Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

I never even worried about Mareks until you guys started discussing it a while back. But now that I have some really pricy birds here it makes me very nervous. Some of the fancy chicks I have purchased have been vaccinated but not all. My older flock was vaccinated before I got them but of course most of the younger ones are ones I have hatched.
Josie if you know of any good tutorials on vaccinating for Mereks I'd love you to send me a link. What size needle do you use when you vaccinate?
Yeah HeChicken I am glad to have the car shopping over. I was so disgusted with the whole process I was ready to buy. I hope my impulses were wise. DH is loving this vehicle. He's been reading the books and discovering all it's little things. I haven't had time yet. I just have to remind him it is my car and I paid for it.

Sure hope I don't have buyers remorse over it! It has a third seat which I could really do without. I am sure it will be folded down 90% of the time. It just limits hauling room for me when it is up.

 

[JosieChick]

Oh mareks, how I hate mareks disease. I lost a half a flock of cochins and a whole flock of silkies before I truly understood what I was dealing with. SO very sad, tragic really. The worst part was that it was so preventable with vaccination and it came from a bird that I had shipped in. She had been quarantined for 3 weeks and actually just passed away this past summer to heat exhaustion. It took me a bit to figure out what and where this strange disease had come from and what to do about it. My first mistake was trying to nurse these birds while they were sick which is hopeless and just puts asymptomatic birds at a higher risk.

I had one bird that I think had Mareks and none of the others ever got it. She was hatched by my first broody hen along with 6 others, and she was as normal as they were until she was 15 weeks of age. At that point she started walking a little funny and from that point on, it got progressively worse until that one leg was paralyzed and then the second started to show signs of going the same way. I culled her at that point as she was having difficulty getting around, getting to feed etc, and no way could she get up onto the roost. She hatched in August so I guess this would have been around November/December that she became symptomatic. I never had her tested so I'll never know for sure but from what I read at the time, it was classic Mareks. Since she was raised with six other chicks who never showed the same symptoms, and nor did any other bird in my flock, I can only assume she had a compromised immune system, since their exposure must all have been about equal but she is the only one to succumb. Is that possible Josie?

It is impossible to know. You could have an adult bird in the flock that was shedding when she was introduced and for some reason she became ill. You could also have other birds out there that are carriers but not currently symptomatic. I have had un vaccinated birds that didn't become ill until 2-3 years of age. It is just a stinker of a disease and rears its ugly head over and over again. The problem is that once the bird is symptomatic there really is nothing you can do for them. And the vaccine is highly effective. I would say in your case most likely the other chicks developed immune response at exposure but not that particular bird. Keep in mind that the other chicks may all have been exposed and could just be asymptomatic carriers.
If they were my birds I would recommend you:
Watch birds for early warning symptoms and cull immediately. They are shedding actively when they are showing symptoms so are putting your flock at risk.
Keep coop well ventilated, dry and birds un crowded.
Vaccinate any day old chicks upon hatching.
Incinerate or remove dead/diseased birds from the property too! I always forget this but you don't want to bury a bird and have disease in the soil where your birds or wild birds might come in contact with it.

I never even worried about Mareks until you guys started discussing it a while back. But now that I have some really pricy birds here it makes me very nervous. Some of the fancy chicks I have purchased have been vaccinated but not all. My older flock was vaccinated before I got them but of course most of the younger ones are ones I have hatched.
Josie if you know of any good tutorials on vaccinating for Mereks I'd love you to send me a link. What size needle do you use when you vaccinate?
Yeah HeChicken I am glad to have the car shopping over. I was so disgusted with the whole process I was ready to buy. I hope my impulses were wise. DH is loving this vehicle. He's been reading the books and discovering all it's little things. I haven't had time yet. I just have to remind him it is my car and I paid for it.

Sure hope I don't have buyers remorse over it! It has a third seat which I could really do without. I am sure it will be folded down 90% of the time. It just limits hauling room for me when it is up.

