INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

I just want to thank everyone for the good advice yesterday on my sick babies. They all seem to be coming around and they sound better.

I am going to go get some tylan today after class and start them on that and hopefully by the weekend they will be all better. Now I am just afraid of putting them back in with the other birds. I'm pretty sure it was coryza, just because of the smell

and I read that they will now be carriers, so I'm not sure what I want to do. I don't want to put my other birds at risk, but I had to separate Roadrunner (my polish) from his sister Gabby, who has been with him since they hatched together, I'm afraid they might get lonely for each other.

I might just have to put the "on the mend" ones in a coop/run of their own till I know they are better. Any suggestions on this??

I was talking w/the diagnostic lab at Purdue this morning and asking about doing nasal or pallet and cleft swabs for diagnosis. I need to call them back after 10 today when the doctor is in and ask more questions.

When I'm talking with them, I'll ask if you could do a swab for that. Not sure what items they can detect that way which is why I was calling - to find out what that would be good for.

The price isn't too bad for those and you can mail them in. Just need to get hold of the medical type swab and swab the pallet.

I'll post once I get more information on what it can detect.

Otherwise I think you do a blood draw for Coryza... but I'll find out.

 

[pginsber]

For those that have given injections to poultry. Where is the best place on the bird to give the injection?

I've given injections to chicks only--gathered skin at the rear of their neck, forming a tent between their 'shoulders'.

Picked up syringes when I bought the vaccine, however, my vet also sells me a handful whenever I need them.

Depending upon what you're injecting, a note of caution that a human insulin syringe may be too small of a diameter needle for the medicine, and may damage whatever medicine you're trying to inject.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@chickiebaby1

Sorry this is a long post. But there are a couple ways you can look at this.... (and I usually lean toward one of these more than the other but I think they are both valid......)

*************************************************

One is:
You know your flock has something. The birds that were sick were with all the others already so you know the whole flock is exposed. It appears that some of them have stronger immune systems or possibly have had whatever it is already and have produced anti-bodies to the situation. (That may be the case if all the sufferers are younger birds.) So if you take this route, you do one of 2 things:

A. Cull the weaker birds that got sick and keep only the strong ones that didn’t.

OR

B. Work on restoring the sick birds to health, adopt husbandry that helps build strong immune systems, and go on.

In either of these cases, you’ll never know what they had or if new chicks will be affected in a negative way by whatever may be in the flock. But the reality is that in the real world, we’re exposed to things all the time and that is how we build strong immune systems.

***********************

The other Route is:
Have tests run to determine whether it was something that is dangerous for the whole flock and then be able to make a decision on how to proceed based on knowing what the real issue is. That way you have peace of mind of knowing exactly what you’re dealing with so that it’s not a guess and you can make decisions based on what you really have. It will also help you determine if you can add birds to the flock in the future.


I spoke with Doctor Lin at ADDL (the diagnostic lab) and asked him about the best way to determine what you might be dealing with. I told him what your symptoms are and we discussed this for a bit. (I actually contacted them to ask about some other things, then I brought up your situation.)

Now I have to admit that Dr. Lin has a very strong accent and I think I understood most of what he was saying. I may have missed something in there, however, due to the accent.

What I understood him to say was that the best way to find out what is really going on would be to submit one of the live birds that showed symptoms and they would “sacrifice” the bird to do a necropsy to test for what the problem may be.

That being said, if you decide to go the testing route, I encourage you to talk with one of the lab techs in the office. They are easier to understand and they may be able to determine quite a bit by a mucous swab. What I wasn't able to get was if it would be helpful with the symptoms you are describing or not - mainly because I wasn't sure I understood what Dr. Lin was saying as it related to your situation.

Regarding the mucous swab.... They do those at $26 each with a $10 fee . This is called a Bacteriology Aerobic. It DOES NOT detect virus – only baceria. They can do a virus test but results take about 3 weeks and the price is much higher. (They didn’t state the price.) Along with the Bacteriology, you can do what I believe is called an Antimicrobial susceptibility swab test also. $15 for that. You just check them off on this form: http://www.addl.purdue.edu/Intranet/SOP/SOPs/CF/Accessioning/CF.749 Avian Health Form.pdf


Fees and forms can be found here: http://www.addl.purdue.edu/TestsFees/BySpecies.aspx

Talking with them helps a lot to understand what it is you need. I’d sure ask if there is a less drastic test that could be done short of sacrificing the bird.


