Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

Photos while I can get them posted….

Forgot how terrible my internet is, amazing what millions of dollars get you in the wilds of the Boreal Forest!

A mix of mugs and two fors, and three golden girls for good measure!
View attachment 3432974

While these are all good pictures, I just love your picture of Henny Penny! She looks like a great big, fluffy marshmallow!

 

[rural mouse]

Awww - poor Lark!

To be honest, I'm not quite sure if it's Lark or Indigo (or both) starting the nests elsewhere. I did find one of them on one, and the hormonal idiots followed....lately, someone's (or several someones) working on a nest on the ground inside the coop. That location would be ideal for hatching: ground built, sheltered, inside the coop so safe from the magpies and ground predators. So far no one is sitting. It's still too early for that. Once the bluebirds come back, then should be good....if the Idiots will leave the prospective mother alone....

 

[RoyalChick]

Okay... so if I've got this right, if I get new chickens, other than quarantine for a period to make sure they aren't actually ill, I don't really have to worry about my unvaccinated flock that much.

I wish that were true but I don't think it is that simple. If you get newly hatched chicks who have never been outside a brooder you can introduce them whether they are vaccinated or not and not worry about the rest of your flock.
If your unvaccinated flock has Marek's and if the newly hatched chicks are unvaccinated then the new chicks might be in danger, but the unvaccinated flock are not at risk from the new chicks.

If you introduce an older chicken it is more complicated. If the older chicken has been exposed to Marek's they might infect the unvaccinated members of your flock. There is really no way to tell if the new chicken has Marek's apart from having their blood or mucus tested in a lab (and of course even that isn't 100%).

If they have a super severe strain of Marek's and are not vaccinated they will probably die while in quarantine so then you would know. And if they are very old and not sick they probably (not definitely) don't have Marek's.

Otherwise they might be vaccinated and living happily while infected. Or they may be unvaccinated and have Marek's and infect the other chickens.

From my understanding any bird over 30 weeks unvaccinated has likely had its immune system challenged by the virus already in the natural environment. Thus it would be fine.

Yes - I have read that the Marek's virus is so widespread that you can sort of assume that the chicken has had Marek's. I have never heard the 30 weeks timeframe for that.
Because of the nature of the disease however a living chicken who has been exposed to Marek's will likely be passing it around to its friends. It isn't like a cheap vaccine, the virus is in them and might cause them problems, or might be passed on to other chickens where it might cause problems.
The only thing you can know for sure, is that if they encountered a very virulent strain and are not vaccinated then they will die very soon.

Sorry to sound so wishy washy about this - but this is why there is so much controversy about the whole topic, it is genuinely tricky to know what to do.

Personally I am very cautious. I have my birds tested, I made @bgmathteach test her birds before I took them, I test every chicken that dies and I introduce vaccinated chicks. My reading of the evidence is that for a small flock owner vaccination is by far the best way to go. Many have concluded the same as me, but some go a different route and accept there will be losses.

 

[RoyalChick]

Vaccine geek talk tax.
Another BFTP - little baby Bernadette.

 

[RoyalChick]

And here is Babs wishing everyone a happy Thirsty Thursday

 

[Ponypoor]

Dear Aurora,

My name is Lark. I'm just under a year old and I'm trying to find a place where I can lay my eggs and hatch babies (I'm not ready to sit on them yet). If I use a nest box, my human takes the eggs. I've tried hiding my nest in other locations. The one I put in the open shed thing (carport) was great....until the magpies found some of the others' eggs, ate them and led my human to search for my nest. She found me on the nest and left me alone, but the idiot roosters followed her and found me. THEY TRIED TO MATE ME WHILE I WAS TRYING TO LAY AN EGG!!! I started looking for another place to lay. If I lay in the coop, my human takes the eggs. If I lay outside the coop, others join me, magpies steal some of the eggs, and the Idiots accost me. What do I do?

Frustrated future mother,

LarkView attachment 3433134

Lark, my Misty has a similar issue, and the others keep throwing her out of the nest boxes, both Misty and I are going to see how we can correct this, and will make suggestions. Though I am sure Aurora’s suggestions will be more appropriate than mine or Misty’s

 

[Ponypoor]

Vaccine geek talk tax.
Another BFTP - little baby Bernadette.
View attachment 3433151

Awwww so cute

While these are all good pictures, I just love your picture of Henny Penny! She looks like a great big, fluffy marshmallow!

She reminds me of those Grouse / Ptarmigan with her feathered feet and she just is so fluffy!

I wish that were true but I don't think it is that simple. If you get newly hatched chicks who have never been outside a brooder you can introduce them whether they are vaccinated or not and not worry about the rest of your flock.
If your unvaccinated flock has Marek's and if the newly hatched chicks are unvaccinated then the new chicks might be in danger, but the unvaccinated flock are not at risk from the new chicks.

If you introduce an older chicken it is more complicated. If the older chicken has been exposed to Marek's they might infect the unvaccinated members of your flock. There is really no way to tell if the new chicken has Marek's apart from having their blood or mucus tested in a lab (and of course even that isn't 100%).

If they have a super severe strain of Marek's and are not vaccinated they will probably die while in quarantine so then you would know. And if they are very old and not sick they probably (not definitely) don't have Marek's.

Otherwise they might be vaccinated and living happily while infected. Or they may be unvaccinated and have Marek's and infect the other chickens.


Yes - I have read that the Marek's virus is so widespread that you can sort of assume that the chicken has had Marek's. I have never heard the 30 weeks timeframe for that.
Because of the nature of the disease however a living chicken who has been exposed to Marek's will likely be passing it around to its friends. It isn't like a cheap vaccine, the virus is in them and might cause them problems, or might be passed on to other chickens where it might cause problems.
The only thing you can know for sure, is that if they encountered a very virulent strain and are not vaccinated then they will die very soon.

Sorry to sound so wishy washy about this - but this is why there is so much controversy about the whole topic, it is genuinely tricky to know what to do.

Personally I am very cautious. I have my birds tested, I made @bgmathteach test her birds before I took them, I test every chicken that dies and I introduce vaccinated chicks. My reading of the evidence is that for a small flock owner vaccination is by far the best way to go. Many have concluded the same as me, but some go a different route and accept there will be losses.

Hmmmmm lots to think about, I will have to do some investigation into this for poultry here in Canada.

And here is Babs wishing everyone a happy Thirsty Thursday

View attachment 3433152

isn’t it amazing how fast they grow up

 

[Ponypoor]

Avian Flu

The Toronto Zoo has closed their walk-through displays as there has been a poultry farm here in West Lincoln Ontario found to have the flu.

Guess I will be taking precautions for that also!

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6780572

 

[rural mouse]

Lark, my Misty has a similar issue, and the others keep throwing her out of the nest boxes, both Misty and I are going to see how we can correct this, and will make suggestions. Though I am sure Aurora’s suggestions will be more appropriate than mine or Misty’s

The only ones harassing Lark in a nest are the Idiots (Horus and Kren) and only on the ground nests. She hasn't actually gone broody....yet...she's still nest hunting.

 

[BY Bob]

This is Why I can't Watch Roosting Anymore

Look at poor Glynda

I figure it was the brat on the Maleficent roost where Glynda normally roosts.