This article is good up until she gets to the holding chick part of the demo. I don't hold them like this and I think the way I do hold them is a lot easier and makes it a one person job which to me equals that you vax the chicks when they need to be vaccinated, at hatch instead of later on when you have a second person available to help. I vaccinate directely out of the bator. When a hatch is done the chicks are all pulled into a basket. As they are vaccinated they are placed into a second basket to make sure nobody gets done twice or missed. I check everyone over for bleeding and clean them up with a bit of peroxide and out to the brooder they go. If I get chicks shipped in I open the box in the house, vaccinate each chick out of the box and put it into another container as I go. Then they are moved to the brooder.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/i...cinate_poultry_chicks_for_mareks_disease.html

This is how I hold chicks. It takes some finesse. If you get a big batch of chicks by about number 15-20 you are starting to get the hang of it. They are squirrely little things!
http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/mdvac.htm
Things to keep in mind:
-You will vaccinate yourself and or/stab yourself at least once. Bring a band aid or two.
-Have peroxide handy for bleeders, there will be a few everytime.
-Have a bit of alcohol and cotton balls handy to wipe the neck a bit. It really helps you make sure you got the needle and the vaccine into the chick. It won't work topically.
-I use a 20 gauge needle and a 1 cc syringe to draw from the bottle of vaccination. I keep the bottle in its ice bath and leave the 20 gauge needle in the top of the bottle and set the cap that came off the end of it on top of it to keep it sterile. I then have a bunch of free 25 gauge needles that I unsnap and put a new one on the end of the syringe. Remember you want all this to be as clean as possible so don't set exposed needles down or uncapped syringes etc where they can come in contact with contaminants.
I can usually vaccinate about 3-5 chicks with the same needle before it gets dull. I just watch my syringe as I give each dose so they get close to the 0.2 mls they are supposed to receive. If you don't want to do multiple chicks at a time you can draw up each single dose at a time but I have found it takes forever that way and I get tired of it fast. Plus you blow through needles like crazy and at 25 cents a piece that adds up fast. I just keep an eye on if they are getting too dull.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Danz, So what kind of car did you get? Congrats on the new to you car!!!!! Where do you get the add on for backing up? I never have to handle the car buying thing and I still hate it! I'm so sorry to hear Tweety is still doing so poorly. That just beaks my heart.

JosieChick, It's hard to say you can't jump in when you really aren't capable. You just have to know your limitations and stick to it. Good job setting limits! You made me laugh when you said you just boss people around more. I hear you. If I tried to do all the work around here, it just wouldn't get done. Teaching the kids entails a lot of bossing around but it is NOT fun so I understand the totality of that statement! Sometimes it's just an exercise in futility. That chick is so funny with its puff tied back! So cute. I appreciate the summarization on Mareks. That was hugely helpful.

mommahen, it's so nice to hear from you and great big congrats on your beautiful grandbaby! Just precious. I'm so thrilled for all of you that even though he's early, he's just fine! That's a beautiful beginning for such a handsome little guy!

maidenwolf, I'm with you -- it's great to see the sun shining -- I feel good!

So ya'll are discussing avoiding the chicks during chicks days but I've already fallen flat on my face. I bought 3 little Speckled Sussex. Atwoods buys from Ideal Poultry and they have the most heavily spotted SSX -- SO, I grabbed them! I figure it's only 3 and that won't tip me over the line into financial insolvency but it was a bit of a lack of self control and straying from my "plan" for the year. I forgive me!

Snicker.

I'm going to get my Wheaten Ameraucana chicks today. I'm so excited. I'm getting 7 of them and am so ready!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Well the plan is that the horse fencing will be put up this weekend. Moving the horses is in motion for next weekend or mid week depending on the lady who is going to truck them for us. Chicken pens should be close to done so I am probably going to haul birds down next weekend and part of the following week. We are tentatively planning on packing the rest of the house next Monday. I am exhausted just thinking about it!

Very cool, post pictures when you get those pens done!

Hawkeye- I keep forgetting to ask you. Do you think pinless peepers would work on roos? I am going to have a "bachelor pad" once the pens are all built and would like to keep any boys that are not presently in breeding pens together but I have a few that start trouble. I am wondering if you think they stay on well enough to keep boys from squabbling? I don't want to risk a big fight so if they are hard to keep on I will just come up with a different game plan.

My barred rocks have been wearing pinless peepers without EVER getting them off. Now the Wyandotes were wearing them, but mine are spazy birds and they flopped and flipped and scratched until they got them off. They are hard to get off. The barred rocks did try to get them off, but they aren't that easy. The Wyandottes went nuts-- I'm not so sure most birds would go to that much trouble to get them off. They are reusable, too. You can just soak them in bleach and go again. I have pink and yellow ones. It does make it a lot harder for them to see to beat up on the others.

If anyone wants me I'll be out drinking with the chickens!

Weeelllll... okay, we know where to find you from now on! LOL

Hi all! I've been following along all week but haven't had time to post. My daughter had her baby, and he is just perfect. He weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and we 3 weeks early. He didn't have any trouble though.





