Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[Yellow House Farm]

I am happy to say that Jwhip is one of the breeders who has no issues with selling/shipping eggs! I am on his list for eggs this spring and can hardly wait! I can't wait to start my journey- and look forward to sharing pictures and asking for advice from you all as I learn more and more about breeding to the SOP.

I'm very happy, too, that Jwip has begun to work with White Dorkings!

 

[cluck-cluck]

My daughter had a bantam brahma do something like this. I had the same thoughts as you about what the heck was going on. At the next molt, the bird developed normal feathers... but that particular pullet never had great feather quality and IIRC died inexplicably and fairly young.

I guess that's good and bad news! Good that after a molt, it feathered in ok, but bad, oh dear, Seramas are known to die unexpectedly, that would be sad

I'm glad that you posted this! I am three years into keeping chickens- and am looking to change my flock over to Heritage Large Fowl (now that I have a good set up and handle on caring for hatchery chickens, selling eggs, processing etc.). I have been reaching out to breeders and most have been reluctant to ship eggs (this is even before they hear that I live in Alaska!). 25 chick minimums just isn't realistic for me at this point.

Anyway, thanks for the positive post- and tips about shipping eggs- hopefully more breeders will feel comfortable about shipping eggs as a result.

And thank you so much for all of the great info on this Thread! I can't wait to get some "real" chickens... When you spend as much time in research as possible/$/highly insulated construction/and time spent doing chores in weather that would make most hide in bed- it really is worth it to have the best chickens to work with. After looking at the photos on this thread my poor little darlins' now pale in comparison- bless their hearts!

Oh, I just love Alaska, what a wonderful state! Gotta be tough in those winters though! I don't envy you that, but boy, the other half of the year is awesome!

i have a lavender 6 week old pullet (marans mix for laying only) that is the same way...she's getting plenty of protein too...i figured it may be a weakness in that colouration...now i see yours and scratching my head. she's vigorous and great in every other way...just brittle feathered.

Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll grow out of it??

I am happy to say that Jwhip is one of the breeders who has no issues with selling/shipping eggs! I am on his list for eggs this spring and can hardly wait! I can't wait to start my journey- and look forward to sharing pictures and asking for advice from you all as I learn more and more about breeding to the SOP.

So awesome! So you're getting Chantelcer's? Awesome fluffy butts! How wonderful! Congratulations, I hope you have a great hatch!

It is puzzling. I too have a 4 year old little bantam hen and this fall she took forty forevers to go through her molt and while doing so she just looked pathetic and ill and turned into a frizzle after 3 previous molts which she feathered in normal, was born normal feathered. I now have a frizzle bantam something I don't really desire or ever cared to spend time nor money on. I think it was a deficiency or illness that may have caused this change. Surely after molting back for the first 3 years normal feathered, I'd say that genetics could be ruled out of the equation but we are talking chickens here too. I'm sure stranger things have happened, I know stranger things have happened, LOL


Jeff

Yah, who knows? I won't be breeding him, so it's ok. He's sweet and I enjoy the little buggers. Just hope he doesn't up and die on me

 

[winniem13]

Just a quick note that I thought was funny but no one else will unless they speak "chickenese"--my 5 year old daughter was aggarvating her 8 year old sister this morning and the 8 year old insulted her by calling her a sebright! 5 Year old got very mad over this insult (sebrights are little bullies in their world)! Chicken kids!

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have a friend who is new to H chickens with a respiratory issue. Some of his white rocks he got from me last year started having a rattle in their air ways. None of the other chickens had them. He gave them some Vet Rx in water and on their heads. He called me today about worming them best method. Dont know if this is a issue or not. He also has Barred Rocks from Arizona and they came down with it but the white rocks are improving. He even gave them Antibiotic shots Mylan 50 to be on the safe side. The cause is on and off weather cold one day hot the next.

Do any of you have a idea what the respiratory issue is?

I am not muck on doping my chickens as Mr. Reese use to say. If they cant make it on their own I dint want them. But he has a limited number of birds and I think its just these birds from another region getting use to his environment in Upper Tenn.

Look forward to your reply as I am sure this is a common problem with beginners and they would love to hear your views.

 

[Wynette]

I have a friend who is new to H chickens with a respiratory issue. Some of his white rocks he got from me last year started having a rattle in their air ways. None of the other chickens had them. He gave them some Vet Rx in water and on their heads. He called me today about worming them best method. Dont know if this is a issue or not. He also has Barred Rocks from Arizona and they came down with it but the white rocks are improving. He even gave them Antibiotic shots Mylan 50 to be on the safe side. The cause is on and off weather cold one day hot the next.

Do any of you have a idea what the respiratory issue is?

I am not muck on doping my chickens as Mr. Reese use to say. If they cant make it on their own I dint want them. But he has a limited number of birds and I think its just these birds from another region getting use to his environment in Upper Tenn.

