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Just how bad is whatever these wild birds might be carrying?
My birds free range, and are exposed to wild birds and ground that wild turkey has grazed. We have a healthy winter population of birds that were attracted by the Madrone berries in early in the season.
Building disease resistance is one reason I'm interested in breeding my own stock. I'm under the assumption that breeding the hardiest of my birds, that thrive on this particular piece of the earth, will build a flock of chickens with acceptable tolerances of native pathogens. Am I right?
I like to think my birds are bulletproof. But my feed bill isn't. I put out about 50 lbs a day spread over 20 pens. Many are open pens, and these birds can walk thru the fencing I use. I use livestock fencing mostly. During this cold spell that started here in Indy about 6 weeks ago I had only lost one bird due to the cold. And that is outta 150 or so birds.
I guess these birds bother me more then my birds. but I notice the numbers of these birds is in the hundreds. And some of my birds are just staying away from them and their feed. I guess I can go back to feeding them for a couple of hours in the morning then yank the feeders away for the later hours. I am getting hit in the later afternoon hours. It is wearing me out mostly cause of the weather. I know their a migratory birds but still, they need to move on. hopefully here the weather will FINALLY melt off some of the 4 inches of ice that has accumilated over the past 6 weeks and give these vultures somewhere else to go and haunt.
To answer your question more accurately, I know these birds are known to carry mites. I learned from my mom to use Boric Acid. Made from Borax for mites. It is so harmless mom use to use it on her White Persian Show cats. She used it in their ears and the eye ducts to keep them cleaned out and looking White and not pink or red running down their face. A very good way to rid mites is what she said. I like it better then Seven.
Just how bad is whatever these wild birds might be carrying?
My birds free range, and are exposed to wild birds and ground that wild turkey has grazed. We have a healthy winter population of birds that were attracted by the Madrone berries in early in the season.
Building disease resistance is one reason I'm interested in breeding my own stock. I'm under the assumption that breeding the hardiest of my birds, that thrive on this particular piece of the earth, will build a flock of chickens with acceptable tolerances of native pathogens. Am I right?
I like to think my birds are bulletproof. But my feed bill isn't. I put out about 50 lbs a day spread over 20 pens. Many are open pens, and these birds can walk thru the fencing I use. I use livestock fencing mostly. During this cold spell that started here in Indy about 6 weeks ago I had only lost one bird due to the cold. And that is outta 150 or so birds.
I guess these birds bother me more then my birds. but I notice the numbers of these birds is in the hundreds. And some of my birds are just staying away from them and their feed. I guess I can go back to feeding them for a couple of hours in the morning then yank the feeders away for the later hours. I am getting hit in the later afternoon hours. It is wearing me out mostly cause of the weather. I know their a migratory birds but still, they need to move on. hopefully here the weather will FINALLY melt off some of the 4 inches of ice that has accumilated over the past 6 weeks and give these vultures somewhere else to go and haunt.
To answer your question more accurately, I know these birds are known to carry mites. I learned from my mom to use Boric Acid. Made from Borax for mites. It is so harmless mom use to use it on her White Persian Show cats. She used it in their ears and the eye ducts to keep them cleaned out and looking White and not pink or red running down their face. A very good way to rid mites is what she said. I like it better then Seven.
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