Hawkeye, was it you that posted a link about infectious coryza? That sure does sound like what it was, now I have seemingly well chicks that really still shouldn't be around the others. On the link it talked about gram staining and I'm going to go ahead and get the supplies and put my microscope to use if it shows up again. Danz, is there conflicting information it being a tropical disease? I have a pic of the silkie when she was sick.




Of course this poor chick could be a boy for all I know but I tied the fuzz back with a pink doggie bow to keep if from sticking to it's beak and covering the nostrils. This chick doesn't look anything like this now either. You couldn't tell anything ever happened. I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing my new chicks.

Hawkeye, I've been following along about cloth diapering and such. I didn't even think about being that particular about the laundry soap. I marked those links and my daughter and I were talking about cloth diapering. If you don't mind, I'd like to check out your Etsy shop. I was cracking up as you went from one subject to the next, praise team, coyotes, guns, cloth diapering, it was funny. Was it you that mentioned crocheting a fox hat that you got the pattern from Etsy? Check out my FB page, my daughter is wearing one. My sister made the hats the kids are wearing. It's not a great pic, but it's so typical of my kids at home. It came out so cute and it's her favorite hat. She is always wearing it.

Congrats on the grandson! He's a beautiful baby! Sounds like Danz probably answered your question about the disease. If your silkie recovered, then it wasn't likely coryza. Cute cute! Very smart to get his crest out of the way while he was sick. Funny... when you put it like that about all the topics I jump around on, it makes me sound a bit nuts or manic! hahaha! My DH tells me I am over involved in way too many things and I need to pick ONE thing and stick with it. That's just not me. I'm Prairie Tales Cloth Diapering on Etsy. I don't know what all I have listed on there, but it's likely not everything i have. So if you're looking for something in particular, I probably have it even if it's not listed. I'm crocheting a fox SCARF. But I haven't seen the hat one!!! Did you crochet a fox hat??? That sounds adorable! The scarf is super cute, too! This is the pattern I'm making and so far mine looks just like it:

Whoops! That came out HUGE!

I saw tweety last week during the awful snow storms. Our neighborhood was practically impassible and they were trying to get back home through the snow. She finally made it with some help from neighbors. She was going into the hospital early the next morning for the pain pump. Hopefully that will help.

Oh wow, that's not good! I just think it's so frustrating that so far they can't FIX it. A pump is just masking the problem. What a real downer. Poor Tweetie!

So I was so let down that we drove on over to Platt City, MO and I ended up spending twice as much and bought the same model a year older but in perfect condition. It has every thing I could ever want. Even has a built in DVD player for the back seats...not that I think I will ever use that unless I have a grandchild with me. It doesn't have a back up cam which I really really need though. DH said he can install one for me. It is very difficult to see out of the back and since I can't turn my neck like a normal person I am really blind. That is the only complaint I have about it. That and the cost of filling up the gas tank. I am used to a 13 gallon gas tank. This one has a 25 gallon tank. Ouch!
So I had to dip into my house/work account to cover the costs. I hated to do that. I still have to pay taxes since it was out of state and that will be another grand plus tags etc. I am going to have to tighten my spending up over the next few months and concentrate on replacing that money into that account.
It's not a new car but it's new to me. I don't drive all that much so hopefully it will last me a few years.
I have several people coming this weekend if they show, to buy dogs. I sure hope to get most of them sold. I am so sick of all the dog poo and the expense.
I've got some chicks hatching today....slowly. Some more of my own but they should be purebred.
Karen I was laughing myself silly reading your post.

Congrats on the new car! Is it an SUV? Hope you really enjoy it! That is a really BIG tank!! WOW!! That sounds like a truck! My minvan only takes 18 gallons at a time. Did you get a pickup or Suburban? I don't remember what my truck takes, it's a one-ton so I know the tank on it is huge.

