INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[bradselig]

Since changing the bedding to the peppered horse stall bedding I have not had. One issue with coccidia.

Also while on the topic has anyone used the coccidia vaccine?

 

[kittydoc]

I am so sad. Lost 2 chicks last night. That brings the grand total to four chicks that died that all came from same place - never lost chicks before hers.

We finally seem to be winning the battle with the lice but it is time consing to wash and dry 19 chicks, well now only 17. The washing was finally what worked. Felt like things were looking up with these chicks finally. And now this. They seemed fine yesterday.

I just want to cry. I've been sick which probably makes me feel worse about this. I can't believe what a nightmare these chicks have been.

Oh how awful. You probably should use something more than constant washing/drying since so many are affected, and to the point they are dying (quite possibly from anemia). Add a vitamin supplement to their water for a few weeks, available at TSC or RK (no added iron, though), and I would suggest treating them with Sevin 5% powder. The Chicken Chick has info on mites, lice, prevention, and treatment here: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/08/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification.html, including how to treat them with Sevin powder. Be sure to buy a disposable mask OTC so you and your helper don't wind up inhaling much of it yourself. You might also want to give them some extra protein (meal worms, or scrambled egg bits) to help recover. Avoid stressing them more than absolutely necessary for treatment.

People don't often realize that external parasites can cause death, especially in young chicks, kittens, and puppies. A heavy flea infestation can kill a kitten (usually double-whammy of flea bite anemia and tapeworms) or small puppy. They just don't have much blood to lose. That's even more true with chicks.

And I'm soooo sorry. Prayers for all of you (chickens and people)!

 

[bradselig]

So after the district manager called me Friday, the store manager called me Sat wanting an interview today. After leaving interview he called me back and wants a second interview with district manager tomorrow! Hopefully it all works out!

 

[kittydoc]

Since changing the bedding to the peppered horse stall bedding I have not had. One issue with coccidia.

Also while on the topic has anyone used the coccidia vaccine?

I haven't, though I continue to ponder it. A lot of large private breeders do. Some of my Jubilee chicks that I purchased were vaccinated against it.

There are some vaccines that are NOT recommended unless/until you have a problem, but I believe the coccidiosis vaccine is pretty benign. It's caused by a different type of organism (not a virus or bacterium), so I do not believe that the problem with some modified live vaccines reverting to the virulent form (that causes illness) is a problem. Fowl pox and especially infectious laryngotracheitis vaccines are ones you don't want to use for prevention in a clean flock because they are modified live vaccines. ILT is particularly notorious for reverting, and you can actually introduce the disease in a totally clean flock by using an unnecessary vaccine. However, if you have a fowl pox or ILT problem that has been confirmed, then use of the vaccines is warranted.

I recommend the coccidiosis vaccine for anyone who moves a lot of birds in/out, especially without quarantine, or who has a lot of high value birds. It's the latter point (high value) that is making me think about it. I only buy a few birds a year (6 or fewer) and always quarantine them. I'm not so much worried about deaths in adult birds from coccidiosis (that's rare if you pay any attention to your birds at all), but chicks are quite susceptible and it definitely can kill them.

 

[kittydoc]

If you didn't catch my reference earlier, HPAI is now confirmed in Michigan. My guess is that it is surely in our wild waterfowl, too. No domestic flocks have been affected in Michigan as of today.

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WASHINGTON, June 8, 2015 -- The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) in a wild Canada goose in Macomb County, Michigan. This is the first finding of the Eurasian lineage avian influenza viruses in wild birds in Michigan. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the risk to the general public from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks, and commercial poultry, to be low. No human infections with the virus have been detected at this time.

The sample, taken from a sick bird, was tested by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health and confirmed by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world. As part of the existing USDA avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners as well as industry are responding quickly and decisively to these outbreaks by following these five basic steps: 1) Quarantine – restricting movement of poultry and poultry-moving equipment into and out of the control area; 2) Eradicate – humanely euthanizing the affected flock(s); 3) Monitor region – testing wild and domestic birds in a broad area around the quarantine area; 4) Disinfect – kills the virus in the affected flock locations; and 5) Test – confirming that the poultry farm is AI virus-free. USDA also is working with its partners to actively look and test for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.

