Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[snowflake]

Snowflake-s "collar" and he's been mine ever since.

We barely have any French Flying Rats (Pigeons) here, so a hawk would be a rare sight to see in the country even.
No real protection laws here in China yet and anyway any useable space has a large number of people on it. Animals are pushed to the brink unless they are pests or livestock.
I sweare a squirrel is a zoo worthy animal here.

Your average bird farm, even for ducks is just a huge pond for the poop to wash in, then a completely open area minus the little fence to keep people from grabbing one and running away. Absolute 0 predator protection required just measures to try and prevent theft.

I'm glad you found him, he may have been eaten otherwise, He is very pretty


I forgot you were in China,

.what an experience

I was told by some people that you can not house turkeys and chickens together... They said that there is some disease that the chickens can give the turkey... or the other way around. I don't remember which he said.. but one can give a disease to the other that can kill them. We wanted to add some turkeys this year, but after hearing that we are thinking twice about it.

this is true, turkeys can get black head which well kill them, but they do give chickens an immunity to Mareks. and maybe you can vaccinate for the black head????

 

[ChicwannaB]

yes, the diesease is called BlackHead, fatal to turkeys. They can pick it up from the soil where chickens poop. It does not kill chickens at all. FATAL to TURKEYS.

 

[Farmerboy16]

I found that ever since adding turkeys in my flock, I have not lost any chickens to hawks.

I was told by some people that you can not house turkeys and chickens together... They said that there is some disease that the chickens can give the turkey... or the other way around. I don't remember which he said.. but one can give a disease to the other that can kill them. We wanted to add some turkeys this year, but after hearing that we are thinking twice about it.

You can prevent blackhead by feeding poults meditated turkey starter, then they become immune to blackhead. I have been raising turkeys with chickens for 3 years now, and have had chickens for 10 years, and never seen blackhead issue.

 

[chickflick]

Krisrise has turkeys and chickens and hasn't had a problem.

Lady, breathtaking pics!

 

[Fancy Favie]

What is everyones thoughts on egg turning??? I am planning on an egg turner soon but in the meantime want to know how often do you all turn the eggs while incubating? I had a crappy hatch rate last time around and have been trouble shooting the issue ...... I did get a new thermometer so now there are 2 in the incubator it is a cabinet so ANY Ideas??

 

[SillyChicken]

I also have turkeys with chickens and have not had any issues. That is not a guarantee that someone else won't have any issues. I think the disease already has to be present in the soil for the chickens to transmit it to the turkeys. But don't quote me on that!

 

[NovaAman]

Chambertin... Please don't take offense, but your avatar just trips me out... LOL

My mom witnessed her cousin spinning a chicken when she was a kid. She was traumatized from it. I did my first broken neck last Friday morning. I don't think I did it quite right though, as the bird took about 3 minutes to finish breathing and heart to stop. I know this because I didn't let her go the whole time. Her heart did stop though before the breathing, that lasted a good 30 seconds after the heart. I didn't spin her, I just straightened her neck to it fullest length then gave a very hard tug. She let out a squawk, went limp. It was absolutely terrible, and I am almost thinking I like the tail pipe method... I hope to not have to do that again, but I probably will as I plan to have these silly birds around for a while.

About the hawks... I had to start leaving my birds in their run after a hawk decided it was prime feeding ground. Lost 3 birds in a matter of days. Then it still kept coming back and attacking even when I was with in feet of my birds. My run, the part I needed to cover is 12 wide and 20 long. I wish I had covered it in a pitched roof instead of a rounded, and used metal instead of PVC, but what's done is done. I will gradually over the summer start building the pitched instead until I have wood to come down from the top center to the side. So far I haven't had to much of a problem after adding in more supports after the first heavy snows. I was very terrified that parts would come down before then... Anyway, all I can say is I am happy to have finished the covered run. I do not begrudge the hawks an occasional meal, but I do begrudge them an open buffet on a continuous basis, especially when there are so many birds about that aren't mine!

I have to also say about cross beaked birds, I am on the fence. I guess I would have to see how they fared. If nothing else, then grow them up enough for a stew, definetly not to breed. If I had all hens, and they were able to keep up, eat well, then I might keep them for the eggs. But then I think of the other end of the spectrum... is it cruel to let them live? I feel it would depend on the extent of the deformity. Afterall, I have a hen who have very severely crippled toes. She walks, runs, roosts and even has raised chicks... I watch her feet for bumble... SO far, so good. I know, not the same thing, but still a deformity none the less that some would say I shouldn't have let go.

 

[RaZ]

I like how topics come up on this thread. The blackhead issue got me researching and reading. I found several good articles. Here is just one from the DNR.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26481--,00.html

 

[1muttsfan]

Favie, make sure to calibrate your thermometers - you could have 10 in there and they could all be wrong

(that goes for hygrometers as well)

Blackhead is caused by a protozoal organism, Histomonas meleagridis. This organism has part of it's lifecycle in a common intestinal worm of chickens. These intestinal worms can stay in the soil for as long as 4 years. Earthworms can also harbor the organism. Birds are exposed via fresh liquid feces, or by eating one of the carriers. Chickens and game birds (such as pheasant and quail) can carry the organism and pass it on, but are not themselves as susceptable as Turkeys, which have a high mortality rate. Feeding young poults medicated turkey starter will control the disease, but if the environment is infested every turkey raised there must be on it from then on. Adult turkeys which themselves are not sick can pass the infestation on to young birds as well.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Quote:Originally Posted by SillyChicken Beautiful! I'm sure you know to be careful of slippery-ness; I had one chick who still got her leg out from under her anyway. I have a link for anyone if this happens to you, i was able to quickly pop it back into place and put a temporary brace on it; the next day she was good as new and is 100% normal still

Quote:Originally Posted by chickflick collecting, i saw some of the posts where they had "done something with them " and it broke my heart. Survived that long only to have holes drilled in them! Grr.

Quote:Originally Posted by lhawes My personal method is to shoot fireworks that bang into the sky when they come around. Scares the poop out of them, but don't actually hurt them....... 'Bout all you can do. I have had to get between a hawk and some of my birds, i won't be doing that again without some form of protection as this one was HUGE and very angry, too angry to be scared of me! Can't hurt them though without going to jail, livestock or not.

Quote:Originally Posted by ladyrsanti
Beautiful! What camera do you use?
Quote:Originally Posted by lhawes Blackhead is treated by metronizadole. The vets carry it, and it's available as "fish meds" online.


How to calibrate a thermometer and a hydrogometer (you will need one of these too if you don't have one) are detailed in my siggy link "fuzzy's notes". I did a great deal of note taking on my first hatch........... I plan on letting a hen do it here on out though as it caused a few gray hairs!!!