Oh mareks, how I hate mareks disease. I lost a half a flock of cochins and a whole flock of silkies before I truly understood what I was dealing with. SO very sad, tragic really. The worst part was that it was so preventable with vaccination and it came from a bird that I had shipped in. She had been quarantined for 3 weeks and actually just passed away this past summer to heat exhaustion. It took me a bit to figure out what and where this strange disease had come from and what to do about it. My first mistake was trying to nurse these birds while they were sick which is hopeless and just puts asymptomatic birds at a higher risk.
It is impossible to know. You could have an adult bird in the flock that was shedding when she was introduced and for some reason she became ill. You could also have other birds out there that are carriers but not currently symptomatic. I have had un vaccinated birds that didn't become ill until 2-3 years of age. It is just a stinker of a disease and rears its ugly head over and over again. The problem is that once the bird is symptomatic there really is nothing you can do for them. And the vaccine is highly effective. I would say in your case most likely the other chicks developed immune response at exposure but not that particular bird. Keep in mind that the other chicks may all have been exposed and could just be asymptomatic carriers.
If they were my birds I would recommend you:
Watch birds for early warning symptoms and cull immediately. They are shedding actively when they are showing symptoms so are putting your flock at risk.
Keep coop well ventilated, dry and birds un crowded.
Vaccinate any day old chicks upon hatching.
Incinerate or remove dead/diseased birds from the property too! I always forget this but you don't want to bury a bird and have disease in the soil where your birds or wild birds might come in contact with it.
This article is good up until she gets to the holding chick part of the demo. I don't hold them like this and I think the way I do hold them is a lot easier and makes it a one person job which to me equals that you vax the chicks when they need to be vaccinated, at hatch instead of later on when you have a second person available to help. I vaccinate directely out of the bator. When a hatch is done the chicks are all pulled into a basket. As they are vaccinated they are placed into a second basket to make sure nobody gets done twice or missed. I check everyone over for bleeding and clean them up with a bit of peroxide and out to the brooder they go. If I get chicks shipped in I open the box in the house, vaccinate each chick out of the box and put it into another container as I go. Then they are moved to the brooder.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/i...cinate_poultry_chicks_for_mareks_disease.html

This is how I hold chicks. It takes some finesse. If you get a big batch of chicks by about number 15-20 you are starting to get the hang of it. They are squirrely little things!
http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/mdvac.htm
Things to keep in mind:
-You will vaccinate yourself and or/stab yourself at least once. Bring a band aid or two.
-Have peroxide handy for bleeders, there will be a few everytime.
-Have a bit of alcohol and cotton balls handy to wipe the neck a bit. It really helps you make sure you got the needle and the vaccine into the chick. It won't work topically.
-I use a 20 gauge needle and a 1 cc syringe to draw from the bottle of vaccination. I keep the bottle in its ice bath and leave the 20 gauge needle in the top of the bottle and set the cap that came off the end of it on top of it to keep it sterile. I then have a bunch of free 25 gauge needles that I unsnap and put a new one on the end of the syringe. Remember you want all this to be as clean as possible so don't set exposed needles down or uncapped syringes etc where they can come in contact with contaminants.
I can usually vaccinate about 3-5 chicks with the same needle before it gets dull. I just watch my syringe as I give each dose so they get close to the 0.2 mls they are supposed to receive. If you don't want to do multiple chicks at a time you can draw up each single dose at a time but I have found it takes forever that way and I get tired of it fast. Plus you blow through needles like crazy and at 25 cents a piece that adds up fast. I just keep an eye on if they are getting too dull.

You sure make me want to be sure I vaccinate everything! I should probably copy and paste this into a document for myself!

So ya'll are discussing avoiding the chicks during chicks days but I've already fallen flat on my face. I bought 3 little Speckled Sussex. Atwoods buys from Ideal Poultry and they have the most heavily spotted SSX -- SO, I grabbed them! I figure it's only 3 and that won't tip me over the line into financial insolvency but it was a bit of a lack of self control and straying from my "plan" for the year. I forgive me!

Snicker.

I'm going to get my Wheaten Ameraucana chicks today. I'm so excited. I'm getting 7 of them and am so ready!

So far, I have not bought any chicks, but I have been okay'd on two more barred rocks. But I was just planning on buying a couple of pullets from that guy when we head up to that guys farm. I enjoyed yesterday's lunch! Did you make it over to the office in time? I called ahead for you and told them to keep an eye out for you. Beth (white hair) is a super nice agent and she said she'd be watching.


I survived 4 boys sleeping over last night plus my own kids. It was wild and loud. We survived and everyone has gone home now. They did pretty good and had a great night. I'm tired though. I need a day of rest, because I stayed up until 2 am waiting for them to finally sleep so that I could sleep. Sigh.

