Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

I asked about the breeds because some of the more aggressive breeds are really intolerant of differences & getting rid of the bully may not solve the problem as someone else will begin it again. This includes quite a few of the red sex link breeds & is one reason I won't keep them as I have a really mixed flock & some even weirder birds & they all have to get along.

Thanks for that information. I will really look into this I never want this kind of problem. Life is hard enough as it is.

 

[Marie2020]

Tonight is so suffocating in my home I opened both the back and front doors and no air is coming through at all usually if you do this one of the doors will slam shut

 

[Marie2020]

 

[Ribh]

Thanks for that information. I will really look into this I never want this kind of problem. Life is hard enough as it is.

Be aware not everyone agrees with me on this ~ Shad for one. And there can always be individual exceptions. And breeds that are aggressive to other breeds are often people friendly from what I've read, so choose your poison. The other thing I've noticed is there are quite distinct differences between the same breed in different countries ~ I assume from different breeding practices. ie American Australorps often don't look much like their Australian counterpart. I am normally very careful about breeds I bring into my tribe. I don't need them to be people lovers but they must be able to get along with lots of difference. Normally you do not have issues with chicks raised together but that does not always hold true either ~ especially as they mature & begin to compete for resources.

 

[BY Bob]

I got the results of Minnie's swab back and she was negative for Marek's and for ILT (the virus Bella had).
Frankly both results surprise me for various reasons.
Knowing would of course not bring the lovely Minnie back to me, but it would feel good to know.
I guess the negative for Marek's is a good thing for the flock as a whole although I did once do an environmental test on the Chicken Palace which detected Marek's so I think I need to continue to assume I have a Marek's positive flock.

This really is of limited use. It provides little clarity. I'm sorry.

 

[BY Bob]

Monday Mugs

 

[BY Bob]

Some Monday mugs:

A wary mug: (what are you doing with that thing?)
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A little mug:
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A hiding mug: (I think she is thinking about being broody...she was going in here to lay!)
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Wonderful photos!

 

[Ponypoor]

I don’t seem to be needed anymore today. Jaffar is out there with his ladies, and pecked my foot, to remind me of the fact (His ladies!)
I think I will just eat all their meally worms, to show them off!!!

We still need you! And we won’t peck your foot! (Hope you were wearing shoes!)

A false positive is exceptionally rare - which is why (although I was surprised) I take the positive environmental test as correct.

False negatives are more complicated. A hen might be a carrier for a disease but not be actively shedding virus at the time of the swab, in which case you would get a negative even though the hen has the virus. Then if that hen was stressed, they might start shedding and then would pass on the virus to others. The stress could be heat or another infection like coccidia or worms or even egg binding or bullying.

Both Marek's and ILTV are viruses that behave that way - ie carriers can be shedding or not shedding at different times.
My theory had been that when Minnie was very ill before - worms, coccidia and sour crop - that she started shedding ILTV and Bella got it from her.
I had planned to swab Minnie the next time she was under the weather in any case, I just wasn't expecting her to die so fast.
Obviously Minnie must have been pretty stressed by whatever killed her so the fact that she tested negative has higher weight than if she tested negative while completely well, but it is still remotely possible they are false negatives.

So there are multiple mysteries here. Where did Bella get ILTV? Who in the flock actually has Marek's? What did Minnie and Dotty die from? Are Maggie's lash eggs anything to do with any of this? Will I ever get out of the chicken nursing business and just be able to relax with my lovely chickens?
All unknowns.

On the environmental test it is quite simple. Instead of swabbing the chicken you swab the dust in the coop. Marek's lives for years in the dander in a chicken coop and is easily detectable. So I just swabbed around the roosts and other dusty places and sent it to the lab. I have to say I was shocked at the result.

And although this is all chicken talk and therefore not taxable, I will pay some tax anyway.
How about Bernadette standing watch while Lulu checks out nest box options.
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awesome explanation! That was very informative.

And I love your tax payment just perfect

 

[Ponypoor]

Monday Mugs

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Beautiful ladies all

 

[BY Bob]

I am wondering how the problem can be corrected, I have a hard time understanding why they are all ganging up on her, does she have something wrong I wonder??

She likely just has the wrong color feathers.