California - Northern

[chrissyr]

A judge/breeder on another forum posted that the outbreaks of LT in backyard flocks are coming from rescued battery hens. He said hens in production layer houses are vaccinated with egg culture vaccine, which makes the birds carriers. This isn't an issue in bio-secure layer houses that practice all in all out. It is a problem for people who rescue these hens and integrate them into their flock.

It's a good idea to make sure that any poultry that you add to your flock has not had any vaccines that will infect your flock. He recommended the tissue culture vaccine for LT if necessary.

That makes a lot of sense.

LT was never a problem until recently. This may explain why Kim. I am very loose about bio security with the excepiton of how I am towards commercial birds. They are always the source of disease outbreaks.....and they always have been. Just stay away from any commercial bird or operation. There are a number of reason why they are dangerous.

Walt

and it's sad all of these people are rescuing not knowing what they're bringing in.

So sorry that you lost your hens, Karen!  

Has anyone on here tried one of these homemade airconditioners?

http://www.thegoodsurvivalist.com/h...-this-is-totally-awesome-and-so-easy-to-make/

Is it bad that I took an extra fan of my husbands for my chickens? He doesn't know it yet, but it's his shop fan.
It's gonna be hot here too. Well I'll have to buy him another before he gets home

 

[chrissyr]

This especially applies to chicken people! I am the 5th one.

I need this shirt!

 

[PetRock]

Went and picked up some free pallets with my daughter today. Now I'm on Pinterest looking at pallet projects! This cute coop is listed on CL right now and they say that it is made with pallets. It looks to me like it could use some more ventilation but I like it! I don't like it enough to spend $400 on it but enough to build my own with a few modifications! http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/grd/4504796132.html

 

[fortyfivefarm]

Went and picked up some free pallets with my daughter today.  Now I'm on Pinterest looking at pallet projects!  This cute coop is listed on CL right now and they say that it is made with pallets.  It looks to me like it could use some more ventilation but I like it!  I don't like it enough to spend $400 on it but enough to build my own with a few modifications!  http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/grd/4504796132.html

That is really cute! But I agree it definitely needs the airflow issue dealt with.

 

[caychris]

Ive been reading about genetic diversity when breeding.

Can someone boil it down to basics for me.

My inclination is to get the same breed from several different places and then rotate the roos through the groups of hens.
Thus creating a mixed pool of cross genetics that could be bred back to each other.

 

[KristyAnn]

Went and picked up some free pallets with my daughter today. Now I'm on Pinterest looking at pallet projects! This cute coop is listed on CL right now and they say that it is made with pallets. It looks to me like it could use some more ventilation but I like it! I don't like it enough to spend $400 on it but enough to build my own with a few modifications! http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/grd/4504796132.html

Here's what my husband made from pallets for the main coop and for the run we used an old box spring frame from an old bed then we pulled chicken wire all around it. Untop we covered it with mesh fencing material and untop is extra needed cages. In the front on the bottom we cover it with old package styraphome to prevent a draft coming in for we have separated the top coop from the bottom and easily can be reversed once we uncover the entrance on the floor of the upper coop and the stairs are placed up. To separate chickens from the others in this coop we have placed a board long enough to have way for entrance to the run by sliding a board between the coop and the run to the bottom right on the inside.

 

[sewandgrow]

So sorry that you lost your hens, Karen!

Has anyone on here tried one of these homemade airconditioners?

http://www.thegoodsurvivalist.com/h...-this-is-totally-awesome-and-so-easy-to-make/

Cari saw it somewhere & is all excited about making one.

That makes a lot of sense.
and it's sad all of these people are rescuing not knowing what they're bringing in.
Is it bad that I took an extra fan of my husbands for my chickens? He doesn't know it yet, but it's his shop fan.
It's gonna be hot here too. Well I'll have to buy him another before he gets home

Yes you will Chrissy. We don't want our husbands to resent our chickies.................LOL

Went and picked up some free pallets with my daughter today. Now I'm on Pinterest looking at pallet projects! This cute coop is listed on CL right now and they say that it is made with pallets. It looks to me like it could use some more ventilation but I like it! I don't like it enough to spend $400 on it but enough to build my own with a few modifications! http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/grd/4504796132.html

Amazing what you can do with repurposing things.....exciting too.

Here's what my husband made from pallets for the main coop and for the run we used an old box spring frame from an old bed then we pulled chicken wire all around it. Untop we covered it with mesh fencing material and untop is extra needed cages. In the front on the bottom we cover it with old package styraphome to prevent a draft coming in for we have separated the top coop from the bottom and easily can be reversed once we uncover the entrance on the floor of the upper coop and the stairs are placed up. To separate chickens from the others in this coop we have placed a board long enough to have way for entrance to the run by sliding a board between the coop and the run to the bottom right on the inside.

More good ideas. I end up with a hodge podge of different things certainly not a neat orderly system but have so much fun doing them.

 

[KristyAnn]

Anyone want this lil Seabright guy?

 

[caychris]

Amazing what you can do with repurposing things.....exciting too.
More good ideas. I end up with a hodge podge of different things certainly not a neat orderly system but have so much fun doing them.

Who ever said life was neat and orderly?

 

[capayvalleychick]

Ive been reading about genetic diversity when breeding.

Can someone boil it down to basics for me.

My inclination is to get the same breed from several different places and then rotate the roos through the groups of hens.
Thus creating a mixed pool of cross genetics that could be bred back to each other.

If you get the same breed from several different places-different strains-and breed them, you will not get consistent results.

If you look at how all the long time breeders do it, they maintain a line, trying not to add in diverse genetics. The chicken breeders who know what they are doing, and get the best results, line breed.

If they need something new for some reason, they look for a breeder with the same line and get birds from that breeder. This maintains genetic diversity and type without scrambling up the gene pool.

Here are some links on line breeding methods: http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id65.html
http://ultimatefowl.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/line-breeding/
http://pathfindersfarm.com/Spiral.html