Mille Cochin Info

[WestKnollAmy]

OMG, yes, they change so much! Yours are totally cute and colorful! It will be so much fun to watch them grow up.

I hate to watch them grow because they will hit an age where they look fantastic and then change yet again, making my plans plummet. Now I wait and just start culling the less typy birds and try not to look at patterns and colors. Chick color has never helped me but I am sure sometime in the future it will become easier to tell what is going to pattern out as what. We just have a long way to go yet.

I have some hatching from Soggy Bottom right now, too. I hope to get some that I can add to my Calico project. I culled back so heavily I didn't have enough from my own stock to work with. I need another roo and several more hens.
I actually have eggs hatching from several breeders for Calicos. Most of my birds are just coming out too dark for my taste. Not to mention I want to keep that type in there.

I keep wanting to cut back and find myself getting yet more!

 

[TinyBirds]

Quote:
I haven't dusted, but did have tons of lice (and who knows what else) on all my birds. I used a couple drops of neem oil on each bird and now it's all cleared up. It's from:
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?refine=y&keywords=neem&x=0&y=0
and even the 4 oz size ($4.50) will last a long time. I put a drop under the tail, one under each wing, and one behind the neck. At one point I was losing babies that got the bugs from the mamas, but I used it on all the remaining babies one night (not knowing if it was safe for the babies, but figuring they would die if I didn't do something), and within 3 days all the bugs were gone. They haven't come back, so I can assure you it is awesome stuff! I read that it can also be used for coccidiosis (we don't use medicated feed so I read about this as an alternative), but only a few drops in the water because too much of it orally would kill them. I am sure putting it on their skin is safe though since the babies were pretty much covered in oil (and the stuff smells strong), but they were totally fine and the bugs are gone! (and still gone 2 months later - since I check them a lot) I figure when they were preening, they got a tiny bit orally and hopefully that helps ward off the cocci too! Yippee!

Here is more info on use of neem oil for treatment of coccidiosis:
"The anticoccidial efficacy of the aqueous neem leaf extract in comparison to amprolium showed that the aqueous extract dose of 800mg/kg compared favourably with 10mg/litre of amprolium in treating the disease, both showed 100% survival rates for infected and treated chickens with zero oocyst per gram at day 4 post treatment."
http://www.klobex.org/journals/afs/afs7/afs730806021.pdf (link to full study with results)

 

[TinyBirds]

Quote:
Exactly! THAT is the story of my life! It's a constant see-saw of selling and buying - I can't seem to get off the ride! (maybe it's the adult version of playing in the park) As I find more chicken friends, luckily I notice other people are on the ride too, so I feel less guilty about it

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Same here!

I throw my hands up in despair and look over and someone else is throwing their hands up on the wild roller coaster ride of chicken addiction!

 

[alpinefarm]

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I'm glad to know they may be able to work it out!

 

[Cadeau]

Okay - remind me:

A brand new chick with black "goggles" and a mascara line leading away from the corner of the eye = boy??

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Oh geez.....let me see....isn't it a boy if the line comes from the center of the eye and a girls from under the eye?

Okay, I will be all day looking for my notes but I got it here somewhere.......

 

[Cadeau]

I think that's what I remember - i wrote it down, too, but can't find it!!
Thanks!

 

[mjgigax]

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What a gallant fellow!

 

[alpinefarm]

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What a gallant fellow!

Thank you!