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

[MyHaven]

Hi Everyone thanks for the welcome...
myHaven I have.....
1black araucana
1 pekin bantam
1 pekin x belgium bantam
1plymouth rock
1 polish frizzle
2 white silkies
2 buff sussex
2 light sussex one is a rooster
1- 3 week old light sussex x white silkie
1-4 day old araucana x light sussex

Nice mix. And lucky you who can keep a rooster. We like pics here. Feel free to post some.

I hope you enjoy the thread.
Cheers

 

[Anniebee]

My Vet Told me that eggs from commercial chickens can never be consumed. I'm not sure if that is just a Qld regulation or not. For personal consumption the 4 weeks was ok. I was throwing out more than a dozen a day.

I haven't tried it but I have heard you can spray a little food colouring on your girls vents. (I can imagine the shiver) then you will know who lays what egg.

I would say mangos have always been my favourite fruit. I can't eat them any more as last time I go a bowel obstruction and nearly needed emergency surgery.

MyHaven ... that egg info is so very interesting, considering ......

My own 'best' vet Mark, phoned this evening in response to my call to him yesterday - he also was interested to see how Mandy is doing ( which is still better - slowly ).

He believes the amount residual in eggs, two weeks after the end of a course, would be miniscule - he would eat them then. The maximum amt would be during the course of the anti-biotics, and should not be touched.. Being allergic to penicillin I will not touch them for 4 weeks after the end of the course, but Neil can if he wants - after 2 weeks.

That being said, he brought up the subject of commercial chickens, and that there are anti-biotics held 'by the gallon' and given ad hoc, to chickens with any form of whatever they might have. A commercial egg producer, could not possibly segregate thousands of chickens to find out who has got what, so the whole danged lot would probably get
dosed. Which would mean ( again presuming ) that the producer would not want to discard many thousands if not millions of eggs, during a with-holding period - which brings us back to your Vets' comment about 'eggs from commercial chickens can never be consumed'. .... But - - perhaps they are ?

Australia has a high reputation at this time, in keeping to low-grade antibiotics when needed, and not the very hefty fluoroquinolones used in other countries. Those are used by vets, on prescription only, for dogs and cats only, here.

Which brings us to Fancys' comments on several occasions - about the incidence of anti-biotics in animals / birds and how damaging that can be for our own health - ( in breeding super bugs ). This is more than understandable, however, it leads to some very very conflicting advice ... evidence by scientific studies ( Australia ), one of which I read, and my head is reeling - did not end up with specific conclusions, as the use of anti-biotics by veterinarians, is still separate to the use by breeders and food producers - as I understood it.

Mark also prefers ivermectin, which is not listed for chickens but used on cattle and orally for sheep, but does a very worthwhile job ( he said ) in treating for worms, red mites, and a variety of other nasties that chickens can be besieged with ( and there are many ). A drop or two on their backs - onto the skin, will be absorbed quickly - and the treatment is over and done with. A lot better than tearing ones' hair out, while waiting for their chickens to drink pink levamisole water - and them flatly refusing to do so. But I will be cautious about that. He is not ( yet ) an avian specialist, but has had to study and take a greater interest recently in chickens especially, as more people, in these outer areas particularly, are involved in producing at least their own eggs. Many more backyard chickens in this neck of the woods.

....... the food colouring on vents is an excellent idea ... will try that on Molly only --- perhaps paint it on with a cotton bud - she would barely know it was happening.

....... not good news that you can no longer eat mangoes. How strange that a fruit like that could cause bowel obstruction. One would think they might have the opposite effect.

Cheers .......

 

[Anniebee]

Sure.



This is one eyed Lizzy. It's just a pic I had on this device. Will post a better one later.

She is really adorable. Looks to be a fairly big chicken, too - or is that just the perspective. ?

 

[Luv1another]

Nice mix. And lucky you who can keep a rooster. We like pics here. Feel free to post some.

I hope you enjoy the thread.
Cheers

I am not supposed to have a rooster but have a rooster collar on him so he is quiet so neighbours haven't complained

Here are some pics

Not sure the pics are all going to come up if not I will post more when on my laptop tomorrow only on phone at the moment.

 

[MyHaven]

Quote:
Welcome! Haha I was a lurker too, When I had my first Hen go broody ages back I had heaps of questions about it and all the good ones lead to here. After 2 months or so of Lurking on BYC and getting questions answered by other peoples questions I was like heck..why haven't I joined yet?? Glad you've joined, There are plenty of Aussies round here (including myself) so don't worry

Love your avatar.

 

[MyHaven]

Now - I just know you are all going to hate me for this one !! But will just tell it exactly as it is / was / is.

Since the very first day I got Mandy, as a young 'un, not yet at POL - I have rarely been able to feel or find her crop ??? Except only immediately after eating, when I find something resembling a very small, soft and squishy, barely definable crop which hangs low. ( bearing in mind she is and always has been, a big chicken ). She does not however, appear to have a larger oversized chest, or anything like that. She is well proportioned, for her breed and size.

Opposite to that is Mindy Araucana - who at the end of each day develops a crop that feels like a larger than normal sized golf ball - and is empty / kapput - in the morning. Molly RIR's crop is definable, smallish and firm, and I would think, is doing its correct thing.

