- Oct 25, 2012
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- 0
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Its a long story so I am sorry, there ARE PICTURES IN MY PROFILE TO REFERENCE!! PLEASE HELP US
I have wanted chickens a very long time. Been collecting FREE wood for month and all other materials needed for a coop. From wood to wire, to tyvek and even metal roofing. As my husband was grabbing some wood from a building demo down the road another person pulled up for some as well and asked what it was for and my husband told him, and then this man proceeded to tell my husband about this lady that has some chickens he thinks she would part with for free.
I called her 2 weeks later on a whim (this was 3.5 weeks ago) because I was sick of waiting and I THREW a coop together. It was really quite impressive for my little 110lb self. Lifting 5x8' sheets of plywood. I am sure it was a sight to behold. So I went to get hte chickens and she let me barrow a HUGE dog kennel to transport and trusted I would bring it back, she had them all picked and packed before I got there. She filled my head with TONS of useful info (and some stuff I THOUGHT was not quite right too..like, dont clean out their coop ALL winter as the poo generates heat) UM...NO THANKS I was thinking! Now ALL the 6 hens looked GREAT 3 1.5 yr old buff orpington all laying and all plump but one really. The one that was NOT SO PLUMP I asked why she (and only she) was missing some feathers on her back. She said they just finished their molt and that they should grow in soon. One of the other ones that looked very healthy was over sprayed with purple paint and she told me she got int he way as she was trying to spray her rooster (NO IDEA WHAT ANY OF THAT MEANT, BUT OK) Then she gave me 3 - 4 month old white rocks. They all look good, a little small and they do NOT lay YET, but they are young still.
After 3 days of them being cooped up I FINALLY let them out (HEY, I FELT bad, I couldnt leave them in there for 1 whole week. You should have seen her coop. I GOOD sized fenced in basically MUD PIT, with a small camper for shetler for them) So I felt bad leaving them in their new 5'x8'x3' coop. I knew I would free range them so the small size is not an issue, and they really LOVED it as ALL THREE hens already laying were giving me eggs EVERY DAY! When I returned the dog crate even she was like "WOW, they must be happy" Then I went to a local agway and bought a GREAT looking rooster. I threw him right in with the free range hens and the first night he would not go in the coop. Okay, so he stayed out and every night thereafter they all went in together. They do EXACTLY as they should in the yard. The rooster leads the flock. I have foudn gREAT GREAT joy in watching them and seeing just how smart they truly are.
So 2.5 weeks ago I noticed these white spot forming on my normally healthy looking roosters wattle, but I only had him 3 days when I FIRST started to see these. EVERYTHING I was looking up showed BLACK spots so I have asked my farmer friends. 2 days later emailed the Agway I got the rooster from with pictures, and then called the vet (THEY CALLED ME THREE DAYS LATER MAY I ADD) Agway said I coudl return him but I really just wanted to know what was wrong, and SOLVE IT!! I LIKE my rooster and YES got attached in just a short week! So I kept him. After a few days so 2 weeks ago they began to turn black. The VET AND the agway place thought pox since they went white to black and at that point was flicking his head from aggrevation or pain I suspect Avian pox? The vet would have to come out at $90 to actually diagnose and provide medicine at additional cost. She suggested I wait it out at that point even since the roosters spots where drying and he was eating and drinking as he should.
Then a week ago I noticed the hen that was lacking some back feathers was now losing LOTS of feathers AND WEIGHT! And my rooster was too losing weight now, though I dont see he eats any less these days. All the hens crowns and wattles have looked great until TODAY! I see tiny spots here and there on ALL the buff orpingtons crowns, and their eyes are turning white and like foaming at the eyes, the one that was losing LOTS of feathers pretty mcuh lost 40% of them JUST LASTNIGHT and her and my rooster look so small all of a sudden. Pooping constantly with a mix of sometimes more solid and other times diarhea. That goes back and forth. They still act as usual, really except ALL EGG LAYING HAS DECEASED AS OF THIS WEEK! NO EGGS SINCE SATURDAY WHERE THERE WHERE 2 EGGS WITH A SMALLEST AMT OF BLOOD ON THE EGGS BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY BLOOD!
What the hey do I DO? :C I can hardly even look at them I feel this huge feeling of guilt, like I should have never done this. I was too uneducated. BUT I KNOW PLENTLY of people who have had chickens for years and nNEVER HAVE THEY EVER had an issue like this. I have cleaned my coop ... YES... now 5 times in the 3.5 weeks. Built them a new coop (well someone else did Its twice the size just better overall (that was saturday, so at first I wondered if it was stress from the new coop) We collect feathers of there and there are so so many all over my yard as it now also looks like the other 2 buffs are going to loose thier feather too because they look...LOOSE? If that makes any sense. So anyways...the feather, I have never noticed anything on them as I have the kids check them WELL but yesterday we picked up a feather with one red little spider looking thing. It was so so tiny. Was that a mite? It was the only one I have seen and I have held the chickens on MORE than one occassion.
