Half of my flock is gone!

[Blooie]

Blooie, I hope you know I wouldn't even suggest your birds aren't healthy. A friend of mine is taking our 2 BA's this week and I want her to isolate my birds before mingling too. It was just a caution to integrate carefully.

Love ya Blooie!

Absolutely not, NFc! I didn't even take it that way, my silly friend. Frankly, I don't care if the new birds are coming in from the sterile coop at my dear old Aunt Bertha's house and I know how she keeps her birds - if new birds are coming from her place to mine they will be isolated. Each setup has it's own invisible world living in it. So while Bessie's birds might be perfectly healthy and immune to what she has at her place, that doesn't mean mine are immune to what hers might bring into my coop. Common sense. So I know you weren't suggesting my birds were unhealthy - you were just exhibiting common sense, and I agree with it completely!

 

[N F C]

Oh good @Blooie , I was concerned for a mo.

I like how you stated this, "Each setup has it's own invisible world living in it. So while Bessie's birds might be perfectly healthy and immune to what she has at her place, that doesn't mean mine are immune to what hers might bring into my coop."

That perfectly explains it!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Weehopper]

Just a thought to add about reputable breeders. State fairs (and local fairs) will be starting soon. 4H'ers would be a good source of well cared for chickens. Also, loads of people show in the fairs. Might be a good resource. You can't show well without taking care of your chickens, eh?

 

[Sagebrush]

Update!
I just wanted to share an update. Two of my surviving hens were injured during the dog attack. They are the only 2 Barreds left. One was in shock and has recovered just fine. The other had several wounds, one very deep on her back just above the tail. It was so bad it made her tail droop. Well, she's making a full recovery as well! Her wounds are healing, feathers are coming back and her tail is back in place.
She's back in the coop, in a dog crate, with the other girls. As expected there's some attempted pecking through the wire and fussing going on but she couldn't be happier!

 

[Blooie]

You must have done a super job with your chicken nursing skills, Kathy! My offer still stands if you decide to come out and choose a couple -

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!

Hope you can replenish your stock soon!

 

[Blooie]

Oh good @Blooie , I was concerned for a mo.

I like how you stated this, "Each setup has it's own invisible world living in it. So while Bessie's birds might be perfectly healthy and immune to what she has at her place, that doesn't mean mine are immune to what hers might bring into my coop."

That perfectly explains it!

And it came back to bite me in the hiney! Sagebrush was set to come choose a couple of chickens this long weekend and wouldn't you know it? Mid-week I spotted a stupid mite on an egg. <shudder> So we are fighting the battle of the bugs! Today the entire coop was stripped of litter, roosts - absolutely stripped to the bare ground. Then we power washed the inside walls. If anyone ever laughs at you for painting the inside walls of your coop, laugh right back! We painted ours, but had a couple of spots where it was still bare plywood because we changed our minds last minute about where things were going in. Those spots had mites in the crevices. The painted walls did not because all of the crevices were filled with paint. You can bet those bare spots will be painted before this battle is over! After power washing we hit every surface in there with a liberal - and I do mean liberal - spray of Neem Oil. The roosts laying out on the ground were also power washed and hit with Neem Oil after they dried. Then we sprinkled the floor with garden lime, hit the corners and edges with Permethrin, and put a thin layer of fresh clean pine shavings, with a little added Permethrin dust on top for good measure.

The only thing that hasn't been done as far as spraying and such is the nests and the birds themselves. Those silly girls were still in and out of the nests, even while we were power washing! So the area right behind the nest boxes and the boxes themselves need to be done as soon as the last egg is laid this afternoon. Then tonight after they go to roost, we'll start grabbing every one, one by one, and dust her thoroughly. We'll repeat the Neem Oil, the dusting and hitting the floors again in a few days, then probably one more time.

I wouldn't have let a bird go out of here without having each one checked thoroughly first, and I planned to do that on Friday anyway so I would have discovered them before I gave any away. But it's still embarrassing, and I'm really glad we saw that one on the egg. The girls weren't showing any signs of distress and I never even suspected that mites were going to be a problem. You can bet your last dollar that no bird will go out of here before they are treated and inspected within an inch of their lives. Sagebrush was very nice about it - as soon as I found out I let her know right away. Just goes to show ya that even if you are doing the very best you can, you can still end up with an issue and you just have to dive in and tackle it head on. And that, my friends, is why we isolate birds even if we totally trust where they are coming from!

 

[N F C]

@Blooie what a job you had today! I'm glad you caught it before any of your birds had a problem.

If I have a problem with mites someday, I'm calling Blooie's Bug Busters! (You're in the phone book, right?)

 

[Frindizzle]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm so sorry about your losses.