Michigan

[NovaAman]

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That was really cool of you!

 

[NovaAman]

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heeheehee thats funny. Ive never touched the heat in my van. don't know if it even works. It probably does, it's a 2005. Ive been known to run with vents wide open in winter.
But the ol' bod is changing now, last winter I was actually affected by the cold for the first time in my life. I wore a sweatshirt a couple times.

It is to cold to drive with both windows down, when youre putting papers out both windows and its only 50 out there.... so, I have the heat on. I didn't use the seat heat... I always have the windows cracked in the winter even when I am just driving somewhere. There is just something about being in a car with the heat on and no fresh air... I don't recirculate my cabin air... I always use the outside air, but it still feels so stuffy. My mom, it drives her nuts that I will run a fan in the house in the winter too. I hate hate HATE still air... I will use an air purifier too...

 

[RaZ]

I am NOT liking this cool weather. I had to put on a shirt today and even socks.

 

[FiFiFeather]

I'm in SE Michigan (Ann Arbor) & I have a handsome healthy people-socialized Rhode Island Roo that is 21 weeks old. We are in town and can't keep him due to ordinance restrictions. He needs a new home! Anyone want to take him? I'll deliver this week

He's so funny & polite with our little flock of 4 pullets. He walks around them making cooing sounds, drops his left wing and hops a little. If the pullets move away, he goes & asks the next one. Usually he'll find one that will hunker down for him. It is so funny to watch them. I'll post a picture in few minutes...

 

[chicken grandma]

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Those are lovely hens!

 

[Stacykins]

Wish me luck, ya'll. Shipping a tufted and rumpless araucana cockerel to a new home tomorrow! I have checked and rechecked to make sure I have everything set. He is going express, I'm not dropping him off at the post until just before the truck arrives to gather departing mail, I have the fowl shipping box prepped with filters in place and shavings as cushioning/poop absorption. I'll tape a small cluster of seedless grapes ( a favorite treat ) to the side of the box at his height for moisture and sugar during the trip. Temps are good on both ends of the journey. I think I am all set to go, and he is ready to be received by his new owner.

 

[RaZ]

Good luck, Stacykins.
I just had a bit here...

I looked out the back door in time to see 4 of the girls were running for the coop opening. Did not see the 5th one. Walked out to the pen and see the Cooper's hawf taking off from the ground.
Did not see feathers or blood anywhere nor did I see the 5th girl. Called for her and she came running from under the hale bales.

All chickens safe and sound and forgetting their trauma with a nice cantelope rind.

It was good to see the hawk back again. He hasn't been around for several months. Maybe he will keep the sparrows out of the chicken food.

 

[keyt1969]

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Yes. Well, last month we did. ALL of the chicks we purchased at TSC died, but all of the ones from FFH survived.

The 3rd BO had peritonitis. I called TSC after the 2nd BO died for mysterious reasons and they were rude and didn't take me seriously. The manager just said "We only take in healthy birds so yours must have received something from the birds you already had" When I explained they never made it to the general population, she told me I must have purchased them from someone else!

The Polish definitely didn't survive the heatwave we had where it reached 104. Aric, my daughter and I took turns going outside to mist birds and freshen waterers, but we still lost 3 birds that day. I think the millie died for the same reason.

We have totally and completely cleaned out the coops (including the duck coop even though none (thankfully) of them have died) once every week or more to help keep disease down if that's the problem. But, if it was disease, I would have lost some smaller, weaker birds and I haven't so far. I have call ducks, many bantams, etc.

I honestly think it's been the heat. Definitely with the ones a few weeks ago and the one today. Oh and the serama hen might have been older, it was Vicki's for a while before I got her. She was sitting on the edge of the laying box and it looked like she fell off. I was standing right there when she fell off so I went to her and her head was floppy. She died seconds later. I had her almost a year.

SO, I don't know. I've been in the hospital a lot in the last couple of months so I haven't watched things as tightly as I usually do. I have very good records on all of our animals - purchase, eating, behavior, activity, etc. Aric doesn't understand how I keep my records so they have fallen behind since I've been sick.

Hmmm, well, maybe we could help you do some troubleshooting? See if maybe we can come up with an action plan to try to improve the situation...

I can tell you one thing for sure, even if it's well above 100 degrees and 100% humidity it is not normal to lose a bunch of birds -- not even a couple birds -- to the weather. If there is no evidence of infectious disease and you're losing birds then you have to start looking at environment and management. And please know I am not attacking your set-up or keeping in any way. These things do happen and then we just have to troubleshoot what isn't working. I once lost many, MANY birds in one night due to a simple environment problem. When I built the outdoor brooder they were housed in I didn't take into consideration the possibility of torrential downpours. The rushing water from the flooding during a really heavy spring storm washed into the brooder, and we had about 200 very wet chicks on our hands. I saved about 75% with a hair dryer and patience, but it was still a terrible loss. Now, this environmental issue was more obvious than yours -- my brooder design obviously couldn't be trusted to withstand 6 inches of rain per hour

-- but it's the same premise really. You live, you learn.

Maybe we could start with the obvious and if we don't find anything dig a little deeper until we do?

Did they test the lesions to determine which bacteria was infecting the hen with peritonitis?

How many birds do you have? What size pen(s) are they in? What are the dimensions of their indoor area?

I know you had quite a few at one time, are you buying your feed in bulk? If so do you have a feed tag with the ingredients and nutrition profile you could share? Also, how do you store it?

Well, it's not poor design of the barn/garage in our case. It is very old, but Aric has made it very tight and secure. Even before he did that water didn't get in. I have wondered if maybe it's too tight. We had a mouse problem for about a month in April until we put all the feed in Rubbermaid containers. I haven't seen any since. Aric spent a whole day totally cleaning and sanitizing the barn after the mouse problem!

As far as the diagnosis, it was sterile peritonitis. But to be honest here, everything I read did not fit whatsoever. They were not sick, bloated or lost appetite. They were fine one minute, gone the next.

We have 32 birds that have a large run (I don't have the dimensions with me) and big coop. The coop is big enough for a large truck and then some because it was built for a garage in the 50's. It's never been used for that though. At night when everyone is in we'd easily have room for another 20-25 birds but I don't want that many!

Yes we buy in bulk usually at FFH and it's kept in water tight Rubbermaid-type containers. I won't be home til tonight or tomorrow (I hope so I can't get the tag off the bag). They're washed out almost every time a new bag is added. They are fed strictly layer in the morning and scratch at night. In the winter it's layer and cracked corn. They are also offered oyster shells and plenty of garden veggies and fruits (no chemicals are used in ours or the neighbors gardens!).

All of the ducks and various chickens are let out to graze in the yard at least once a day, sometimes more. No chemicals there either. I grew wild flowers for them to snack on along the sides of both houses.


I do want to get to the bottom of this. Maybe I'm kidding myself into thinking I can be a "farmer". I've never had a problem with the ducks, except for Sunny dying, but she came from an old lady friend of Vicki's and I think she was old when I got her. All of the problems have been chicken only. Aric likes the chickens so I can't very well say no more chickens. He'd probably get rid of me before them!

 

[Opa]

Sure is cool today. Hope and I just came from TSC and I was suprised by the number of people I saw wearing jackets. Picked, shelled, and canned 24 pints of horticulture beans today and then when I went out to gather eggs I picked a 5 gallon pail of sweet peppers. I think tomorrow I will probably pickle them.

 

[keyt1969]

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I hate wearing shoes and socks! I hate wearing shirts too but I might have a bigger problem with the city if I didn't wear one than I would about my ducks and chickens!