North Carolina

[Hollowoakfarm]

This one in particular pupils are going crazy getting big and then shrinking seconds later. He's all puffed up. He's still alive but doesn't really so anything but sit there. ??? I wish I had my old babies back. livestock auction.

It sounds like your BF traded in your nice healthy hens for sick birds. I'd do some serious quarantine on all of them. Not let them near my birds at all! Do them last...all the stuff RF already said. And if that involves having to build new quarters for them, I'd say that's BFs job...and expense.

If my hubby sold my birds without my permission, he'd be liable to come home missing a Harley, or parts thereof. But I'm vindictive that way.

 

[sbrooks88]

He had good intentions. But I get super attached to animals pretty quickly. And he didnt realize whose chickens they were until the bid had been placed. He thought I would like some bantams since I only have 1. He figured out quick he had made a mistake. All the new birds are inside in cages. But I have to do what I must. I hope the one that is OBVIOUSLY sick gets better soon. My porch smells like chicken poo. Yuck!

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Who was it that said, "The opposite of good is not evil. The opposite of good is good intentions"?

 

[atmaclean]

Well, guineas are neat looking but yes they are loud and not too bright. Plus I have found (from reading since I have never owned any guineas) that they are no better at pest control than a free range flock of chickens of the same number. Someone had a great point I think, "Where is the greatest tick related diseases? Africa Where are guineas from? Africa So I think you need more of a love for them to have them, than just for pest control. I have read several times of people getting them and than wanting to get rid of them because they were no better than chickens on pests but alot louder.


On a side note for the ones who have guineas, do they actually eat fleas?

Guineas range a lot farther out than the chickens. In other words, they cover a lot more territory than just around the house. I depend on my chickens to eat bugs around the house/yard but for the rest of the property - in the edges of the woods where the horses find shade, barn, etc - I can count on the guineas. They come back to the coop at night and I lock them up and let them out early in the morning to go do their thing. The noise really doesn't bother us since they are gone most of the day. If we are in the house, we don't hear them. If we are outside we do, but just when they come up to go in their coop at night.

We had trouble with ticks this spring but we haven't seen any in a while, thank goodness. We got down to only 14 guineas so I don't think they could handle all the ticks. I just released 23 more this week (eggs we found and incubated/hatched). Hopefully, once they start roaming like the adults, we won't see any ticks next spring.

My husband found another nest a couple weeks ago so I've got around 55 more eggs in the incubators that will hopefully increase our flock even more. My neighbor now would like to get some guineas as she has seen what a good job they do with ticks. In fact, she offered to just buy feed for them and have them stay here. I'm not sure how that would work.... I'm sure the flocks would mingle, anyway, because she is just down the road a bit.

Anyway, we really think the guineas perform, but a lot depends on how much property you have and how big your flock is. I wish there was a way to calculate how many guineas you would need to cover an acre or 1/2 acre so that you could extrapolate the number you would need for more land.....

 

[Chasity]

We got 2 guineas this year, and I have not set them loose yet. They are close to 2 months old now. They are very different from the Chickens, and I hope they don't wonder to far when I do turn them out.

 

[atmaclean]

We have been super busy with horse camp and its taken me a while to get caught up on all the posts. Whew. Interesting things happening.

I had a reporter/news anchor from a local television station contact me last week about coming out to talk with me about backyard chickens! Apparently, he is interested in doing a story on it and wants to see what it is all about. I want to be sure that I relay the most important things so that the public gets an accurate and informative account of the responsibility of having backyard chickens.

I would appreciate any suggestions about the most important points that someone would need to know about keeping backyard chickens.... I am guessing - predator proof housing, quarantine of any new birds, ......what else?? He is coming out this week to do the interview.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

We have been super busy with horse camp and its taken me a while to get caught up on all the posts.  Whew.  Interesting things happening.

I had a reporter/news anchor from a local television station contact me last week about coming out to talk with me about backyard chickens!  Apparently, he is interested in doing a story on it and wants to see what it is all about.  I want to be sure that I relay the most important things so that the public gets an accurate and informative account of the responsibility of having backyard chickens.  

I would appreciate any suggestions about the most important points that someone would need to know about keeping backyard chickens....  I am guessing - predator proof housing, quarantine of any new birds, ......what else??  He is coming out this week to do the interview.

Thanks in advance!

Oh, good job! Hmmmm......proper feeding, basic signs of illness...

 

[doubleatraining]

No, they were sleeping on top of a recycled cover. The new quad is not finished, and the Silkies were sleeping under it. There is another picture of one of the males in a different post. I will try to get a picture of them walking around tomorrow, or perched somewhere (In a natural stance). They stay near this run, and go in it at night for lock down, but we were never sure what breed we had. I thought I would put a pic it up here, and we could try to figure it out.

I do have 3 birds in quarantine, but not these, they are healthy.

Quarantine: 2 are being treated for eye worm, and I think I have them on the mend, and one is just new, and not due to be introduced until the 29th. They are all being kept up by the house, and not down by the chicken runs, and houses. There is a good distance between the two areas. One of the two is the one that I had to look for last night with DS-1. They are doing well, but I like to keep them close, so I can keep the affected eye irrigated. It got real bad on the young roo-roo during all that hot wet weather, and he was hiding in the coop from DS-1. When I noticed he was hiding in the nesting box, I explained to him that this is not normal behavior, and one of the things to look for is just not normal behavior for the bird. I have one that nips at me when I pick it up, and if it does not, I told him that would be odd for that bird. I think he has a better understanding that what is not normal for any bird is all relative to that fowl's personality. so a learning experience for sure.

Back to the Bantams.... I was just not sure of the exact breed. Japanese? Old English? ? ? I posted the other pic of me holding one, because I thought they had beautiful coloring, lik the Black Sumatras, but they are clearly much smaller, and the male had a comb early, and crowed early. I am expecting for them to start nesting soon, and would like to know what I have. I can then look up more info on that breed, and be certain if they are as they should be, before they start breeding. Others may want them, and they are pretty cool, but I don't know what to call them.

I wasn't trying to be mean. I just know a lot of people lately have ended up with sick birds. Just remember Chicken illnesses are like STDs....a sick bird can LOOK healthy until stressed. Healthy looking people aren't guaranteed to not have a STD.

I QT birds that I get from people I know. Its worth your entire flock and reputation to keep them away from your stock for at LEAST 30 days.

 

[atmaclean]

Oh, good job! Hmmmm......proper feeding, basic signs of illness...

Do you mean appropriate feed for the various ages?

On basic signs of illness - what would you recommend? Nasal discharge, swollen eye, limping, puffed feathers, what else?

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Oh, good job! Hmmmm......proper feeding, basic signs of illness...

Do you mean appropriate feed for the various ages?

On basic signs of illness - what would you recommend?  Nasal discharge, swollen eye, limping, puffed feathers, what else?

For something like you're dealing with, that's the good short list. You won't be given enough time for more. Maybe staggering and lethargy.