 

[HEChicken]

Oh mareks, how I hate mareks disease. I lost a half a flock of cochins and a whole flock of silkies before I truly understood what I was dealing with. SO very sad, tragic really. The worst part was that it was so preventable with vaccination and it came from a bird that I had shipped in. She had been quarantined for 3 weeks and actually just passed away this past summer to heat exhaustion. It took me a bit to figure out what and where this strange disease had come from and what to do about it. My first mistake was trying to nurse these birds while they were sick which is hopeless and just puts asymptomatic birds at a higher risk.
It is impossible to know. You could have an adult bird in the flock that was shedding when she was introduced and for some reason she became ill. You could also have other birds out there that are carriers but not currently symptomatic. I have had un vaccinated birds that didn't become ill until 2-3 years of age. It is just a stinker of a disease and rears its ugly head over and over again. The problem is that once the bird is symptomatic there really is nothing you can do for them. And the vaccine is highly effective. I would say in your case most likely the other chicks developed immune response at exposure but not that particular bird. Keep in mind that the other chicks may all have been exposed and could just be asymptomatic carriers.
If they were my birds I would recommend you:
Watch birds for early warning symptoms and cull immediately. They are shedding actively when they are showing symptoms so are putting your flock at risk.
Keep coop well ventilated, dry and birds un crowded.
Vaccinate any day old chicks upon hatching.
Incinerate or remove dead/diseased birds from the property too! I always forget this but you don't want to bury a bird and have disease in the soil where your birds or wild birds might come in contact with it.

Thanks Josie! I forgot to mention this was several years ago now, and none of the rest have ever developed the same symptoms. I don't remember how I disposed of her but it probably was either bagged and in the trash or burying. Since it was at our old house, I don't have to worry about that now, I guess. I will remember the burning idea if I am ever in that situation again. I still have two hens who were her hatch-mates so I suppose they are the two to watch most closely. Its always possible she had something other than Mareks too, since I would have really expected to see more cases than just the one if that's what it was. I probably should have sent to K-State for necropsy but I doubt I knew back then it was an option.

So ya'll are discussing avoiding the chicks during chicks days but I've already fallen flat on my face. I bought 3 little Speckled Sussex. Atwoods buys from Ideal Poultry and they have the most heavily spotted SSX -- SO, I grabbed them! I figure it's only 3 and that won't tip me over the line into financial insolvency but it was a bit of a lack of self control and straying from my "plan" for the year. I forgive me!

Snicker.

I'm going to get my Wheaten Ameraucana chicks today. I'm so excited. I'm getting 7 of them and am so ready!

You are incorrigible! Don't forget some potential Alohas now on day 3.......(you did say you wanted any that hatched, right?) I'm excited to see how your Sussex feather out to see how spotty they are.

One or both of our dogs got skunked. Ewwww. That happened to our previous set of dogs once years ago and that was when we kept them indoors, but they stank so bad we made them stay outside for a few weeks (weather was nice so it wasn't unkind). Boy, were they miserable to be relegated to staying outside when they were used to the comforts of being indoor dogs. We tried all the remedies we could find that were recommended online but absolutely nothing neutralized that smell (for anyone who has been told tomato juice is a cure, save your money - it does NOT make a difference). This time we don't really care since our dogs now live outdoors, so if they stink up their dog igloo or doghouse, they're the only ones who have to live with it bwahahaha. I wonder if this will teach her/them to stay away from those little stinkers from now on. Although, since the smell started when I let them out of the chicken yard yesterday morning, it likely happened overnight IN the chicken yard in which case I suppose I should be grateful to them for keeping the skunk away from my eggs and birds.

I'm with you Maidenwolf, SO glad to see some sun. If we can just get this snow melted away, I have so much work to do outside and I'm eager to get going with it.

 

[JosieChick]

JosieChick, It's hard to say you can't jump in when you really aren't capable. You just have to know your limitations and stick to it. Good job setting limits! You made me laugh when you said you just boss people around more. I hear you. If I tried to do all the work around here, it just wouldn't get done. Teaching the kids entails a lot of bossing around but it is NOT fun so I understand the totality of that statement! Sometimes it's just an exercise in futility. That chick is so funny with its puff tied back! So cute. I appreciate the summarization on Mareks. That was hugely helpful.
I hate to be bossy but I also was the only one in the family that didn't think moving into a new house while pregnant was a bright idea so I figure I am allowed to boss around a little so things get done how and when I want them because I really am only so physically capable these days. It is kind of frustrating though because I enjoy working hard but I can't right now so it is what it is!

I'm going to get my Wheaten Ameraucana chicks today. I'm so excited. I'm getting 7 of them and am so ready!
Awww, are they from Trish? She has a pair that I sold her and I miss that roo so much, he was such a nice boy. If you wind up with an extra roo let me know! I have an EE roo in with my layers right now and thought it would be fun to hatch EEs and olive eggers at some point as I have several EE, maran and ameraucana hens in the pen but I don't like the roos attitude that is in there now. He is fine with me but too rough with the girls. I expect a boy to find a girl morsels of food and not just sneak up from behind and accost her. I think he may be heading towards the soup pot. Its a shame because he is a cool looking bird.

Very cool, post pictures when you get those pens done!
Will do! I am going to try to get some pics this weekend too.