ANY INSITE would be GREAT! NATURAL WAYS TO HEAL THEM!! Especially if you can save my flock AND save me $90 as I just did not EVER EXPECT a flock of chickens could succum to such horrible illness. It kills my heart to see them like this. HELP
I have wanted chickens a very long time. Been collecting FREE wood for month and all other materials needed for a coop. From wood to wire, to tyvek and even metal roofing. As my husband was grabbing some wood from a building demo down the road another person pulled up for some as well and asked what it was for and my husband told him, and then this man proceeded to tell my husband about this lady that has some chickens he thinks she would part with for free.
I called her 2 weeks later on a whim (this was 3.5 weeks ago) because I was sick of waiting and I THREW a coop together. It was really quite impressive for my little 110lb self. Lifting 5x8' sheets of plywood. I am sure it was a sight to behold. So I went to get hte chickens and she let me barrow a HUGE dog kennel to transport and trusted I would bring it back, she had them all picked and packed before I got there. She filled my head with TONS of useful info (and some stuff I THOUGHT was not quite right too..like, dont clean out their coop ALL winter as the poo generates heat) UM...NO THANKS I was thinking! Now ALL the 6 hens looked GREAT 3 1.5 yr old buff orpington all laying and all plump but one really. The one that was NOT SO PLUMP I asked why she (and only she) was missing some feathers on her back. She said they just finished their molt and that they should grow in soon. One of the other ones that looked very healthy was over sprayed with purple paint and she told me she got int he way as she was trying to spray her rooster (NO IDEA WHAT ANY OF THAT MEANT, BUT OK) Then she gave me 3 - 4 month old white rocks. They all look good, a little small and they do NOT lay YET, but they are young still.
After 3 days of them being cooped up I FINALLY let them out (HEY, I FELT bad, I couldnt leave them in there for 1 whole week. You should have seen her coop. I GOOD sized fenced in basically MUD PIT, with a small camper for shetler for them) So I felt bad leaving them in their new 5'x8'x3' coop. I knew I would free range them so the small size is not an issue, and they really LOVED it as ALL THREE hens already laying were giving me eggs EVERY DAY! When I returned the dog crate even she was like "WOW, they must be happy" Then I went to a local agway and bought a GREAT looking rooster. I threw him right in with the free range hens and the first night he would not go in the coop. Okay, so he stayed out and every night thereafter they all went in together. They do EXACTLY as they should in the yard. The rooster leads the flock. I have foudn gREAT GREAT joy in watching them and seeing just how smart they truly are.
So 2.5 weeks ago I noticed these white spot forming on my normally healthy looking roosters wattle, but I only had him 3 days when I FIRST started to see these. EVERYTHING I was looking up showed BLACK spots so I have asked my farmer friends. 2 days later emailed the Agway I got the rooster from with pictures, and then called the vet (THEY CALLED ME THREE DAYS LATER MAY I ADD) Agway said I coudl return him but I really just wanted to know what was wrong, and SOLVE IT!! I LIKE my rooster and YES got attached in just a short week! So I kept him. After a few days so 2 weeks ago they began to turn black. The VET AND the agway place thought pox since they went white to black and at that point was flicking his head from aggrevation or pain I suspect Avian pox? The vet would have to come out at $90 to actually diagnose and provide medicine at additional cost. She suggested I wait it out at that point even since the roosters spots where drying and he was eating and drinking as he should.
Then a week ago I noticed the hen that was lacking some back feathers was now losing LOTS of feathers AND WEIGHT! And my rooster was too losing weight now, though I dont see he eats any less these days. All the hens crowns and wattles have looked great until TODAY! I see tiny spots here and there on ALL the buff orpingtons crowns, and their eyes are turning white and like foaming at the eyes, the one that was losing LOTS of feathers pretty mcuh lost 40% of them JUST LASTNIGHT and her and my rooster look so small all of a sudden. Pooping constantly with a mix of sometimes more solid and other times diarhea. That goes back and forth. They still act as usual, really except ALL EGG LAYING HAS DECEASED AS OF THIS WEEK! NO EGGS SINCE SATURDAY WHERE THERE WHERE 2 EGGS WITH A SMALLEST AMT OF BLOOD ON THE EGGS BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY BLOOD!
What the hey do I DO? :C I can hardly even look at them I feel this huge feeling of guilt, like I should have never done this. I was too uneducated. BUT I KNOW PLENTLY of people who have had chickens for years and nNEVER HAVE THEY EVER had an issue like this. I have cleaned my coop ... YES... now 5 times in the 3.5 weeks. Built them a new coop (well someone else did Its twice the size just better overall (that was saturday, so at first I wondered if it was stress from the new coop) We collect feathers of there and there are so so many all over my yard as it now also looks like the other 2 buffs are going to loose thier feather too because they look...LOOSE? If that makes any sense. So anyways...the feather, I have never noticed anything on them as I have the kids check them WELL but yesterday we picked up a feather with one red little spider looking thing. It was so so tiny. Was that a mite? It was the only one I have seen and I have held the chickens on MORE than one occassion.
ANY INSITE would be GREAT! NATURAL WAYS TO HEAL THEM!! Especially if you can save my flock AND save me $90 as I just did not EVER EXPECT a flock of chickens could succum to such horrible illness. It kills my heart to see them like this. HELP
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