 

[chick rookie]

I wouldn't say be done maybe ask for a garrentee like me my birds are awesome and I trust that they are well taken care of and if I were to give/sell chicks or full frowns to someone I'd offer a return or something like that

I would not give a grantee on chicks personally, only because you don't know how they will be treated or handled ect... to many things that could be the new owners fault and you end up paying for it. Just my op.

So the Silkie chick that was not doing well, started to seem to perk up last night...but she ended up passing.

I cant handle this, it just rips my heart in half to have sick birds. Especially babies. I should, actually I am going to send this chick for a necropsy ASAP.

Sorry for your loss, its hard I know.

So the poo test came back positive for coccidiosis. I am so mad that I let my guard down and let a chicken person in my home/yard!!! I am treating with corid. I am so scared that I am going to lose more babies. Anyone have ANY tips or anything I can do to help with the survival of these birds? I am just sick to my stomach!

I have gone through that before, I was totally new and lost my whole flock. So sorry.

It sounds like you have a handle on things and you caught it fast so heres hoping for a good outcome

I haven't, though I continue to ponder it. A lot of large private breeders do. Some of my Jubilee chicks that I purchased were vaccinated against it.

There are some vaccines that are NOT recommended unless/until you have a problem, but I believe the coccidiosis vaccine is pretty benign. It's caused by a different type of organism (not a virus or bacterium), so I do not believe that the problem with some modified live vaccines reverting to the virulent form (that causes illness) is a problem. Fowl pox and especially infectious laryngotracheitis vaccines are ones you don't want to use for prevention in a clean flock because they are modified live vaccines. ILT is particularly notorious for reverting, and you can actually introduce the disease in a totally clean flock by using an unnecessary vaccine. However, if you have a fowl pox or ILT problem that has been confirmed, then use of the vaccines is warranted.

I recommend the coccidiosis vaccine for anyone who moves a lot of birds in/out, especially without quarantine, or who has a lot of high value birds. It's the latter point (high value) that is making me think about it. I only buy a few birds a year (6 or fewer) and always quarantine them. I'm not so much worried about deaths in adult birds from coccidiosis (that's rare if you pay any attention to your birds at all), but chicks are quite susceptible and it definitely can kill them.

I had to look up words... lol





Cant believe I'm caught up already, only took 2 hours, lol
DH gone and done it again!!!! He came home from the auction with Another BOAR goat, Billy this time. says now " I " can breed my Boar does ( 2 ) .
Why cant he come home with LaMancha's or some good looking Oberhasli's??????? Just wormed everyone last week due to the Little doe he brought home being loaded with them.

He is determined to take me in a totally opposite direction then I want to go in ( I want diary ) .
Will get pic's in a couple days and you can be sure I will share... lol
Lost another Silkie chick to drowning. I have bricks in the water pans so they can get out if they fall in but I guess That don't work. I don't know what to do about it now.

While at the auction last weekend DH ran into some friends, a deal was struck involving chickens and goats and boy oh boy did we come out on the losing end of that deal. These birds he was given, that actually cost us ( the price of a goat ) was not even allowed out of the bed of DH's truck!!!!! These birds looked so bad!!!! I had a fit!! Told DH didn't care what he did with those birds but they didn't come off his truck on this property, and once he got rid of them he was to wash that truck before he came back home!!! We were supposed to get 10 RIR pullets and a BO Rooster of 1 yr old.
What he brought home I have no ideal, but it sure wasn't what we were told, and showed pic's of... these birds were skinny, no feathers, they smelled REAL BAD, and wild as all get out

. And they argued that those birds looked good and " feathers grow back " if those birds looked good then I must have a yard full of " SHOW birds "... WOW just cant get over it, still mad about that today and it all happened Sunday.
DH called a friend of ours that deals with anything that is eatable..... ( I would not want to eat those birds but hey each to his own.. ) but DH could only gt 2 good hens and 2 pullets in trade for them, and DH said the friend didn't really want to do it at all but DH told him he wasn't allowed to come home with those birds so he had to take them... lol and he made the friend take the icky birds and wait for him to go wash his truck before he could take the 4 the friend was going to give him. Good darn thing, he still wouldn't be allowed back home otherwise.

ok Rant is over... thanks in advance for letting me vent... lol

 

[prairiegirl]

Concerning turkeys: hold them all the time. That's it pretty much. There's the obvious food/water/shelter stuff that you'd give any chick too. I've never had a problem brooding ducks, turkeys and chickens in the same space with the same amount of care. The biggest difference between those others and turkeys is that they need an incredible amount of tender handling and loves. Stick them in your jacket with you or otherwise allow them considerable cuddling time with you. While they can keep warm under a brooder lamp, they will prefer your company and warmth to a light pretty much every time. Turkeys are incredibly social and must have lots of social interaction and affection in order to thrive.