My barred rocks have been wearing pinless peepers without EVER getting them off. Now the Wyandotes were wearing them, but mine are spazy birds and they flopped and flipped and scratched until they got them off. They are hard to get off. The barred rocks did try to get them off, but they aren't that easy. The Wyandottes went nuts-- I'm not so sure most birds would go to that much trouble to get them off. They are reusable, too. You can just soak them in bleach and go again. I have pink and yellow ones. It does make it a lot harder for them to see to beat up on the others.
I imagine most of my boys would keep them on then. The big orps I don't have trouble with it is mostly the little scrappy cochin boys and even most of them get along okay but I have a few that are out for each other! They aren't that agile though so I don't think they could get them off.

The fox scarf is super duper cute!

You sure make me want to be sure I vaccinate everything! I should probably copy and paste this into a document for myself!
Once you get in the habit of doing it its not bad. It just becomes part of a hatch.


I survived 4 boys sleeping over last night plus my own kids. It was wild and loud. We survived and everyone has gone home now. They did pretty good and had a great night. I'm tired though. I need a day of rest, because I stayed up until 2 am waiting for them to finally sleep so that I could sleep. Sigh.
Phew, four boys. I am tired just thinking about it!

Thanks Josie! I forgot to mention this was several years ago now, and none of the rest have ever developed the same symptoms. I don't remember how I disposed of her but it probably was either bagged and in the trash or burying. Since it was at our old house, I don't have to worry about that now, I guess. I will remember the burning idea if I am ever in that situation again. I still have two hens who were her hatch-mates so I suppose they are the two to watch most closely. Its always possible she had something other than Mareks too, since I would have really expected to see more cases than just the one if that's what it was. I probably should have sent to K-State for necropsy but I doubt I knew back then it was an option.
There are so many weird neurological things chickens can get. It does sound pretty classic if she had the leg paralysis, especially on the left side first but seemed otherwise bright and normal. Some people get lucky and only have a few losses. You have probably always had more "ideal" conditions for your chickens with plenty of ventilation and space. I made some serious mistakes at the time by coddling my bantams by keeping them cooped up in box coops with not so great ventilation and it was a wet, rainy winter so I set them up for exposure. I imagine that is why I had so many losses.

You are incorrigible! Don't forget some potential Alohas now on day 3.......(you did say you wanted any that hatched, right?) I'm excited to see how your Sussex feather out to see how spotty they are.
Oh yuck! Stinkers. I saw two skunks out on the road last night on my way home. I am so glad Molly seems to know that it is best to bark at skunks from about 30 feet away!
One or both of our dogs got skunked. Ewwww. That happened to our previous set of dogs once years ago and that was when we kept them indoors, but they stank so bad we made them stay outside for a few weeks (weather was nice so it wasn't unkind). Boy, were they miserable to be relegated to staying outside when they were used to the comforts of being indoor dogs. We tried all the remedies we could find that were recommended online but absolutely nothing neutralized that smell (for anyone who has been told tomato juice is a cure, save your money - it does NOT make a difference). This time we don't really care since our dogs now live outdoors, so if they stink up their dog igloo or doghouse, they're the only ones who have to live with it bwahahaha. I wonder if this will teach her/them to stay away from those little stinkers from now on. Although, since the smell started when I let them out of the chicken yard yesterday morning, it likely happened overnight IN the chicken yard in which case I suppose I should be grateful to them for keeping the skunk away from my eggs and birds.

For anyone who's dog does get skunked here are a groomers tips!
-HEchicken is right, don't waste your money on tomato juice
-Don't get your dog wet with water-this spread the skunk spray oil ALL OVER them, in essence your dog probably got sprayed in one spot and you just washed them in it!
-As a groomer I would mix dawn dish soap with just a little bit of warm water, locate the true source of stink (this will probably make your eyes tear but yes you must sniff your dog!) and soak the area with the dish soap, leave it sitting while you make up homemade skunk solution
-Use this solution: In the plastic container, combine 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid soap. Add lukewarm water if needed (for larger dogs). Mix ingredients well. The solution will fizz, as a chemical reaction is occurring. Use immediately - do not store. (Years ago the guy who invented this solution tried to bottle it for retail and after a few days of having a huge lot of it sitting in a warehouse it exploded everywhere! He decided to just release the "recipe" to the public instead after they couldn't find a way to keep it stabile for storage!)
-Rinse and repeat several times. Make sure your dog doesn't rub their eyes or face because they will often be irritated from the skunk spray and they can get an ulcer from a scratch
-This won't eliminate all of the odor but does a pretty good job of cutting the smell down to a tolerable degree, especially for house dogs!

