Minnesota!

[holm25]

I cleared all the bad eggs out of the incubator last night. 2 clear banty eggs, 1 clear NH egg and 1blood ring in a cracked egg. I am super excited for this first hatch! All the chicks are sold already so I wont get to watch them grow... Maybe he will send me pics every once in awhile! I cant wait to see what the chicks are like! I am super excited for the chicks from this roo!

 

[athalia17]

Ok, I cleaned the lice rooster up with a bath... cutting nit feathers off and dusting again.

Problem: can chickens get a cold? He is raspy, sounds like a rattle in his throat, and sometimes he breaths through his mouth. I'm assuming he had some sort of respiratory thing going on. What do you all think? I referred to the chicken health handbook and that is so disturbing. Infectious bronchitis... get rid of the flock. Infectious coryza, get rid of the flock. Ugh. Any suggestions? Aren't colds common or respiratory stuff common?

 

[Minniechickmama]

One, this is a new bird to your flock right? So, moving to a new location is stressful. Having an infestation of parasites is physically stressful. When chickens get stressed, especially under changing seasonal weather, they can develop something akin to a cold, but it could advance into something worse. I am going to assume he did not go back outside while he was wet.
I believe lala has the best remedy that would not include antibiotics, which might clear things up for him without further treatment.
If treatment is needed, my go-to is Tylan50, 1 ml per day directing into the crop, orally for 5 days. Not every respiratory flare up is dire and needs culling. However, if a bird has an acute and extreme problem that comes on quickly and is producing nasal and or oral mucous and discharge, take fast action in quarantining and treating. My rule of thumb is that if I treat with Tylan and it isn't noticeably improving within 36 hours, they are culled.

 

[athalia17]

He is new. I did blow dry him, and he did awesome. Blow dried him for like 30 minutes and he loved it. I know that can be common, but it was like he was used to it... so I'm wondering if he was someone's old show roo. It's really weird, sometimes he's fine and others times he's gasping for air... like he has something stuck in his throat. I notice it more when he's eating. He literally acts like the food went in wrong and got lodged. Then he breaths through his mouth and sounds rattly, then it goes away.

Thank you minniechickmama for your response, that helps me feel better.

I've been adding acv and vetrx to their water also. Giving them fresh greens and some treats. These three are in quarantine, but I think I might even quarantine him from them. Haven't decided if it would be stressful or better for him. I have everyone on layena, but I might switch their feed to something like a feather fixer.

 

[lalaland]

minniechickmama, those chicks are beautiful! I love the box, bet everyone here would be so excited to open a box like that.

spring fever is here! even though they say it is going to be an early spring, hey it can't be that early, can it? I'm guessing months to go yet. Usually here I can't plant until June (peas and spring things earlier if the ground is thawed...and not flooded....)

Athalia, that doesn't sound like a respiratory thing the way you are describing it. Are his eyes and nares clear?

Now vetrx could ease "cold" symptoms, so if he just drank I could sort of see the being fine one minute and then not the next. But that doesn't explain the rattle. I wonder if he has something lodged? Will he let you handle him enough to look down his throat? I'm thinking you wouldn't be able to see anything but you never know.

Because the best thing for stuck fishbones in people is a piece of very soft bread, I think I would try that for him. I don't feed bread to chickens, but in this case, I would go to town and buy some of that foam wonder bread type stuff and tear off the crusts, and give him a small piece. Kind of work your way up to larger and larger pieces. Think of it like a sponge going down to the crop, trying to catch anything that might be lodged. chances are slim it would help, but....

The other thing is gapeworms, but....I have never seen them or heard of anyone in the north getting them. For some reason I think of them as a southern thing but could be 100% wrong about that one. But, you might look that up and see if it meets anything you are seeing with him.

I would also consider worms in general because I have seen pics of worms way up in the digestive system. So consider worming him and his flockmates. You could always get a fecal float test done, but I just proceed to wormer.

I am not sure what is going on with him, so I am just throwing out suggestions . You are in a better position to see what symptoms match what possibilities. I have had older hens who developed a rattle in their breathing. You could always hear them on the roost - and it wasn't a cold or respiratory issue. These resolved overtime without any treatment (they had clear eyes and nares, just breathing hard on the roost). But your roosters seems to be related to eating....

Keep us posted!

your plan of continuing to keep them separate is a good one until you know what is up!

