Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[SimpleJenn]

There's a chance either of those polish eggs could be a frizzle! I'm a fan of the feather dusters...

 

[featherhead007]

Good boy Rudy. It sounds like you little man is growing up. Have your hens realized yet that they once again have a rooster to look to for guidance or do they still see him as a annoying chick?

 

[RoyalChick]

I asked my vet about vaccinations for my chooks and apparently it is not a thing here for personal backyard flocks.

Only commercial factory farms vaccinate - one cannot even get vaccine here to do with one’s own birds.

The Hoover chicks all come vaccinated for Mareks which is extremely worrying for me as my own birds are not, there has been cases of vaccine leakage from vaccinated birds into a population not vaccinated. Which is one of the reason I was so aggressive with treating the whole flock for coccidiosis - I didn’t want anything to stress them and lower their resistance. I also wormed everyone again this week.

And I just noted they vaccinate for coccidia as well. - that explains my chickies getting ill; they say not to feed medicated feed if they have been vaccinated for coccidia! It cancels out the vaccine. Well duh! I didn’t realize this.

Wish I had checked this out, and wish Peavey Mart had mentioned this!


Rain rain rain. Did it ever rain last night!

Poor Fluffy was not so fluffy!
View attachment 3906625

Vaccinated chickens only pass on Marek’s if they are exposed to the disease. They don’t get symptoms but can be contagious. If they don’t contract Marek’s they aren’t a risk to other chickens.

 

[Sylvester017]

I asked my vet about vaccinations for my chooks and apparently it is not a thing here for personal backyard flocks.

Only commercial factory farms vaccinate - one cannot even get vaccine here to do with one’s own birds.

The Hoover chicks all come vaccinated for Mareks which is extremely worrying for me as my own birds are not, there has been cases of vaccine leakage from vaccinated birds into a population not vaccinated. Which is one of the reason I was so aggressive with treating the whole flock for coccidiosis - I didn’t want anything to stress them and lower their resistance. I also wormed everyone again this week.

And I just noted they vaccinate for coccidia as well. - that explains my chickies getting ill; they say not to feed medicated feed if they have been vaccinated for coccidia! It cancels out the vaccine. Well duh! I didn’t realize this.

Wish I had checked this out, and wish Peavey Mart had mentioned this!

I don't know about Canadian laws but private reputable breeders and USA hatcheries here can vaccinate for Marek's ~ with my local breeder it is standard. And spread of vaccine infections don't happen with safety measures and separation/quarantine of vaccinated chicks ~ vaccinated 1-day old chicks are shipped from USA hatcheries when a customer requests vaccinated chicks.

Authorities would be down all over breeders or hatcheries if they weren't certified here. And as always good breeders and hatcheries recommend separation/quarantine at least for 1 month for illness observation before integrating new chicks/birds into existing flocks. We personally keep our new birds separated at least 2-3 months before mingling.

With a limit of 5 hens/no roos we have the luxury of being extra solicitous "helicopter" chicken parents in watching quarantined new birds. Years ago on my folks farm (1940's) there wasn't the proximity of farm flocks to spread infection but in this crowded world of chicken owners and industrial poultry businesses with billions of chickens worldwide it's a whole different environment for disease spread today and I'm personally grateful for vaccinations.

A more spreadable chicken vaccination IMO is the live fowl pox virus under-wing scratch. Reminds me of the 1950's live polio scratch vaccines they gave us school kids. It wasn't till decades later a dead polio virus developed. Ah! We older generation kids were the guinea pigs of govt-mandated experiments!

Tx ~ CROOKED WATTLES WEDNESDAY

Uneven as a juvenile and still uneven now

 

[RoyalChick]

I am home! All chickens are accounted for and laid their eggs in the nest boxes as a treat for me!
One of my steps seems to have been destroyed by dust bathing, and my little chicken paths are definitely overgrown!

 

[Sylvester017]

I am home! All chickens are accounted for and laid their eggs in the nest boxes as a treat for me!
One of my steps seems to have been destroyed by dust bathing, and my little chicken paths are definitely overgrown!
View attachment 3906896View attachment 3906897View attachment 3906898View attachment 3906900View attachment 3906902

I look forward to your garden/property pics! So pretty!

 

[featherhead007]

She's getting close to laying!

Really,? That soon ? They are only a few months old

 

[RoyalChick]

Everyone seems to have grown accustomed to the hippy curtains and happily barge through or under it.

And I just discovered the flight I missed actually left late. Because the pilot was stuck in the same mess I was stuck in, so in the end I landed only 30mins later than if I had taken the flight they wouldn’t let me on.

 

[featherhead007]

I am home! All chickens are accounted for and laid their eggs in the nest boxes as a treat for me!
One of my steps seems to have been destroyed by dust bathing, and my little chicken paths are definitely overgrown!
View attachment 3906896View attachment 3906897View attachment 3906898View attachment 3906900View attachment 3906902

Vellcommen bachenn

 

[RoyalChick]

Sorry, I am hogging the thread. Just happy to be home and visit with my chickens. I need to go in now and find some cats. I am sure they are sulking.
Travel home tax: a pretty chicken