Ugh, I need to get back outside and fill the horse tank and haul some bales out to the little equine piggies. I also need to finish filling chicken feed and water and dig out my pools that are buried under snow.

If anyone with horses, HEchicken or Hawkeye, has recommendations for a good hay guy this spring let me know! I prefer prairie but would love to find someone who carries both brome and praire so I can have some of each. I usually do square bales and like to find someone who delivers if possible but that isn't a deal breaker. I pay good money for good hay and want stuff that has been sprayed and fertilized if needed. I don't like hay that is full of weeds, sticks and trash. I also prefer someone that deals in their own hay and doesn't just buy other peoples hay and resell. If you guys know of someone good let me know! I had a great guy in Augusta but I don't have his number anymore. He had the nicest bales of prairie hay I have ever seen. I want to get my name on somebody's call list before the baby comes so I don't forget and then have to scramble to find hay.

 

[michelleml]

Hi all! I've been following along all week but haven't had time to post. My daughter had her baby, and he is just perfect. He weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and we 3 weeks early. He didn't have any trouble though.





Hawkeye, was it you that posted a link about infectious coryza? That sure does sound like what it was, now I have seemingly well chicks that really still shouldn't be around the others. On the link it talked about gram staining and I'm going to go ahead and get the supplies and put my microscope to use if it shows up again. Danz, is there conflicting information it being a tropical disease? I have a pic of the silkie when she was sick.




Of course this poor chick could be a boy for all I know but I tied the fuzz back with a pink doggie bow to keep if from sticking to it's beak and covering the nostrils. This chick doesn't look anything like this now either. You couldn't tell anything ever happened. I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing my new chicks.

Hawkeye, I've been following along about cloth diapering and such. I didn't even think about being that particular about the laundry soap. I marked those links and my daughter and I were talking about cloth diapering. If you don't mind, I'd like to check out your Etsy shop. I was cracking up as you went from one subject to the next, praise team, coyotes, guns, cloth diapering, it was funny. Was it you that mentioned crocheting a fox hat that you got the pattern from Etsy? Check out my FB page, my daughter is wearing one. My sister made the hats the kids are wearing. It's not a great pic, but it's so typical of my kids at home. It came out so cute and it's her favorite hat. She is always wearing it.

Was it Karen that had a crazy kid day? Deerfield used to be Karen, right? I'm getting confused. That sounded really crazy to have that trip sprung on you at the last minute like that. Thank goodness your dh got that under control.

Danz, I really hope you find that car you need soon.

Mstng has an appraisal coming up, right? Good luck with that.

Josie, I can't believe you are still doing so much. I hope you don't work too hard this weekend, it's really time for things to start slowing down for you.

Trish, you sound busy as always.

Has anyone heard from Tweety?

I'm sure I forgot many, sorry.

I'm anxious to get home and hopefully fall back into some sort of normal routine, whatever that is.

Congrats on the new baby he is so cute.


Danz congrats on the new car. Let me know when and if you have any fertile marans eggs for sells

Josie im doing better my oldest and DH ended up with it also but so far the younger ones haven't come down with it.

We have 5 more days till hatch day we can't wait. Went to TSC they had tons of chicks for sell kids went crazy wanting to buy them all but DH stood his ground and said no. Not until we know if your eggs hatch.

 

[checoukan]

Wow, seemed like a long day. Glad I am home, all birds are back in their coops and resting too.
I went to the Pryor, Ok. Poultry show. Left at 6 this morning and got back home about 4. Anyway had 519 birds entered in the show. This is only a bantam show. I took 3 pictures and thought I would show everybody some of my show birds.
This cockerel took first in his class, then turned around and won Best Variety, and Best of breed.

This cockerel took second behind the above bird.

This pullet won her class, and won reserve best variety, and reserve best breed.

The show only had pullets, and cockerels entered in the rose comb division, and I took the two top spots. I beleive there was a total of 12 black rosecombs in the show. So I had a very good day, and plan to try to make a couple more shows this spring. But most everybody is going to go into the breeder pens. I have got to get some babies on the way!!