 

[lalaland]

ok, I think I could possibly release the quail at my place because I found out that they have been as far north as ottertail county, which is a tiny bit more north and a lot more west than I am.

http://archive.leg.state.mn.us/docs/2015/mandated/150182.pdf

I saw some easy feeders from Texas restoration projections where you can load enough feed to last months.
They do pay attention to predators, they would have enough cover - I have some great blackberry bramble patches that would be perfect for them.

They like hedgerows, brush, some open ground where they can get to dirt, grain or seed (ragweed!) Problem is, they have a range of 50 acres. But, the 50 acres surrounding my 10 are perfect habitat from what I read in the report on possibly restoration in the state of mn that is linked above.

If there was a severe storm, they might not make it. That would be true even in southern mn. And survival would be iffy.

So.....do I release them this spring? Do I keep them confined? I don't get the sense that they are happy like the chickens are. I I think they would be so happy foraging. And in winter, if I maintained some feeders for them in the brush, and in the acres of pines where the snow never ever gets deep, and if they were around and hadn't left the area entirely...

I saw some easy feeders from Texas restoration projections where you can load enough feed to last months.
They do pay attention to predators, they would have enough cover - I have some great blackberry bramble patches that would be perfect for them.

I do not know what to do.

 

[bantiesrule]

I'm not sure but it might be illegal to release them without permisssion. I believe they have to be raised special and made sure they are disease and worm free. Though, if you keep a feeder up for them you could just say they are yours and just free ranging.

(probably the route I would take)

 

[Dandelioness]

If it's okay to do in your county, meaning regulations and such, I'd just release them where you are. It would be neat if you could see them out in the brush here and there over the years. I have a friend that raises ringneck pheasant and releases them when they come of age.

I would worry about a large feeder attracting a lot of nuisance animals that you might not want. I'd just go sprinkle the grain for them wherever you think their covey is hiding.

 

[Minniechickmama]

He is new. I did blow dry him, and he did awesome. Blow dried him for like 30 minutes and he loved it. I know that can be common, but it was like he was used to it... so I'm wondering if he was someone's old show roo. It's really weird, sometimes he's fine and others times he's gasping for air... like he has something stuck in his throat. I notice it more when he's eating. He literally acts like the food went in wrong and got lodged. Then he breaths through his mouth and sounds rattly, then it goes away.

Thank you minniechickmama for your response, that helps me feel better.

I've been adding acv and vetrx to their water also. Giving them fresh greens and some treats. These three are in quarantine, but I think I might even quarantine him from them. Haven't decided if it would be stressful or better for him. I have everyone on layena, but I might switch their feed to something like a feather fixer.

There is a yeast infection called thrush that can effect the throat. You can tell if they have it because you feel just down from their jaw and about 1" below that you can feel about a marble sized lump. They also have a smelly icky looking rash inside the mouth. I am doubting that is what you are dealing with.

Actually, now that you say he does it when he is eating, it could be because he is just in need of drinking water with his feed more and that dry feed is getting stuck some while he eats. Maybe he is inhaling feed when he is eating too and then he needs to hack it out? It is possible. I have seen many birds that will cough and sneeze when they eat but are otherwise fine.

Keep an eye on him and if it gets worse, then you may have to try treating him somehow. For now I think you are doing what needs to be done.

 

[Minniechickmama]

ok, I think I could possibly release the quail at my place because I found out that they have been as far north as ottertail county, which is a tiny bit more north and a lot more west than I am.

http://archive.leg.state.mn.us/docs/2015/mandated/150182.pdf

I saw some easy feeders from Texas restoration projections where you can load enough feed to last months.
They do pay attention to predators, they would have enough cover - I have some great blackberry bramble patches that would be perfect for them.

They like hedgerows, brush, some open ground where they can get to dirt, grain or seed (ragweed!) Problem is, they have a range of 50 acres. But, the 50 acres surrounding my 10 are perfect habitat from what I read in the report on possibly restoration in the state of mn that is linked above.

If there was a severe storm, they might not make it. That would be true even in southern mn. And survival would be iffy.

So.....do I release them this spring? Do I keep them confined? I don't get the sense that they are happy like the chickens are. I I think they would be so happy foraging. And in winter, if I maintained some feeders for them in the brush, and in the acres of pines where the snow never ever gets deep, and if they were around and hadn't left the area entirely...

I saw some easy feeders from Texas restoration projections where you can load enough feed to last months.
They do pay attention to predators, they would have enough cover - I have some great blackberry bramble patches that would be perfect for them.

I do not know what to do.

There is a Minnesota Quail organization you could look up. I have been on their site before, but I don't have the link.