Having to give Mandy broken up large anti-biotics these past 5 days, ( 3 > 4 pieces at a time, depending on how it breaks ) I can assure anyone reading, she has no odd or foul smell from her mouth, so I do not believe she has sour crop. She only has access to short grass, but does pick around in wood shavings and straw occasionally.

I do however wonder about pendulous crop, although my Vet did not mention it. ... Mandy did NOT like being handled by our Vet, panicked, and emptied some watery discharge from her mouth ... about a good teaspoon of it. NEVER seen that before. But - maybe it was a one off, perhaps from stress. She is a gentle and good soul ( except if near Mindy, by mistake, which results in ).

Cannot find much about pendulous crop - but plenty about impacted and sour crop, though. [ I might not be googling correctly. ]

Anyone got any ideas on that ? It is not an urgent matter ~ just a thought at this time ........

( I wouldn't blame any of you for banning me from this thread !!

I hope not tho ).

Cheers ......

No, we'll keep you! We're kind of used to you

 

[MyHaven]

Hello! I am interested in buying PURE Phoenix chocks and/or eggs (prefer eggs), If you aren't selling I would still like to see some pics of your Phoenix's.
　
I do show poultry and am looking for something different. I like BIG and UNIQUE feathers. I asked the other members in my club and they have never heard of the Phoenix breed before. 　
Please sent photo of the parents and any other information about them to prove PURE BREEDING.

I have also just turned my incubator on and put 11 welsummer, 12 light Sussex, and 1 Plymouth rock/Leghorn, also quail eggs going in soon too .

Phoenix - wow. Never heard of anyone I know with them. Sorry.

Good luck with the hatch.

 

[MyHaven]

She is really adorable.   Looks to be a fairly big chicken, too - or is that just the perspective.  ? 

She's a good size for her breed. Not as big as an orp.

 

[Fancychooklady]

MyHaven ... that egg info is so very interesting, considering ...... 

My own 'best' vet Mark, phoned this evening in response to my call to him yesterday - he also was interested to see how Mandy is doing ( which is still better - slowly ). 

He believes the amount residual in eggs, two weeks after the end of a course, would be miniscule - he would eat them then.  The maximum amt would be during the course of the anti-biotics, and should not be touched..  Being allergic to penicillin I will not touch them for 4 weeks after the end of the course, but Neil can if he wants - after 2 weeks.   

That being said, he brought up the subject of commercial chickens, and that there are anti-biotics held 'by the gallon' and given ad hoc, to chickens with any form of whatever they might have.   A commercial egg producer, could not possibly segregate thousands of chickens to find out who has got what, so the whole danged lot would probably get
dosed.   Which would mean ( again presuming ) that the producer would not want to discard many thousands if not millions of eggs, during a with-holding period - which brings us back to your Vets' comment about  'eggs from commercial chickens can never be consumed'.   .... But - - perhaps they are ?       

Australia has a high reputation at this time, in keeping to low-grade antibiotics when needed, and not the very hefty f[COLOR=111111]luoroquinolones[/COLOR] used in other countries.   Those are used by vets, on prescription only, for dogs and cats only, here.   

Which brings us to Fancys' comments on several  occasions - about the incidence of anti-biotics in animals / birds and how damaging  that can be for our own health - ( in breeding super bugs ).  This is more than understandable, however, it leads to some very very conflicting advice ...  evidence by scientific studies ( Australia ),  one of which I read, and my head is reeling - did not end up with specific conclusions, as the use of anti-biotics by veterinarians, is still separate  to the use by breeders and food producers - as I understood it.   

Mark  also prefers ivermectin, which is not listed for chickens but used on cattle and orally for sheep, but does a very worthwhile job ( he said ) in treating for worms, red mites, and a variety of other nasties that chickens can be besieged with ( and there are many  ).   A drop or two on their backs - onto the skin, will be absorbed quickly - and the treatment is over and done with.   A lot better than tearing ones' hair out, while waiting for their chickens to drink pink levamisole water - and them flatly refusing to do so.  But I will be cautious about that.   He is not ( yet ) an avian specialist, but has had to study and take a greater interest recently in chickens especially, as more people, in these outer areas particularly, are involved in producing at least their own eggs.    Many more backyard chickens in this neck of the woods.  

....... the food colouring on vents is an excellent idea ... will try that on Molly only --- perhaps paint it on with a cotton bud - she would barely know it was happening.

....... not good news that you can no longer eat mangoes.   How strange that a fruit like that could cause bowel obstruction.  One would think they might have the opposite effect.:/

Cheers .......  

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. :/

 

[Henriettasmum]

acv - apple cider vinegar - of course that's what it means! I really should have known that. I will add a little today. I have a bulk container for the flock. Brain just not in gear. Thanks. I have a thermostat on my lights, so that I can gradually wind the temp down when needed. I reduce it very gradually as they grow. I make sure the water is at the opposite end of the brooder from the heat but the box was warm from the combustion stove nearby. I found another chick this morning, with just a tiny blob of poo so I've moved the brooder further away from the fireplace. I've never had this problem before. Mind you, I do have a lot of chicks at the moment (around 40) so I guess the chance of anything happening could be up, but I hate to see my little bubs suffering, in any way.

But I really appreciate the advice. Thank you.