 

[HEChicken]

Congratulations Checoukan!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Congrats on the grandson! He's a beautiful baby! Sounds like Danz probably answered your question about the disease. If your silkie recovered, then it wasn't likely coryza. Cute cute! Very smart to get his crest out of the way while he was sick. Funny... when you put it like that about all the topics I jump around on, it makes me sound a bit nuts or manic! hahaha! My DH tells me I am over involved in way too many things and I need to pick ONE thing and stick with it. That's just not me. I'm Prairie Tales Cloth Diapering on Etsy. I don't know what all I have listed on there, but it's likely not everything i have. So if you're looking for something in particular, I probably have it even if it's not listed. I'm crocheting a fox SCARF. But I haven't seen the hat one!!! Did you crochet a fox hat??? That sounds adorable! The scarf is super cute, too! This is the pattern I'm making and so far mine looks just like it:

Whoops! That came out HUGE!

So far, I have not bought any chicks, but I have been okay'd on two more barred rocks. But I was just planning on buying a couple of pullets from that guy when we head up to that guys farm. I enjoyed yesterday's lunch! Did you make it over to the office in time? I called ahead for you and told them to keep an eye out for you. Beth (white hair) is a super nice agent and she said she'd be watching.

I survived 4 boys sleeping over last night plus my own kids. It was wild and loud. We survived and everyone has gone home now. They did pretty good and had a great night. I'm tired though. I need a day of rest, because I stayed up until 2 am waiting for them to finally sleep so that I could sleep. Sigh.

That is the cutest scarf ever! Might scare the chickens out of lay, but it's adorable!

I did make it to the office in time and I even signed up oldest DS for foods (Beth's going to get your sig later) just in case he changed his mind, when I went home and told him he was all happy I signed him up -- so there you go! All 8 are 4H kids now! Beth was delightful! Thanks so much for your help, I would never have made it! I had tons of errands to run after I left the Extension Office! It was a wild day. I'm glad you survived the sleepover -- that makes me tired just thinking about it.

I'm PM'ing you.

You are incorrigible! Don't forget some potential Alohas now on day 3.......(you did say you wanted any that hatched, right?) I'm excited to see how your Sussex feather out to see how spotty they are.

One or both of our dogs got skunked. Ewwww. That happened to our previous set of dogs once years ago and that was when we kept them indoors, but they stank so bad we made them stay outside for a few weeks (weather was nice so it wasn't unkind). Boy, were they miserable to be relegated to staying outside when they were used to the comforts of being indoor dogs. We tried all the remedies we could find that were recommended online but absolutely nothing neutralized that smell (for anyone who has been told tomato juice is a cure, save your money - it does NOT make a difference). This time we don't really care since our dogs now live outdoors, so if they stink up their dog igloo or doghouse, they're the only ones who have to live with it bwahahaha. I wonder if this will teach her/them to stay away from those little stinkers from now on. Although, since the smell started when I let them out of the chicken yard yesterday morning, it likely happened overnight IN the chicken yard in which case I suppose I should be grateful to them for keeping the skunk away from my eggs and birds.

I'm with you Maidenwolf, SO glad to see some sun. If we can just get this snow melted away, I have so much work to do outside and I'm eager to get going with it.

I promise not to forget the Alohas! It will be very interesting if I can get lots of white on them. YuCk! on the eau de skunke. I'm very sorry to hear the dears got skunked. That's just nasty.

Wow, seemed like a long day. Glad I am home, all birds are back in their coops and resting too.
I went to the Pryor, Ok. Poultry show. Left at 6 this morning and got back home about 4. Anyway had 519 birds entered in the show. This is only a bantam show. I took 3 pictures and thought I would show everybody some of my show birds.
This cockerel took first in his class, then turned around and won Best Variety, and Best of breed.

This cockerel took second behind the above bird.

This pullet won her class, and won reserve best variety, and reserve best breed.

The show only had pullets, and cockerels entered in the rose comb division, and I took the two top spots. I beleive there was a total of 12 black rosecombs in the show. So I had a very good day, and plan to try to make a couple more shows this spring. But most everybody is going to go into the breeder pens. I have got to get some babies on the way!!

Big congrats on a big day! That's great.


Josie, my multi to you didn't show up but, yes, these Wheatens are from Trish and I will be happy to pass along an extra cockerel! They are adorable little things with their puffy little cheeks! So sweet.

Danz, Snow, the kid's little white Serama laid an egg today and the kids were beside themselves! I've got to get those Seramas in a pen. Little Lucy is still such a sweetheart -- she counts on her people for safety. If a big bird comes at her with an attitude she flies straight to one of us -- aiming for a shoulder! She is adorable and so personable it's just hard to believe she wasn't raised a pet. We all love Lucy!

michelleml, glad you're feeling better.

My hens are finally laying again -- lots of pullets have started too! Yay! At last! I haven't been home much today, in and out until about an hour ago, but the kids tell me the birds really enjoyed themselves in the sunshine today.