New to Peas - chick questions

[Koeyohte]

Yeah, avian vets around here are super sparse... there is a guy who looks at macaws, other parrots, etc. so he is, for the time being, my backup. Also there is a nice lady at the vet I worked at for one summer who also raises backyard birds and she is a vet tech,so I may be able to get help from that vet.

I appreciate your ideas, Trefoil! When you say "investigate herbs," what do you mean I should do with them - add to their feed, etc? I am interested in herbal medicines and the like (I don't use storebought remedies for anything, usually use salves and herbal blends, teas etc for myself. Currently, I do use things mentioned throughout BYC for wormers, etc). Or did you mean something else?

The disease the birds had is gone... I got the turkeys a year after it happened because I didn't want anyone else to get it. I felt so bad after the others. They are doing well out there right now. It's been 2 years since any incident.

 

[casportpony]

Yeah, avian vets around here are super sparse... there is a guy who looks at macaws, other parrots, etc. so he is, for the time being, my backup. Also there is a nice lady at the vet I worked at for one summer who also raises backyard birds and she is a vet tech,so I may be able to get help from that vet.

I appreciate your ideas, Trefoil! When you say "investigate herbs," what do you mean I should do with them - add to their feed, etc? I am interested in herbal medicines and the like (I don;t use storebought remedies for anything, usually use salves and herbal blends, tease etc). Or did you mean something else?

The disease the birds had is gone... I got the turkeys a year after it happened because I didn't want anyone else to get it. I felt so bad after the others. They are doing well out there right now. It's been 2 years since any incident.

I hope you'll make an exception for wormers and the drugs needed to treat coccidiosis, blackhead, E. coli and clostridia.

-Kathy

 

[Koeyohte]

Yes, definitely for such things that will cause problems (I meant that the herbal stuff was more supplementary), but I do have some wormer material and I will have the meds for giardia, etc! The herbal stuff is mostly what I do for myself anyway, I give my turkeys meds (that I have checked into first) when/if needed. Such "true" meds would be used for things like that.

 

[Trefoil]

I meant investigate the use of herbs for a nutritional boost. Kale, for example is supposed to be full of good stuff we, and peas need. IMO, stay far away from antibiotics and other drugs until a pea is ill or needs worming. And, unless positively proven to work, stay away from most "natural" wormers and cures. Again, this is only my opinion, but for example: If you want to use DE to try to cut down on the presence of parasites, fine, but once you know they have parasites its too late for DE, get rid of them with something that works. There are many herbs that are supposed to boost the immune system, the idea is to keep them healthy so they don't need drugs. Once you notice something is wrong,act quickly to get a diagnosis and treat, unless you weigh frequently like Kathy, by the time an illness is noticed its probably critical and the reason drugs are so "popular" is because they work.
Okay, I'm off my soapbox. Forgive me for the rant, I just lost my purple bs male that was diagnosed with a bad heart valve at 6 months. I feel awful but at least he had a year, it just seems like there should have been something I could do.

 

[casportpony]

@Trefoil , so sorry you lost him.

-Kathy

 

[Trefoil]

Thanks Kathy. I'm bummed.

 

[Yoda]

Hello,

So I will be new to peas in, hopefully, a few weeks! Met the owner of a feed store who also does a lot of animal rescue work who has a ton of baby peas and said she would give me some! I have 2 turkeys and have been considering a few peas for a year and I would like to hump on this.

I have read through many of the posts and threads here already and have just a few specific questions:


1.) Tylan powder - for the chicks, is it fine to give them the powder so young? Or do I need to wait til they reach a certain age. I read another post about preventing MG and as it seems peas are highly susceptible, I do NOT want this of course (have had poor experience with pheasants for the past 4 years :'( ). I wasn't certain on a set dosage, either. Anyone have any thoughts regarding this?

2.) Also, I will be putting cement all around the aviaries, to keep out coons, foxes, yotes, etc. I figure a few feet wide (from the pen and out) and a few inches thick or so. Does this sound like an idea? Lots have suggested burying wire and we have done this a few times... I live in FL and it's always rotted away (we used cheap chicken wire at first, we didn't know any better sadly). The aviaries are made of thick, hard "cloth wire" and won't be going anywhere.

3.) I realize that game birds need to be fed higher protein - my turkeys are on 23% I believe. Should peachicks be on something lower until they attain a month's age or so?

4.) I also read that they shouldn't be outside on grass much, until about 3 months or when they are fully feathered. This is still the case?

Anything else relatively specific or general that shouldn't be missed?

Thank you very much!

~Koey

1. Tylan is for sick birds so if the bird is not sick then they do not need it but it is good to have on hand just in case. ALL animals get a cold now and then, you cannot stop it. It happens to you and it happens to them. Sometimes you get over the cold and other times you do not. When you do not get over it you go to the doctor and he gives you meds. Well when the peas are stressed they can catch a cold. Sometimes they get over it sometimes they don't so you will need the tylan.

