Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[galanie]

Just like Texans to think they invented a hillbilly accent....         You REALLY don't want to start comparing accents up in here, do ya?  I think I may have you beat if I sample from the southern part of the state.    It's quite distinctive....  whenever you think of someone in a wife beater and a greasy ball cap, standing in front of a news crew describing the UFO, just listen real close and you will hear Boone County assaulting your ears until you laugh... or run screaming into another room. 

 

Just like Tennesee'uns to think they own ever werd! My folks were from east Tennessee. Well, Knoxville and Sharp's Chapel.

 

[delisha]

When you have mycoplasma, it should be an all out. Keep what you have until they are all gone or cull the entire flock (It is what I would do). Do not introduce additional birds until the buildings have been sanitized. GM is pretty easy to get rid of. Simply removing the birds and exposing every thing to sunlight will kill it. As long as you have the birds you have, you will have MG.

Would you eat a bird with MG?

I do not dry hatch, however I am not a freak about humidity control. If its dry outside, I add water. If its damp..I don't. I add water before I set eggs and add water at lock down.

It is non of my business, but are you seriously considering hatching more chicks at this time?

 

[Pozees]

Hope to see you in Shawnee next weekend.

Questions:
1) MG - I know it runs its course in 2 - 3 weeks and that surviving birds will be carriers. Do you automatically cull birds with the first symptoms or what treatments do you utilize?
I'm losing birds now to what I think is MG (watery eyes, mucus that crusts the nostrils, sneezing and some wheezing) Birds affected are in quarantine and using Vet RX in the water and Tylan 50 injections. They have ACV water and pumpkin in their pens. I've culled those with matted eyes. Totl loss so far is 15 out of 100 bird flock in past three days. Also set up a sparrow trap in the run as the sparrows are feasting on the hanging feeders. Birds normally freerange 8 - 10 hours a day.

2) When not using a broody, do you prefer dry hatch incubation or do you stick with the recommended humidity in the incubator?
I've tried both methods with varying levels of success/failure. Would like to know your thoughts.

Please read this thread :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/587948/rebuilding-my-farm

The whole flock will ultimately have to be culled according to everything I've read, but you can first save eggs and hatch them. There is a treatment to be done to the eggs prior to incubating, and testing when chicks are three weeks of age, to ensure you have accomplished eradication.

I had read many "all is lost" threads until I read this one. MG is something you can't keep around, even the survivors, but you can salvage your breeding program.

 

[Maven]

Quote:

Hi Sheila!

BMO = Burnt Motor Oil - when you change the oil in your car, the old oil is at your disposal for use. We've always kept it and the Mr. uses it starting fires and for a million other things.

Once I read this thread, I made him keep a quart jar for me out of when he changed the oil in the truck and that is what I paint the roosts with. It was either Fred or Al I think who advocated the use of it to inhibit mites on the roost. Works like a charm. I know this because a month ago I bought 2 roosters. When I got them, I KNEW they had scale mites - not heavy, but you could tell - so when I got them home I painted their legs, then turned them upside down and dusted them thoroughly with DE - couple of days later they were right as rain!

None of my flock has ever had creepy crawlies, and I tribute that all to the 'best practices' (BP) I have learned in this thread from the OTs

 

[TexasLisa]

Hi Sheila!

BMO = Burnt Motor Oil - when you change the oil in your car, the old oil is at your disposal for use. We've always kept it and the Mr. uses it starting fires and for a million other things.

Once I read this thread, I made him keep a quart jar for me out of when he changed the oil in the truck and that is what I paint the roosts with. It was either Fred or Al I think who advocated the use of it to inhibit mites on the roost. Works like a charm. I know this because a month ago I bought 2 roosters. When I got them, I KNEW they had scale mites - not heavy, but you could tell - so when I got them home I painted their legs, then turned them upside down and dusted them thoroughly with DE - couple of days later they were right as rain!

None of my flock has ever had creepy crawlies, and I tribute that all to the 'best practices' (BP) I have learned in this thread from the OTs.

Wow, the things I learn on this site! I was trying to figure out what BMO was and figure it had something to do with body odor!!

Thank you to all OTs for putting up with us Newbies!

Lisa

 

[Mskayladog]

My question is the last sentence inside thequote. Cant type on this device grrr

...

Hi Sheila!

BMO = Burnt Motor Oil - when you change the oil in your car, the old oil is at your disposal for use. We've always kept it and the Mr. uses it starting fires and for a million other things.

