Michigan

[1muttsfan]

Oh grandma, I am so sorry to hear your news, I know that bobbi was a very special little chicken.

 

[Olive Hill]

Chicken Grandma -- I don't know if this will apply to you but may help others if nothing else.

One important route of transmission for both E. coli and Salmonella is via rodents. They crawl in and around the chicken feed, leaving behind pathogens which the chickens then ingest. Keeping any feed and/or treats in closed, secure containers can help. Another thing to be aware of is the treats many owners of pet chickens are feeding. I know many buy store bought spinach for their birds, well spinach is one of the main food transporters of E. coli in recent years. I'm not saying don't feed your chickens spinach -- or other foods as it can be in/on just about anything -- but it's another possible point of transmission to consider. Treat buckets can be source for the growth of pathogens as well. Many people (myself included) collect up kitchen scraps in a bowl or bucket on the counter and then take them out to the critters. These buckets and bowls, if left too long before divvied up (and too long is not a clear cut concept) they can harbor growing concentrations of E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Botulism, etc. It's a hard balancing act to keep up, and there are risks everywhere. Sorry about your hens.

 

[teeville5]

Grandma- I'm so sorry about your girls.

 

[chicken grandma]

Thank you all for the kind words and thank you Olive for adding more wise advice!

It is strange not to have chickens. I've had between 2-5 of them for the last 11 years. So I keep thinking I have to check on them or close or open the coop door or something. Very strange not to have them here. I will be enjoying your flocks online even more now. I especially love the photos!

 

[RBahmer]

Soooo sorry grandma. So sad.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
I asked my mechanic husband and he said:

"It could be her tensioner is bad, or the idler pulley. Or it could just be slipping which deteriorates the belt."

Well, first he asked HOW it went out and then I told him I didn't know and THEN he said the above. LOL! HTH!

 

[taprock]

How awful for you Grandma, your sweet little Bobbi. The responsible thing doesn't always feel the best at the time.

After reading your post and Olives I'm going to set some mouse traps by my coop, I saw a mouse run through the other night. Scary stuff!

Does anyone else have chickens who routinely become scape goats? Our outdoor, frost free spicket froze last year so today my DH decided to dig it up and put in some sand for better drainage around it. This is the water for the chicken coop. In the process he cut the power to the coop and broke the water line which doesn't have a separate shut off. So...no light for the chickens tomorrow and no water to the house right now, which since we have geothermal heat means no heat also. We had to run and get repair things and he is out in the dark trying to repair it. He hurt his back a couple days ago and this is sure to help things. I was snarled at when I asked if he needed anything. Sorry men but you and pain don't go well together.

And of course it is the chickens fault!

 

[RBahmer]

Quote:
I asked my mechanic husband and he said:

"It could be her tensioner is bad, or the idler pulley. Or it could just be slipping which deteriorates the belt."

Well, first he asked HOW it went out and then I told him I didn't know and THEN he said the above. LOL! HTH!

My hubby who is also a mechanic agreed with this. He said check idler pulley.

 

[RBahmer]

Quote:
ALWAYS somebody else's fault !!! Not that they didn't do it right to begin with. It has to be somebody else's fault. When something goes wrong here I automatically look at him and asked what didn't I do right THIS time ?

 

[snowflake]

Grandma, so sorry to read about your babies. It seems so strange that they can come down with something so fast. they don't seem to last long once you find an illness and no real idea were it came from. We do our best to keep them healthy and happy, I know it was a hard decision to put them down.I hope you are able to get more in the spring.