Colorado

[Ashdoes]

It's been very nice outside today, we just cleaned out the garden for winter. Pulled up the dead plants, tilled everything and put down some composted shavings. Cleaned up the strawberry beds best I could, it's the first year with them so it's kind of a learn as we go. I have to wait for them to die back a bit more, and I'll be covering them with fresh shavings, instead of straw, which caused a terrible weed problem all season.
All the chickens are enjoying the plants we pulled up, and the leftover things that didn't mature all the way. We had a hail storm last week that killed off my watermelon vines, so I had quite a few undeveloped melons. Archer (the Dane) used a couple of the round melons like a tennis ball, pretty entertaining.
I'm not looking forward to winter, ever, but it's coming anyway.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I need to get the garden closed up for winter myself. I still have some tomatoes on the plants that survived the frost. Only some light frost damage on them while the squash is well squashed by it.

For the strawberries to keep the weeds down in the spring I put down 3 to 4 layers of newspaper around the plants and top with the straw or fresh pine shavings. It helps a lot to keep the weeds from sprouting. It has to be done each spring since the newspaper degrades over time.
Just what I do not sure it is something everyone is willing to do.

I am not a fan of winter either but it is necessary for the trees to have some down time too I suppose.

Been really sick so getting things done has been a challenge.

The little leghorn is still hanging in there and doing ok. She seemed a bit better today so perhaps she will pull out of it.

 

[Latestarter]

My smallest Black Australorp is now missing approximately 1/2 her tail... The small fat/meat reserves on either side of centerline, well one has been pecked away... Looks like the others have been pecking underneath by her vent as well. I'd tried removing her from the coop to give it a chance to heal, but as soon as I put her back, they went right back at it. Blukote made no difference at all. I coated the entire area before putting her back in. They saw right through it. She was hiding in a nest box this afternoon with blood all over the place. There was another hen in there with her, but I didn't see her pecking the area while I looked on.

So, she's back in isolation on the hearth in the living room... No idea how long it will take to completely heal so they'll leave it alone/forget about it. I may end up having to put her down.

Sorry you're sick 21hens... hope you're up & about soon.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I will get better I hope. I am so tired of being sick. I think it has been almost 5 months of this crud with little gaps in between flare ups. I am beginning to wonder if it is the new building my work moved into. There is a lot of granite dust coating the walls and ceiling as well as evidence on the ceiling of water damage (thinking it looks a lot like mold to me).

Have you tried giving them some molt helpers? I always change feed to feather fixer as soon as I notice a molt coming on. I also give some canned mackerel and BOSS as well as scrambled eggs on the weekends.
When I first had the girls the first molt the original ones went into a feather eating frenzy. I think the added items help. I also tend to hang an apple from a rope using a screw eye for a distraction this time of year.
Nothing worse then seeing them start that cannibalism crap up.

 

[rf12345]

I also found out that my entire flock has mycoplasma gallispeticum.
...
but I do eventually need to contact the NPIP rep for CO to talk about how this affects selling peafowl hatching eggs and peachick (and maybe the same for chickens, but I don't think too many people are looking for barnyard mixes).

I hope everyone else here is doing well and having an easier time getting ready for winter!

I'm so terribly sorry to hear that. How did you get it diagnosed? could you pm me the cost is you do not feel like talking about it.
I asked one vet about tests and vaccines like merecs and such... one suggested to do like a cat scan for respiratory chicken, it did sound somewhat strange so I thanked that one and moved to the next in yellow pages book .
I also was told by another avian person (do not know how to check references...) that MG vaccine will result in chickens positively testing for MG so I'm sort confused here if ever try to do NPIP, because it did sound like vaccinated flock then will test MG positive and only never vaccinated and never exposed bird would test MG free. Where can I read more about it?
I was told by another vet that mg vaccines are not effective... the bird still will get it and will test MG positive, just will not die and will be carrier in the flock, so that does not sound good either if I want to do MG free organic flock .
Another vet I called in Broomfield did know something about chickens and they want $75 per MG test per bird + $63 a visit. FC lab has something like $3-$4 for the same test in their price list but lady on the phone could not explain me anything how to get the test done, I mean there has to be something better than almost $140+ gas to drive there per bird... I mean it makes no sense if bird is $15-20 in the best case, I can buy like 8-10 laying birds for that money all new from NPIP farm right now if I want to. Does this $130+ price sound even right and do small flock owners even test their birds?

