Hatching Eggs / Paypal CHAT Thread

[Brookhavens]

Well, I can almost guarantee that I can at least compete with almost anyone here for worst day. And it takes a lot to write this when all I want to do is crawl in to a hole.

I brought home some adult birds on Valentines day. They were to be the start of my Dorking program and I was terribly excited about getting them. I have had them in quarantine now for almost 2 months. Because they seemed fine after 4 weeks, I have relaxed my quarantine procedures a bit for the last few weeks…(not washing hands or feet etc) but I haven’t let them out with my others because been building a coop/separate area for them ( & didn’t want them interbreeding with my Barnevelders) Well last week one of the roosters started sneezing and got gurgly in the chest. I sat out there with them to observe for a while and realized that two of them were sniffly. So I bit the bullet and took the two birds to the state testing lab on Friday.

I just got the results today. MG.
My immediate reaction was: horror… CULL!

But I just got off the phone with the guy...Straining to understand him.
But the salient points are:

• Most (75%-90%) backyard flocks have MG(???!!!???!!!!) but because there are many strains, and many are not serious, most people don’t know they have it.
• Evidently MG is a pandemic on the east coast in house finches and many on the east coast are carriers. (Also American goldfinches, purple finches, evening grosbeaks and pine grosbeaks.) My Quarantine pen is right under the birdfeeder on our deck where we feed all of these birds BOSS. Some of it falls through and the birds go in to get it.
• Even if I destroy these birds, my flock is at risk forever because it is in the local wild bird population and unless I stop free ranging and put them in a building where they can have no access to wild birds, they can pick it up. This would mean hardware cloth small enough that a finch can’t get through and roof so that a wild bird can’t poop into the run. (2 years ago before I even had chickens I rescued a blind house finch from my garden and nursed it back to health…I just didn’t know that THAT was MG)
• MG can get passed through to the egg in a bird that is actively shedding. The PCR test indicated that the birds were not shedding much (if at all.) I have no idea if my Barnevelders have been exposed but it takes two weeks to become infected. These guys only started coughing last week. And I have had them in Quarantine…but one of the scenarios is that they got it from the wild birds here.
• Most hatcheries don’t test for MG. NPIP makes you test for Pullorium and sometimes AI but they don’t care about MG because it can’t be transmitted to humans. So you can even get it from NPIP certified breeders.

I have seen no symptoms at all in my real flock. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t have it or are not carriers. 2-5% of birds who get over the disease become carriers and this is such a mild strain that it is hard to say. Just sniffles, no morbidity. And the fact that I take really good care of my birds and they are not at all stressed EVER would allow this to hide more easily.

So at the very least, my flock is now closed. I will be waiting a month or so for anything to manifest and then have blood testing done on my whole flock. I have some hard decisions to make. If this is in the local bird population…and I know it is, there isn’t anything I can do to not eventually get it if I want to free-range my chickens.

To anyone who has hatched out chicks from me I apologize most profoundly. I tried to do the best with Biosecurity that I could. I have some reason to believe that my eggs to this point have been safe as my girls have never shown any symptoms, but there is always a chance and I don’t blame you if you are worried &/or angry.

Anyone I owe eggs to I will pay off with paypal. Please send me your paypal address.

So now I will never breed any chickens. I will keep the females for eggs and a friend will help me dispatch the males. I will not sell eggs or chicks. My chicken plans are now shattered into a million pieces.

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes and just shaking my head. I can't even fathom the grief that you must be feeling let alone the shock. My heart pours out to you and I have said a prayer in hopes that the good Lord can help you through this.

 

[madamwlf]

Nope, looks like only 2 and one that isn't going to make it. I am going to try to get her to send me some makeups on the next assortment. I actually just paid for this one flat out instead of a RBA. The one that is not going to make it has the duplex comb too.

That stinks.

 

[NotAFarm]

Quote:

caj, GREAT NEWS! Prayers for Andy's testing and for your safety during travel will be said daily until we hear results.

pysankigirl.

 

[WVstruttin]

Madam, sent you a pm

 

[puglady]

...

if you want to be more positive about it, I always ask questions that  let them know I am trying to find the problem. "  what  thermometer are you useing ( if it does not do .1  it wont tell you if you are a full degree off usually) ? did  it go up or down more then 2 degrees?  did you check  in more then one place in teh incubator? did you calibrate the incubator? what humidity did you  hatch at/ lockdown at?" If I can find what did the eggs in, they usualy  a/ are grateful for the help b/ get that it isn't the eggs. Some peopel are not worth it, however. 

I send a lot of Marans eggs out, that are  sensitive to crappy incubators. I can get 100% in a good incubator, even shipped, so  if they are a new hatcher, we have " the talk" before I send. But, I was in customer service for a while, so I like to head off problems before they happen.

Thanks everyone for their responses!
When I do sell on eBay I post advise right in the listing on how to handle/hatch the eggs. I really don't know anything about recalibrating a hydrometer as I have the 1588's and they're pretty much set it and forget it.

NotaFarm reported that 5 of 7 are still going after 10 days and I have good fertility here so its not the eggs. I did go ahead and offer her 6 more eggs though as long as she pays the shipping.

Pisankigirl- Many hugs go out to you!

