Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Farmerboy16]

You draw from the Jugular vein in the neck.   http://www.biotracking.com/?q=store/biopryngoat you can get supplies here or search elsewhere.  I would draw enough samples to look for CAE too.  You will need to check the labs schedules prior to the draw and shipping.

Thanks for the info. I get the needles and tubes from work. I work at a dairy farm, and they AI all their cows.

I draw from the juglular! It is how the vet who taught me does it. It is easy to find, and I can do it by myself if I have a milk stand to hold the goat. But having a friend to help does make it muuuch easier!

Yep, goat rumens are on the left, too! When my does are pregnant and far enough along, I wrap my arms around their tummies to feel the kicking, putting my hands right in front of the udder and on the right side.

Thanks again!

 

[chickwhispers]

HI Again Everyone,
Thank you all so much for the heartfelt response to our weasel chicken massacre. Not to worry, I will not release any captured weasels into a new neighborhood, they will go the same place they sent my chickens. Today our 3 year old Granddaughter came over for her weekly visit, it was heartbreaking to tell her our "Ladies" were chicken dinner for a weasel. She was so excited to pick up our first egg last Tuesday, it broke my heart to tell her they were gone. I am so thankful for all the advice. We are going to put a heavy coop pen door that can be closed and locked at night. Also we will put up the hardware cloth and cover every possible opening. I don't want to bring in any new birds until everything is secure. So next spring we will make the "Fort Knox" of chicken coops. I have read allot about weasels since this happened, however it still boggles my mind that everyone was killed. I can understand taking one, but a little weasel can't possibly eat 10 birds. I just can't wrap my mind around it.

Kathi, its joy killing...

Kathi I'm so sorry for your loss. That just sounds awful, I can't imagine that happening. I hope you have better luck next year. I have been working on my "Fort Knox" run all spring, summer and fall. Originally I have 2x4s up with 2x4 wire mesh on the outside and chicken wire on the inside. Planning to put wire around perimeter on the ground underneath stones and rocks and a stone path 3 feet out all around. I was going to skip any hardware cloth due to double wire. But now I think I'll have to add hardwarecloth as well. I am sometimes away overnight and of sometimes away on vacation, so I want to be sure they are safe if they accidentally get locked out of the coop by the automatic coop door. Is there such a thing as over kill?

 

[NovaAman]

No.

 

[chickwhispers]

The bottom of the run will have 5 1/2 inch deck board all the way around over the 2x4 wire. Do you think 24 inch high hardware cloth above that will be high enough?( The run is built into a hill and has 5 foot to 6 foot "walls" on one side and 3 1/2 to four foot on the opposite side) do I need to go higher?

 

[NovaAman]

On my run itself, I just have regular fencing. BUT on the coop area, anywhere that little hands can reach through at night needs to be covered. IF you have day time problems, then I would think 2 feet up would be high enough. After all, at night, most chickens are up to roost. Burying it is the big thing, especially if you have diggers. I skirted the run on mine.

 

[chickwhispers]

Does the wire actual need to be buried ? I figured on laying 2 feet out with 2 inch of stone and about 1 feet of big rock on top of that. I don't really have any daytime problems and no sign of night ones either. Yet. I want to keep it that way. Since they have an automatic door I don't want any loss due to lock out or somethongaking it in the run but not back out before girls are automatically out. They generally free range unless I am out of town.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Well said good bye to Purby this afternoon as I processed her lifeless/headless body. She was still warm in the lower body though her head was gone and neck bone had been pecked of meat and feathers off part of the neck/chest corner!

Found rooster wet and slumped looking scared to death and only moved when I stepped toward the mass he was hiding in. No girls near him. He did not give the grunt he normally does. I asked where the girls were and he hunched lower! Started calling the girls since he wouldn't come out of the thick stuff. Saw a hawk.... then found Purby. Two masses of feathers, one spot of blood... Grabbed her and took her to porch. Started pot of water since she was still warm.

Tried to feed and coax him out of woods to coop... ran around in the brush but wouldn't go toward coop. Took some fried egg and grain ff mix I had taken to coop before I began to look because they hadn't come running! Sat outside the brush and threw a piece at a time and some corn in there. Finally he came close enough to eat timidly while I walked around the brush calling and clucking for Charlotte who I had not found yet.

Got the boiling water and begun dunking Purby and defeathered her. Found the puncture wounds so it was the hawk. Good I stole the harvest back away from it. Took her in to sink and cutting board.

Ran back out to check on him..... picked up the food dish to take it to the coop and found him standing under the open door. Went around coop to herd him in coop. Shut the big door and set down the dish but he ran in to roost of little coop. Put the food and water in the cage/screen front section and shut the little coop door to leave him in peace to calm down.

Went back to woods and clucked and called Charlotte then went in to change for Church. Since he was safe in little coop I left door ajar for larger one just in case she had escaped attack.

Got home and went to check on him.... found Charlotte had come back and was in the back corner box behind the little coop!!!!!! So my little molter and the rooster had escaped.

Purby had no sign of eggs in her but did have fat building up. So I guess the hawk culled for me but didn't get to eat .....

I spent too much time indoors doing Ancestry searching and did not check on them as usually do. Knew something was wrong when they didn't come running and did not hear him grunt when I approached the scrub they hang out in.

Going to keep them in bigger pen for 24 hours to watch for signs of trouble or hurt. And get the walls and monitor windows done between the two roof sections. That way the hawk won't be able to get in and they will still move around if they need to be kept in to recover. Hopefully without them out in the woods/yard it will move on. And Charlotte and her rooster will be my laying flock.

Going to try again. Not ready to give it up.

 

[iamfivewire]

Sorry for your loss bluebirdnanny

 

[naglady]

Sorry for your loss bluebirdnanny also..

Made some jerky from my 3 old non laying hens.. turned out awesome.. everyone loved it..also slow roasted the bones and got some broth and meat to make soup with tomorrow..
trying to figure out good ways to utilize those old hens..

today was my 50th birthday and i have been sick, sore throat and runny nose.. atleast my throat feels better now..

 

[NovaAman]

Happy 50th! Sorry you are ill though...

Dang hawk... Good meal save though.