Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

checoukan, I'm glad you got that horrid thing, I hate them! I can't wait until we have a dog here to run them off. They come up on our front porch because that's where we feed the outside cats & I go out at night & often there is one standing there looking at me, they are so ugly & destructive. I didn't even know until I had one or more attack my guineas that they would eat birds, found out the hard way. Raccoons are also really bad, I had one kill a hen earlier in the summer before my coop was done. It reached in & pulled her head through the dog run & chewed her head off. I'm glad I now have all my chickens in a secure coop at night.

Hawkeye, yes I'll have to look into the add-a-motor thing when the time comes. My hubby just isn't very handy & I have never done anything like that before, I'll figure out something. Right now though we just all have to make it through the winter. I have a sick hen today & now have to treat the whole flock, no eggs for 2 weeks, ugh.

 

[checoukan]

Trish 44 what is wrong with your hen? What are you treating her for?

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[checoukan]

What are you looking for? Anything special, or just selling?

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[checoukan]

We have had several come in, but as of yet, we have not lost a chicken to them. Usually don't find them in the hen coop. But as you know we have a lot of timber here, and its easy for them to sneak across the yard. My GP's will not leave the goats, and this was right after the storm we had here, and I am sure they were laying in the barn out back with their goats, and I don't blame them for that, at least they were in out of that terrible wind and rain we had just recieved.

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[Trish44]

checoukan, One of the BC Marans hens I got from IVY was ill yesterday when I got back from Wichita. She was rattling in her chest & gasping for breath. I took her out of the coop & put her in a dog kennel in the garage. I started her & the whole flock on Tylan last night & some vitamin/electrolyes in water also. The BC Marans rooster also has it, but it is more mild with him, he is rattling some, but is running around so he is not feeling bad like the hen. The hen is doing some better today, she's still rattling, but not gasping now like she was last night. I need to go out again & check on her in a few minutes. I don't know where they got this from, none of the other chickens seem ill, so maybe wild birds? I know that migrating birds can bring in diseases & we have lots of birds here. At any rate hopefully I caught it early & they will all be OK. My understanding is there is a waiting period with Tylan after you finish with it for eating the eggs.

 

[Ivywoods]

I'm glad she is doing a little better today. Did she get caught out in the bad weather? I checked everyone here, and none appear to be sick. They are all enjoying their rebuilt accommodations.

I don't know about wild birds bringing something in. I've heard of it, but never actually know of it or had any experience with it. I wonder if it was due to the sudden change in the weather, but even at that, you would wonder why just the two marans were affected and not the others. It sounds like you've got it pretty well under control.

 

[Trish44]

Well I wondered if that cold snap got the better of them when they got caught out in it the other day. Most of the chickens had gone in on their own, better sense I guess, but there were about 5 that didn't & hung out under an old trailer sitting behind the coop. I couldn't get them to come in & gave up until later, it was just too wet & cold for me to stay out there. I do know that one of the BC Marans hens was one of the 5, so maybe that's what brought it on, I don't know, but it's funny that the other 4 don't seem sick. Maybe just the stress of the trip here, a new place, & the weather together put her under stress & lowered her immune system. I'm hoping that's the case & that she will recover quickly. I was told by another breeder that wild birds can carry CRD, so that concerned me. You would never know that to be a fact unless you had dead birds I guess & had them tested, but that would be a hassle & expense.

 

[chicken danz]

Have you ever tried vetRX? You can put that in their water and it will cure a cold if it isn't too far advanced. I prefer that to antibiotics simply because it won't effect the meat or the eggs.

 

[Trish44]

Danz, no I haven't used the VetRx, I just ordered some to have on hand. We only have Orschelyn's nearby here & they don't carry it, so I had to get something else they had to use in the interim. I told the guy at Orscheyln's that they need to carry more chicken meds because there are lots & lots of people in Winfield & Ark City that have chickens. I am not the only one that has come in recently asking for the VetRx I guess. They sell chickens, but yet don't have much in the way of things to treat them with. The closest TSC or Atwoods are 36-40 miles away.

 

[chicken danz]

The Orshlen's in Ottawa does a great job of carrying chicken products but the one in Topeka caters strictly to horse owners. Same thing. They sell chicks but don't carry feed and supplies to maintain them. That is so dumb! Topeka is one of those town that allows chicken in the city limits. If you ask me it doesn't make any sense not to carry the products for them. I recommend Valley Vet Supply for some things like that. They get stuff to you over night and things like that usually ship free or dirt cheap. They are a Kansas business. They don't carry a lot of chicken supplies but they are very reasonable on prices. If it isn't listed on the website you can probably call their toll free number and find out if they have what you need. This info just for future reference http://www.valleyvet.com