Look forward to your reply as I am sure this is a common problem with beginners and they would love to hear your views.

Bob, it's probably TYLAN that he is using. It's difficult to say what it may be, but more than likely, it's something that, since he has treated them, his birds are now carriers for. I do not personally recommend treating for respiratory issues, but that is just me.

There is a thread a young man from Michigan made wherein he talks about a confirmed respoiratory disease on his farm. He ended up doing some research, and found a method to irradicate it from his farm - it involved dipping hatching eggs into a water mixture with water soluble Tylan in it, and then, after setting them and having the chicks tested for the disease...dispatching ALL of the parent stock. He had a trio of Tomaru Longcrower from me that got the disease from the birds he'd brought in that were infected. I believe he has successfully been able to irradicate it from his farm, but it was a LOT of work. The first thing that needs to be done is have a sick bird tested at the state lab to know FOR SURE what he is dealing with.

 

[gjensen]

I am one of those that would say to kill them and start over, if necessary. Who wants to deal with that from year to year?

Maybe I am wrong and I will change my mind one day.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I have a friend who is new to H chickens with a respiratory issue. Some of his white rocks he got from me last year started having a rattle in their air ways. None of the other chickens had them. He gave them some Vet Rx in water and on their heads. He called me today about worming them best method. Dont know if this is a issue or not. He also has Barred Rocks from Arizona and they came down with it but the white rocks are improving. He even gave them Antibiotic shots Mylan 50 to be on the safe side. The cause is on and off weather cold one day hot the next.

Do any of you have a idea what the respiratory issue is?

I am not muck on doping my chickens as Mr. Reese use to say. If they cant make it on their own I dint want them. But he has a limited number of birds and I think its just these birds from another region getting use to his environment in Upper Tenn.

Look forward to your reply as I am sure this is a common problem with beginners and they would love to hear your views.

Although variable weather is hard on them is doesn't cause illness, per se. My birds are dealing with up and down temps this year and a lack of turnout as are many, I'm sure. They don't end up raspy. (In fact, I believe the heat of summer is MUCH harder on the birds than the variable conditions of winter. Closed coop conditions in winter are far more likely to blame than temperature.) Respiratory "bugs" are always ALL around us and stressed birds are probably far more likely to succumb. I am one that will treat if there is a reasonable expectation that I will end up with a healthy/viable/productive bird at the other end but I also want a naturally strong flock. So I do my best to keep the birds in fresh air and relatively dry, well fed and with clean, unfrozen water. And even in my short time with chickens, I have learned to cull sooner rather than later if it looks like someone is really going "south".

 

[thedragonlady]

Although variable weather is hard on them is doesn't cause illness, per se. My birds are dealing with up and down temps this year and a lack of turnout as are many, I'm sure. They don't end up raspy. (In fact, I believe the heat of summer is MUCH harder on the birds than the variable conditions of winter. Closed coop conditions in winter are far more likely to blame than temperature.) Respiratory "bugs" are always ALL around us and stressed birds are probably far more likely to succumb. I am one that will treat if there is a reasonable expectation that I will end up with a healthy/viable/productive bird at the other end but I also want a naturally strong flock. So I do my best to keep the birds in fresh air and relatively dry, well fed and with clean, unfrozen water. And even in my short time with chickens, I have learned to cull sooner rather than later if it looks like someone is really going "south".

Ammonia build up and /or moldy bedding can cause just these symptoms . I'd change ouit the bedding, and make sure the coop is ventilated before culling. It's no good to buy moldy hay to bed birds on for sure, as any mold will grow in wet moist conditions such as in a badly ventilated coop. I had the Dicken's of a time finding clean wheat straw for my Orps this past fall. When I did find it; I stocked up.

 

[Wynette]

There's simply NO WAY to know for sure what is going on unless one of the sick birds is tested. It's honeslty useless to try & guess at it.

 

[NanaKat]

Bob, late last year my flock developed respiratory issues from wild birds frequenting my feeders both inside and outside my coops. Birds developed a raspy breathing and a few were sneezing. Some had watery eyes.

I began treating with Tylan 50 shots and quarantining birds. If I saw no improvement, I culled the bird. In addition, I would find dead birds in the runs...young as well as older...that had shown no symptoms.

I sent a sparrow and one of my birds with symptoms and one without symptoms to a local college with a veterinarian school for necropsy and blood labs. The results were a relief...a simple virus that could be treated without having to cull my entire flock.

An experienced breeder told me to get medicated hog feed pellets that had oxytetracycline...the pellets were the same size as my layer pellets. This was their only feed for two weeks and then was mixed 1/2 the third week. My birds are now fine.

Having lost a total of 1/3 my entire flock, I now keep a bag of water soluable Tetracycline in the barn refrigerator with the cattle medicines. And I have made adjustments to the pens to help keep out wild birds.