ADDL at Purdue University
Mailing Address:
406 S University St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2065
Phone: (765) 494-7440
Fax: (765) 494-9181
Email: [email protected]



Edited because of misspelled words!

 

[ellymayRans]

I have been out this morning evaluating my flock and took pics of course! I see a few issues but overall happy with my own breeding so far. Very disappointed with some from other breeder but that's the risk you take I suppose. So pics. ..there are a few that made me laugh because of the action shots I got. Gotta lovem'!

ok..He's obviously not a chicken but showing off his new train growth since his molt!

 

[minmin1258]

Just wondering if anyone has heard from Barb S lately. I had issues with my phone and it deleted all my past conversations and many of my phone numbers (even th ones that were backed up)! Need her phone number back!!! I miss my buddy!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I got some Rural King to use on our goats. They are a bit big though. I was thinking of going back to get some smaller ones.

 

[hoosiercheetah]

Can silkies fly? What does it look like when they try?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

For those that have given injections to poultry.  Where is the best place on the bird to give the injection?

[COLOR=900000]You can give it under the skin as the others mentioned, or you can also inject it into the breast, rotating sides each time. The others answered the question of where to get them. Oh, and I didn't mention it, but the needle size recommended for Tylan is 20-22 gauge because Tylan is a bit too thick to go through anything smaller.[/COLOR]

I just want to thank everyone for the good advice yesterday on my sick babies. They all seem to be coming around and they sound better. I am going to go get some tylan today after class and start them on that and hopefully by the weekend they will be all better. Now I am just afraid of putting them back in with the other birds. I'm pretty sure it was coryza, just because of the smell  and I read that they will now be carriers, so I'm not sure what I want to do. I don't want to put my other birds at risk, but I had to separate Roadrunner (my polish) from his sister Gabby, who has been with him since they hatched together, I'm afraid they might get lonely for each other. I might just have to put the "on the mend" ones in a coop/run of their own till I know they are better. Any suggestions on this??

[COLOR=000090]Leahs Mom's post is very good advice on all fronts. I would separate the sick ones as well, and keep them separate until you can either test them or just permanently. As for your two that were raised together, there's not much to be said. If you're willing to allow her to possibly fall ill, you could move her as well. If there's a possibility that she didn't catch it, however, it may just be better to keep them away from one another. I'm terribly sorry this all has happened to you, and you may have some tough decisions ahead. I wish you the best of luck![/COLOR]



[COLOR=900000]Oh boy, clearly I'm tired! Edited because I can be slow sometimes.[/COLOR]

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I have been out this morning evaluating my flock and took pics of course! I see a few issues but overall happy with my own breeding so far. Very disappointed with some from other breeder but that's the risk you take I suppose. So pics. ..there are a few that made me laugh because of the action shots I got. Gotta lovem'!

ok..He's obviously not a chicken but showing off his new train growth since his molt!

[COLOR=900000]Love the peafowl! And that's quite a flock! Good luck with your evaluating! [/COLOR]

Just wondering if anyone has heard from Barb S lately. I had issues with my phone and it deleted all my past conversations and many of my phone numbers (even th ones that were backed up)! Need her phone number back!!! I miss my buddy!

[COLOR=000090]Mom and I were just talking about her! I know she's in the same area as us, but I have no idea where. Hope she's doing alright![/COLOR]

Can silkies fly?  What does it look like when they try?

[COLOR=900000]Mine flies pretty well, but not nearly as well as my normally feathered birds. She frequently flies up to perch in a bush in the chicken yard. I think she only flaps her wings out of instinct, though, because they don't do anything for her on the way down, either. [/COLOR]

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

[COLOR=900000]So I got all the way into Fort Wayne to the IPFW campus (about a half-hour drive from home, not sure the exact mileage) only to find out that class was cancelled today because of a power outage. So mom and I went out to eat and got some errands done. We put the 'duck shelf' up in the duck coop when we got home, so all that's left to do is get the hardware cloth up on the vents and do some touch-up painting. The ducks' quarantine ends in about 10 days, at which point they can hopefully move in and make themselves at home. (Oh yeah, I guess I should put up the run fencing, too, before moving the duckies if I don't want them to wander off into the woods. )[/COLOR]