First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[Catie79]

I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that it was environmental and that the new digs will help. I committed the original sin of the internet and googled respiratory illness in chickens. I'm now convinced I'm going to have to cull my entire flock, including my layers and muscovies, because some incurable virus is loose on my property.

I'm still trying to figure out how this got in. The little pullets finished their 4 week quarantine before being introduced to the CX birds. Layers have been here for their whole lives, nothing. The ducks, maybe? Though they've been here for five weeks with no issues, their quarantine already ended before the CX birds left the brooder.

 

[CoHomestead]

How's Everyone's week starting off?

How are yours doing Catie79?

I lost one cx overnight. Found her splayed out around 7 this morning. All were well when I went to bed around midnight, so I'm not sure what happened. I'll count it as my extra they sent. Going to move them all to the outside brooder today, because they are all growing like weeds. I have two lights out there, so I feel ok about them staying warm.

 

[Catie79]

After a lot of research and phone calls to breeders, I think I've got a handle on what happened. My new laying pullets, now 9 weeks old, were vaccinated against a bunch of stuff, including infectious bronchitis. The breeder took great care of them. I made a newbie mistake and mixed my unvaccinated birds with birds that had been recently vaccinated with a live vaccine. According to Merck's, they can shed the virus for up to 20 weeks after vaccination. Oops. After reading that, I spotted that birds recently vaccinated with live vaccine aren't supposed to be exhibited. Now it makes sense, they can act kind of like carriers.

The troops did end up on antibiotics to prevent secondary infection after consulting with breeders in the area, along with electrolytes and general supportive care for the virus. Still just sneezing, everyone is active and eating, so looks like it's working. We're on day 2 of 7 for treatment. Keeping a close eye on a pullet that's looking a bit puffed up, but everyone stormed out for breakfast this morning and food consumption is back to frightening levels. Pack of hyenas.

They love the new pasture and they've constructed a nice set of dust wallows. They have to move around to get from water to feeders and so far no leg problems other than the original one.

 

[1zooman12]

Dear Catie,
Before doing anything drastic like culling the entire flock, you might consider taking a couple of your birds to a local livestock laboratory for a necropsy and subsequent culture of organisms to identify the culprit(s). Your local agricultural agent will be able to direct you to the right place. Also, as a vet tech and zoologist, I fail to see how a modified live virus can very likely cause disease in unvaccinated birds. These sorts of vaccines are most often a shell of the virus minus the RNA that actually causes the pathology. So they are incapable of eliciting disease. In any case these vaccines in all cases are very weakened. Your vaccinated birds may have been harboring a disease organism BEFORE they were vaccinated. Look into the make up of the specific vaccine structure your birds were given. This two pronged approach may just give you some welcome answers. Your birds just may have been contaminated by a visiting wild bird who flew into your flock's area and left another organism entirely. I wish you well and for your birds, ultimate wellness!
Neal, the Zooman

 

[Catie79]

The flock isn't in any danger of being culled, I was just panicked because a lot of the threads on respiratory illness are terrifying.

The IB vaccine does cause a mild form of the disease. Chickens are supposed to show respiratory signs after being vaccinated with the live vaccine. Every show I've checked prohibits chickens that have received a live vaccine from 30 to 45 days before the show. I'm willing to accept that answer, though a wild bird is not ruled out. Necropsy has not been ruled out and I've got the name of who to send the bird to, extension office has been very helpful. I'll probably do it to make sure I have the right vaccinations for future purchases. So long as it's IB and I close the flock for six months, I should be okay.

 

[mountain mom]

I'm so excited!!! My friend is going to pick me up 15 cornish x right now at northern colorado feeder supply! Thank you mountain mom for letting me know where to get these little fluffballs!!

Now I can REALLY join in the fun!!

Do you still have yours inside mountain mom?

Sorry I took so long to reply!! Last week was CRAZY.
My meaties have been outside for a couple of weeks now. In fact I just found them out in the front acre! Adventurous little meaties
I will have to catch up on the thread, do you have them!?

 

[Double Kindness]

No I didn't get the cx from the feed store, we were otw to go get some when the store called to tell me they were all gone

 

[JessicaThistle]

Sorry for my silence here. I am dealing with my busiest time of year for work, my husband just had surgery and I am playing taxi for my daughter who's work hours have increased. All that while trying to take care of all these chickens and trying to keep some form of order around the house. I'm failing miserably at that if I am honest with myself.

I decided to keep the 3 fighting roosters penned up separately to fatten them up more. It is working but there is that w word. It is causing me additional work keeping feed and water to 3 additional pens. Ugh! I have increased feed to the rest of the meatballs and reduced their free range time by a couple of hours to fatten them some more too. They will be 9 weeks old on Monday and I need to get them butchered! I think I am going to enlist another hand as my husband may not be 100% and able to stand for the full amount of time it will take to process the 24.

We decided to keep one super sweet hen for research purposes. She is going to live with the silkies for now, I think.

I can't think of anything more at the moment as I need to go to chicken chores and deliver some orders. Run, run, run seems to be all I do at the moment.

 

[duluthralphie]

Camp day delayed again...


I just came in from letting the boys off the bus to freezer camp.

I had a dozen roosters in a cage over night to go to camp today. MY wife was busy this early morning. It started raining at around 10 am and has not stopped. SO the boys are free again....sigh


I Just want this over with.

 

[LindaB220]

Lisa-- isn't it fun watching them as they grow/evolve? I think you're doing everything right I'm realizing as I go through this bird-raising part of my life, that worry is inevitable, but it gets better the more I experience each day

Linda--Wow!! What a day is right! I've been talking to a guy from PA a few hours from me that has SFH and eggs, and am hoping this spring to make an acquisition. I've not heard of soaking them before, in ascorbic acid (ive got the powder that I put in my smoothies). I'm really curious to know how this turns out for you, so can you keep me/us posted? Vitamin C is insanely beneficial for people, so the thought of it being helpful to unborn chicks though shell pore absorption is fascinating. I hope you get a high hatch rate----I'll be living vicariously a bit through you lol, but hopefully this Jan I'll be incubating some eggs with the kids.

I'll keep you updated on the hatch. Day 20 today. Here's the site I saw about Dipping in Vit C and the cooldown.

http://www.epsaegypt.com/pdf/2011_june/15- 1271.pdf

Another one is Baby chick Vitamin Deficiencies

http://www.networkedblogs.com/Unsff