I adore horses, been around them most of my life, but know just how expensive treatment for them can be, and the trouble they can sometimes get themselves into. !!

 

[Anniebee]

Thank you silkiechickstar and sjturner79 ... for the advice about * prophylactic * anti-biotics.

Saves me googling again !! ... I knew what the word meant, but could not think for an instant that it would apply to anti-biotics, which are ( I thought ) specific in their action in the body, to stop and kill infection, once it has started.

I have a whole heap to learn methinks. !!

Cheers ....