***
Also, a note on the weirdnesses peculiar to turkeys. When turkey poults are super happy, they make a really odd yawning, particularly when falling asleep or cuddling. It's not really a yawn, and they make do it numerous times in occasionally quick succession. I found it a bit distressing until jchny2000 told me that it's perfectly normal. Don't worry about it because you can kill a poult trying to "cure" it. Just take it as a compliment and move on with life

Thanks for the tips. Yes, our turkeys have quite the characters. They are always entertaining and up to quirky antics of some kind. I will have to watch for their "yawn" as I don't remember noticing that before. They are very noisy, voicing their opinions whenever they get the chance.

 

[ChickCrazed]

I haven't, though I continue to ponder it. A lot of large private breeders do. Some of my Jubilee chicks that I purchased were vaccinated against it.

There are some vaccines that are NOT recommended unless/until you have a problem, but I believe the coccidiosis vaccine is pretty benign. It's caused by a different type of organism (not a virus or bacterium), so I do not believe that the problem with some modified live vaccines reverting to the virulent form (that causes illness) is a problem. Fowl pox and especially infectious laryngotracheitis vaccines are ones you don't want to use for prevention in a clean flock because they are modified live vaccines. ILT is particularly notorious for reverting, and you can actually introduce the disease in a totally clean flock by using an unnecessary vaccine. However, if you have a fowl pox or ILT problem that has been confirmed, then use of the vaccines is warranted.

I recommend the coccidiosis vaccine for anyone who moves a lot of birds in/out, especially without quarantine, or who has a lot of high value birds. It's the latter point (high value) that is making me think about it. I only buy a few birds a year (6 or fewer) and always quarantine them. I'm not so much worried about deaths in adult birds from coccidiosis (that's rare if you pay any attention to your birds at all), but chicks are quite susceptible and it definitely can kill them.

When I talked to the vet at Valley State Vet he said he did not recommend the coccidosis vaccine because it is an illness of mis-management and easily prevented. Once you have seen it once, you then catch it early and it is easily treated. I ended up skipping that vaccine.

I agree with KittyDoc that unless you have a major issue or are constantly bringing in new or really expensive birds, it probably doesn't make sense to do.

 

[ChickCrazed]

I would not give a grantee on chicks personally, only because you don't know how they will be treated or handled ect... to many things that could be the new owners fault and you end up paying for it. Just my op.

X2 on this, I will guarantee them for a week or so, but even then you could end up paying for your buyer's stupidity. Of the 50 or so chicks I sold this Spring, I only had one guy call with a rooster death and it was coccidosis. I gave him the name of the medication and it was all good and he had no other losses, but I could see how a person could refuse to believe they were the cause and go about bad mouthing me as a seller. In this instance I am going to replace the rooster chick because it is a rooster chick and within a couple of weeks of the sale, even though it was not my fault, but it is always a slippery slope.

 

[bradselig]

X2 on this, I will guarantee them for a week or so, but even then you could end up paying for your buyer's stupidity.  Of the 50 or so chicks I sold this Spring, I only had one guy call with a rooster death and it was coccidosis.  I gave him the name of the medication and it was all good and he had no other losses, but I could see how a person could refuse to believe they were the cause and go about bad mouthing me as a seller.  In this instance I am going to replace the rooster chick because it is a rooster chick and within a couple of weeks of the sale, even though it was not my fault, but it is always a slippery slope. 

I have no guarantee in writing and I honestly dont think I've had anyone ask for a guarantee. I handle any issue case by case and try to right the issue then. If it is my fault, you can bet your butt I'm making it right and then more! But I will not jump through hoops to please people just trying to screw me. I've been in the shoes as both a buyer and a seller, I feel I have a good sense of what is fair for both parties.