Michigan

[Olive Hill]

We are about 30 miles south of Lansing

You are near some byc chicken lovers I believe!​

Yep. Vicki2x2, RIRJen, Keyt... and probably some others that are slipping my mind.​

 

[teeville5]

Finally got my daughter's birthday cake done. Decorating a cake to a specific idea is so exhausting when you're an amateur.

For her sweet 16, she wanted a Tardis cake (Doctor Who fans anyone?) Totally amateur, but she's going to love it. Now just wait until she opens her gifts and finds a sonic screwdriver.

Night all.

 

[ChicwannaB]

GRANDMA - so sorry to hear, I must have missed a whole lot of the Michigan thread, sorry. I had to back up quite a ways to read what happened. And here I am just starting my first incubation. Still technically in Day 1.

I've made quite good friends with Keyt over on facebook, shipped her some of the Lemon Cuckoo Orps I just bought and she's incubating at the same time with me. She's done quite alot of it, but this is my 1st. As you can see by the time of this post I haven't made it to bed, I keep going upstairs in the office/nursery to check on things. Will be adding updates on myPage.

I hope you get back into chickens soon. What will you have to do? Sterilize your whole property?? Is it possible to raise them again given you've had ecoli? I wouldn't know a thing about it. Hope I don't get it if I have to put down the whole flock. Would scare me to death.

Hope you will be on here yet for a good while.

 

[RBahmer]

Quote:
You must be close to me. I am about that far south of Lansing.

 

[fifelakelooper]

Quote:
I'm so sorry chicken grandma....

Earlier you had said it was e coli but thought it was not going to compromise the health of the rest of the flock so I was shocked to read you had to put them down. I know it will seem empty without them until you get a new flock.

It makes me wonder how good it is for my flock to have access to the compost pile..... something to read up on I guess.

 

[RBahmer]

Just looked in on my eggs in incubator and as I was looking one of my marans eggs that is picking moved.

I was sooooo excited !!! Now I know how a man feels waiting for his wife to give birth lol

 

[RBahmer]

Chicken grandma- when you are ready for chickens again I will gladly hatch some out for you if you want. I have many different kinds. I only have one D'Uccle though and she is my pet. She is a porcelain. I think she is too old to lay anymore. I do have Sebrights and Quail D'Anvers if you want bantams.

 

[RBahmer]

Good morning everyone. My very first egg ever is hatching. It is very active. Peeping and moving. I'm soooo excited.

 

[chicken grandma]

Quote:
I'd love to see a photo of that!

Fife, since they all shared food and water dishes, all three of the hens were infected with E. Coli in the respiratory tract.

ChicwannaB - I will wash everything including the coop with a 1 part bleach and 30 part water solution. Then I was told to let everything remain open to the sun and freeze this winter.
That should kill the bacteria that is present.

I have not had any chickens with coccidia on the property, but if I did, it is possible that that the parasite could survive over the winter in the soil and harm new chickens in the Spring. I did have bacteria in the chickens and bacteria in the soil will be killed by freezing temps. That is what I was told yesterday.

Vet also said to get one set of chickens from one place and to keep the flock closed. I know that is almost impossible for us backyard chicken farmers but he is right, that is the best way to keep parasites/illness out of our flocks.

I hope this helps others learn from my experience. I am still not sure if my new chicks brought in the bacteria to my older hen or if my older hen carried the bacteria and then as she aged became ill with it. Don't know.

Seems from my reading that bird to bird is the most likely transmission.

 

[1muttsfan]

Quote:
Saw your hatching thread when I was surfing around. You should check out the New Years Hatch thread, those guys are a riot - and very experienced hatchers if you have any questions.