MG is bad. you can not sell hatching egg all offspring are infected, so your customers can go after you, I just was reading some threads in BYC where folk blabbered about it in the thread and were telling that they recommend selling off looking healthy birds at the swap, many freaked out in the thread and there were very harsh responses. any MG survivor is a carrier. commercial flocks were infected 80%+ at some time in USA, they used tylan shock on eggs to produce mg free starter flock. do not know exact mechanism, it was mentioned on BYC forum, so may be possible to find some more about it,

I called 4h folk and one of their avian reps told me that this year 50% samples come MG positive in FC lab, someone was selling sick birds off the swaps in CO this year, I did hear folk talking about it on several swaps. That scared the tar out of me. I go into respiratory=cull mode if I do not find a way to diagnose respiratory on a budget. And into lock down on swaps. It also sounds like this can be carried in by shoes and tires from the feed store.Also it looks like many fancy birds breeders sell and do not report MS, I was reading a lot about it on BC regarding marans (wanted those eggs look cool...). Those breeders do not use eggs and medicate the flock. also many show birds are medicated 3 weeks before the show and 3 weeks after. got that from 4h people. I was thinking about showing Orloff and such and now I'm just scared to death about all the show deal after talking to 4h folk. I basically can loose my entire breeding flock to this after a singe show if I show my breeding hen or the rooster.
I did read some breeders chats and they medicate their show birds as the routine. It does sound scary as I wanted to get me some heritage breed and do organic eggs and such. And maybe show bird. All I'm reading about how common MG is locally makes it sound like that would be impossible.
How much of this is true? And how do I know which source flock is MG free and which is not? I read that a small breeder may not know because the birds are never tested...

 

[rf12345]

here is an interesting talk about meds

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-new-fda-prescription-requirements-initiative

 

[uzisuzuki]

The entire visit was around $200. I don't have the itemised receipt still, so I can't tell you what cost what. The way they tested my peahen was by taking a mucus sample, but she also suggested x-rays if she had gotten worse to check her air sacs. Odysseus has started to show symptoms now & is going in to be weighed for meds on Saturday. This is all very discouraging, but I'm still going to contact the CSU people about offspring even though it's starting to look more & more like a no-go.

 

[Mtn Margie]

LS, the only thing I can say is that you have some weird birds that apparently need mega amounts of protein. Mine are on 20% regularly and then I add in stuff during molt. Whatever you do, do not have a heart-attack in your chicken pen! You will never be found.....

 

[maggiemo]

funny Margie

rf12345-I had my birds cultured at CSU for MG. You take up to 5 birds up and they do a 'pool culture'. That means they take mucus samples for all the birds you bring and swab all of them together in the petri dish. The logic being, if one bird is sick all are. That is how they do stool samples too, you collect several samples and they smoosh them together and take a collective sample of the flocks poo. They basically treat the whole flock as one entity.
I think it cost me $45 or something like that, not too much.

edited to say; my birds culture came back negative for MG and everything else they were testing for. I test my flock every two years just for peace of mind. The results have always been negative. Phew!

 

[Latestarter]

Geeze louise... I now have a buff orp with a bloody hole at the base of her spine next to her tail... What the heck is up w/these birds! I've been feeding them w/26% protein game bird feed! molting, no eggs, egg eaters, and now cannibalism... I wonder if I'm cut out for chicken ownership.