Once I read this thread, I made him keep a quart jar for me out of when he changed the oil in the truck and that is what I paint the roosts with. It was either Fred or Al I think who advocated the use of it to inhibit mites on the roost. Works like a charm. I know this because a month ago I bought 2 roosters. When I got them, I KNEW they had scale mites - not heavy, but you could tell - so when I got them home I painted their legs, then turned them upside down and dusted them thoroughly with DE - couple of days later they were right as rain!

None of my flock has ever had creepy crawlies, and I tribute that all to the 'best practices' (BP) I have learned in this thread from the OTs
[/quote

I must have missed the post about the BMo and cleaning once a month. I thought twice a year.was enough when u clean
the deep litter. Uggg typingnon my kindle. No fun

 

[al6517]

I also don't waste used motor oil, can't say if Ive ever told anyone about using it or posted it, but I never throw that stuff away. I will put in on and over anything I think will work.

DE has been pounded to death on the BYC which is infamous in itself for many misinformation trends, mainly because of the shear volume of post that get circulated and blown up either for or against, and common sense always seems absent. Yes I do use it, it does things for me for which I use it for, no more no less. It's not a miracle cure by any stretch but it will help and aid in prevention. One thing is for sure it cut's down the smell 100% and rids anything of flies, if used sparingly a 50lb bag of food grade DE can last a long long time, at any given time I may have between 150-250 birds on the ground in many different pens, and this will last me 2 yrs barr none, pretty good I think for the mere price you have to pay for it and the results it produces.

The main thing being for those for whom the jury is out on DE the problem is really very simple, get off a few bucks go buy some, use it properly and watch and evaluate for yourselfs, if it's worth it to you and you flock. Don't hang out posting forever or listening to people who couldn't tie their shoes and then still never buy a bag. Just do it and be done with it, sheesh the cost is roughly that of a bag of quality feed so what's the harm in doing a little testing for yourselfs. Beats reading linked articles from somebody else that's also lost and that will bore you to sleep and still not give you any answers. Pretty simple buy a bag and be done with it !!!!.

 

[Beekissed]

OK...I got curious and looked up this MG stuff. Ick. Here's a link with info for others not knowing about this poultry disease. From everything I'm reading, culling the whole flock is a good idea and NOT trying to hatch from the diseased flock is another great idea.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps034

I know you guys are going to roll your eyes and hit your forehead...but in further research on the gram negative coccoid bacterias when occurring in humans, the lack of healthy levels of lactobacillus was mentioned as something that was causative in the over growth of these types of bacteria. Particularly after the use of broad spectrum antibiotic usage, which kills the healthy flora in the mucosal lining.

Just a thought....

 

[al6517]

MG more often than not will also get confussed and lost in translation with CRD, freaking out all but the most tenacious chicken folks. yes MG is terrible thing and liqudation in the burn pile of your entire flock is reccommended, even for the little cute banty hen's. CRD however can be treated successfully and may or may not pop up in acute cases every now and then when the humidity get's out of hand for a variety of reasons. Ok so let the barrage of links & articls begin for those who love that stuff.

 

[Beekissed]

For folks wanting to save money and have no smell in their coop, plus benefit from incredible good health in their flocks, increase laying and increased size of yolks the cost is practically nil...you can buy a bottle of mother vinegar at Krogers for around $2.50 and that's all. That's it...no further costs.

You then use the mother vinegar to charge up some fermentation on the feed ration you are currently feeding and in short order you have a coop that has no smell. Seriously. None. Used this on 50 CX this spring/summer and into 98* temps and 60% humidity levels and still no smell. Confined the meaties to the coop for the final 2 wks...50 meaties in an 8x10 ft. coop for two weeks. No smell whatsoever and in deep litter. Didn't even have to even use much pine shavings throughout the whole 11 wks. I think I used 3 bales total.

Add to this the fact that I used about 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of feed that I would have normally used to finish out CX of this number and that adds up to considerable savings. Didn't lose one bird to health or heat reasons..that adds more savings to the mix. Less water usage, less feed consumption, no mess, no smell, good health. There is no down side...for the price of a cup or two of vinegar.

I'm still using the fermented feed and my coop still has no smell and very little moisture from feces...I'm actually dumping the dirty drinking water into my deep litter to increase the moisture there. I can put my nose right down over poop on the roost and still not smell anything that resembles chicken poop...and, yes, I have done this. I have a great sniffer and if I can't smell it, it ain't there. The poop smells like...nothing. Maybe a little like soil smells, if that.

I'm not the only one enjoying the benefit of this very cheap method of feeding that saves money, increases health, eliminates smell in deep litter and makes chickens look like they are on high pro feeds...skip on over to the fermented feed thread and read all about it.