 

[reesepoultry]

I take back every terrible thing I saix about the usps today, at least. Both boxes of birds are in Tennessee. They got bumped for dry ice shippment with about 30 other boxes of live birds. They put them in a warm room last night, gave them water and grapes. The msp hub supervisor fianally found the Tennessee supervisior, told you there was a phone...., he found my boxes from reese and EVERY single bird is alive and chirping happily. He didnt check on the one from cof, but said they are all together. s She promised they are headed for the plane right now and will be here in a couple of hours. Thank you all....ill update.

Oh my gosh, I am so glad they found them for you. Please let me know how they are when you get them. I find it hard to believe that she got into the boxes real well though. They are zip tied shut. The chick box is zip tied on all 4 sides. I do sure hope that they are all still good though.

 

[puglady]

I take back every terrible thing I saix about the usps today, at least. Both boxes of birds are in Tennessee. They got bumped for dry ice shippment with about 30 other boxes of live birds. They put them in a warm room last night, gave them water and grapes. The msp hub supervisor fianally found the Tennessee supervisior, told you there was a phone...., he found my boxes from reese and EVERY single bird is alive and chirping happily. He didnt check on the one from cof, but said they are all together. s She promised they are headed for the plane right now and will be here in a couple of hours. Thank you all....ill update.

:

chickies!

 

[RoyalT]

Got my Easter Buddy box today It had jam, jelly, flower seeds, cookies, and 6 EE eggs (which I'm going to put in the bator, but they spent 8 days getting here, so not super hopeful. How it took 8 days to get from Oregon to Montana... gotta love the USPS). Thank you VERY MUCH to my Easter buddy!!

My dear, dear husband took out about 12 annoying Cottonwood trees on our property line today. The top of one grazed the yak pen fence, leading to a minor escape adventure (just one of the girls). That was fun! Took less than 10 minutes to get her back in, so no biggie. I love these yak, so easy to manage The bator is putting along, hoping at least some of those CCL eggs hatch for me! My darn Shetland ewe hasn't lambed yet, and I really hope she goes soon. I could use a little cute fuzzy baby about now. Bred my 5 rabbit does yesterday, so here's hoping they all took. The two bucks were still looking a bit exhausted today. Ducky is brooding 20 scovy eggs, so I should have ducklings in May Oh, and the kiddo got his first real haircut today, now no one will wonder if he's a girl! 16 months was pushing it a little, I guess...


Sorry about everyone's tough breaks lately =/ I lost my Wheaten Am pullet this week... She's just gone *sigh* Oh well. She was my only purebred chick from the NYDH.

 

[babymakes6]

Got my Easter Buddy box today It had jam, jelly, flower seeds, cookies, and 6 EE eggs (which I'm going to put in the bator, but they spent 8 days getting here, so not super hopeful. How it took 8 days to get from Oregon to Montana... gotta love the USPS). Thank you VERY MUCH to my Easter buddy!!

My dear, dear husband took out about 12 annoying Cottonwood trees on our property line today. The top of one grazed the yak pen fence, leading to a minor escape adventure (just one of the girls). That was fun! Took less than 10 minutes to get her back in, so no biggie. I love these yak, so easy to manage The bator is putting along, hoping at least some of those CCL eggs hatch for me! My darn Shetland ewe hasn't lambed yet, and I really hope she goes soon. I could use a little cute fuzzy baby about now. Bred my 5 rabbit does yesterday, so here's hoping they all took. The two bucks were still looking a bit exhausted today. Ducky is brooding 20 scovy eggs, so I should have ducklings in May Oh, and the kiddo got his first real haircut today, now no one will wonder if he's a girl! 16 months was pushing it a little, I guess...


Sorry about everyone's tough breaks lately =/ I lost my Wheaten Am pullet this week... She's just gone *sigh* Oh well. She was my only purebred chick from the NYDH.

Sounds like you had an exciting day!

I take back every terrible thing I saix about the usps today, at least. Both boxes of birds are in Tennessee. They got bumped for dry ice shippment with about 30 other boxes of live birds. They put them in a warm room last night, gave them water and grapes. The msp hub supervisor fianally found the Tennessee supervisior, told you there was a phone...., he found my boxes from reese and EVERY single bird is alive and chirping happily. He didnt check on the one from cof, but said they are all together. s She promised they are headed for the plane right now and will be here in a couple of hours. Thank you all....ill update.

WOW! What great news!

Okay, one of you sent my the stomach flu through the net. Who did it? Come on, fess up.

Good gracious this is no time to get sick.

It wasn't me! We seem to finally be over it for good!

good to know I am not alone in the refreshing of the USPS tracking ap.

I send messages to buyers/receivers when they dont go get their boxes too.

I cannot always go get mine as soon as they get in. I have 5 children under 8, and I have to take Olivia to school every morning.

Quote: Same here! I cried when I read that.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Quote: yeah but thats different from not tracking and being aware the box is there. a couple of hours is normal, all day is not as far as time of arrival to time of picking up

I send the messages because we had a box travel for two days, buyer didnt track it, and "went out for a girls day" the day they arrived. They didnt get picked up till almost 5 and she was angry that they were weak when she opened the box. We had a second buyer who knew the box was in route and had a family emergency taking her away, the box was a day early and she wouldnt have known.