2. I have electric fencing around my pen and also use scarecrow water system. First the preditor will get sprayed with the water and if that dosen't stop them then they meet the electric fence. Well they get a really good shock esp when wet.

3. Peas DO NOT need the same amount of protein as a turkey. I feed mine medicated chick starter crumbles. It helps the chicks build an immune system against Coccidia and if blackhead is a problem medicated turkey starter crumbles helps build an immune to blackhead. These will not stop the birds from getting the disease but will help them fight it off easier. I feed mine the crumble til they are about 5 months then I start mixing in pellet food and cracked corn to into it. Once they are on pellet food I switch out the crack corn for whole corn. I will also add some bird seed to the mix. Then start giving them veggies esp in the winter months.

4. My chicks do NOT touch the ground til they are 6 months old. Once the touch the ground within the first few days they are wormed. I have not had any problems doing it this way. Remember when you catch the bird it stresses them, put them in a box stresses them. When you get them home they will be stressed. A stressed bird has a low immune system so keep a close eye on them and look for them to act different - that will be the sign of illness. Most birds will get something the first week at a new home cause of being stressed so be on the look out.

 

[Yoda]

Yeah, avian vets around here are super sparse... there is a guy who looks at macaws, other parrots, etc. so he is, for the time being, my backup. Also there is a nice lady at the vet I worked at for one summer who also raises backyard birds and she is a vet tech,so I may be able to get help from that vet.

I appreciate your ideas, Trefoil! When you say "investigate herbs," what do you mean I should do with them - add to their feed, etc? I am interested in herbal medicines and the like (I don't use storebought remedies for anything, usually use salves and herbal blends, teas etc for myself. Currently, I do use things mentioned throughout BYC for wormers, etc). Or did you mean something else?

The disease the birds had is gone... I got the turkeys a year after it happened because I didn't want anyone else to get it. I felt so bad after the others. They are doing well out there right now. It's been 2 years since any incident.

Just add vitamins to the water, they are helpful and they do work. Vinegar I read doesn't really do much of anything and you do not know if it is actually damaging the bird. People said they put in 2 tablespoons per gallon and it makes the gallon of water have a 2.0 acid level and Coke is 2.5 acid level.

Also read that you said your birds had a sinus infection - Tylan will cure that

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Not trying to argue, but that hasn't been true here... And with poultry, it's usually something like MG, MS or Coryza, not a simple cold, which I don't think exists. I'll ask some BYC friends of mine if they can explain this better. Had peafowl and turkeys since 2009 and haven't had any respiratory issues with them so far, knock wood, lol. If I did, I would have them tested for MG and MS.

Good advice on watching out for stress related illness, but again, have not experienced that. I suspect that would be true if a bird already had something like MS or MS, but a healthy bird should be able to deal with the stress of moving to a new home.

-Kathy

 

[Eggcessive]

1.) Tylan powder - for the chicks, is it fine to give them the powder so young? Or do I need to wait til they reach a certain age. I read another post about preventing MG and as it seems peas are highly susceptible, I do NOT want this of course (have had poor experience with pheasants for the past 4 years :'( ). I wasn't certain on a set dosage, either. Anyone have any thoughts regarding this?

What can I do to prevent things (such as MG, etc) besides the obvious fresh, clean water and food and bedding, using straw so as to prevent spraddle leg, not letting peachicks outside into their enclosure until they are older and feathered, ets? Is there anything I can give them occassionally to prevent problems?


The disease the birds had is gone... I got the turkeys a year after it happened because I didn't want anyone else to get it. I felt so bad after the others. They are doing well out there right now. It's been 2 years since any incident.

1. Tylan is for sick birds so if the bird is not sick then they do not need it but it is good to have on hand just in case. ALL animals get a cold now and then, you cannot stop it. It happens to you and it happens to them. Sometimes you get over the cold and other times you do not. When you do not get over it you go to the doctor and he gives you meds. Well when the peas are stressed they can catch a cold. Sometimes they get over it sometimes they don't so you will need the tylan.

Poultry don't get colds like people do. The respiratory diseases (MG, MS, ILT, coryza) that they get are chronic and make carriers of them and the others exposed, for life (IB up to a year.) Tylan should never be used as a preventative, or the disease will eventually develop resistance. If your other fowl had a disease in the past, and you still have those birds, your new birds will be exposed because they are carriers. As you say clean water, good food, a worming schedule, plus clean litter and ranging areas along with some probiotics and vitamins occasionally will keep their immune system in order. Some people do use the antibiotic Denagard as a preventative when they have had frequent outbreaks of MG. I'm not a fan of that since eventually any antibiotic will develop resistance, and I feel that the best way to deal with chronic respiratory disease is to cull. Of course there are milder strains of each disease, and there are bad ones. One thing most people should do is to get a diseased bird tested (or necropsied) to know exactly what they are dealing with, so if meds are used, they are the right ones.