Rain again. Granted, we need it, but I would like to have it only at night or while I'm at work. Is that too much to ask?
Went to the Columbus show and bought 3 wheaten Marans chicks; unfortunately they were all he had left and two were cockerels. But I also bought a dozen eggs from him, so maybe will even up the score.
Jchny, you will love your blue heeler. My Panda will be 13 years old in June and is completely blind from glaucoma. She has been the most trainable and devoted dog ever. Even after she lost her sight, she has tried to herd the guineas, take care of chicks, and baby sit the baby goats. When my mom went to pick up her rescue schnauzer, she was keeping Panda for the weekend for me and took her along. The schnauzer was terrified to come out of the carrier that the volunteer had him in, so Mom got Panda out of the car, and her new friend immediately came out of the crate--felt safe with Panda right away.
On the subject of Mareks, much depends upon the size of your flock and the potential exposure. Because I often have up to 200 birds, some of which are quite expensive, and take birds to shows, I do vaccinate. I had a round of Mareks a couple of years ago, and it is devastating and highly contagious. I had a conference with the animal diagnostic lab pathologist at Purdue, who has done extensive research with Mareks, and here is what she told me:
If I kept a small flock, say 20-30 just for me, or even to sell eggs, I wouldn't bother with it. But mine have too much potential exposure to infectious disease and the risk is too great not to vaccinate.
I'm also starting to vaccinate for coryza, as Marans tend to be more susceptible to it than most breeds, probably because the limited gene pool in the USA has weakened the immune system. I lost some beautiful birds to that disease after a show last fall, and even the disinfected coop that they were in can't be used again for a period of a year or two except for vaccinated chickens that were never exposed. Any chickens that were possibly exposed have had to be culled or quarantined for life.
So much for my limited medical knowledge! On another subject, love the idea of the county maps!
Whew! I've really been spouting! One last thing--keep those great pictures coming!
Went to the Columbus show and bought 3 wheaten Marans chicks; unfortunately they were all he had left and two were cockerels. But I also bought a dozen eggs from him, so maybe will even up the score.
Jchny, you will love your blue heeler. My Panda will be 13 years old in June and is completely blind from glaucoma. She has been the most trainable and devoted dog ever. Even after she lost her sight, she has tried to herd the guineas, take care of chicks, and baby sit the baby goats. When my mom went to pick up her rescue schnauzer, she was keeping Panda for the weekend for me and took her along. The schnauzer was terrified to come out of the carrier that the volunteer had him in, so Mom got Panda out of the car, and her new friend immediately came out of the crate--felt safe with Panda right away.
On the subject of Mareks, much depends upon the size of your flock and the potential exposure. Because I often have up to 200 birds, some of which are quite expensive, and take birds to shows, I do vaccinate. I had a round of Mareks a couple of years ago, and it is devastating and highly contagious. I had a conference with the animal diagnostic lab pathologist at Purdue, who has done extensive research with Mareks, and here is what she told me:
- A vaccinated bird is not a carrier unless it already had the virus before vaccination.
- Testing of the vaccine was done only with new chicks, but chickens can be vaccinated at any age, much like prescription medications that can be effective for uses other than those that the FDA initially approved. I should vaccinate any new bird, no matter what it's age.
- A chicken that shows symptoms should be culled immediately; it will only get progressively worse, infect other birds, and eventuallly die.
- Even keeping a closed flock does not guarantee that the virus isn't brought in, as wild birds can carry it.
If I kept a small flock, say 20-30 just for me, or even to sell eggs, I wouldn't bother with it. But mine have too much potential exposure to infectious disease and the risk is too great not to vaccinate.
I'm also starting to vaccinate for coryza, as Marans tend to be more susceptible to it than most breeds, probably because the limited gene pool in the USA has weakened the immune system. I lost some beautiful birds to that disease after a show last fall, and even the disinfected coop that they were in can't be used again for a period of a year or two except for vaccinated chickens that were never exposed. Any chickens that were possibly exposed have had to be culled or quarantined for life.
So much for my limited medical knowledge! On another subject, love the idea of the county maps!
Whew! I've really been spouting! One last thing--keep those great pictures coming!
Last edited:
