I doubt the ducks are stealing eggs. They may cover them...but why would they take them? and do what with them?
I would bank on an egg eater( another chicken) or rats/mice eating the eggs.
Or snake or squirrels or other egg eaters.
Oh...and cows are extraordinarily curious about everything! But this wasn't curiosity. He simply wanted the hay in the nest box. He thought it tasted better than his round bale. When we got him out, he still had a mouth full of hay!
I have bio-security questions. As I read other's posts it really has hit me that bio-security is critical. So, what do you do to protect your flock? I am starting over with just chicks that have not had any contact with the adult birds I had before - even though they were healthy. I want to do everything I can to ensure that I don't expose them to anything dangerous. So far, I know this means not bringing home anything other than day old chicks or hatching eggs. Any day old chicks will be [SIZE=10pt][COLOR=000000]quarantined[/COLOR][/SIZE] in the garage (how long?).
I have taken birds to flock swaps and bring my crate home. Honestly I have been lax about disinfecting it since it stays in the truck, what should I use? If I take a bird that doesn't sell, what do I do with it? Of course I will wash my clothes immediately. What else is recommended?
I keep reading about a product called oxine. What is it? Is it good and if so, where do I get it? Or is bleach sufficient? Is there something else you recommend?
Anything else you can recommend would be appreciated!
Bleach works!
After losing my flock to MG last year, I set up a quarantine house, using an existing building in a pasture my birds don't use. I keep shoes and gloves there, and brought my lab coat home from work to keep there, too. (It's ten years old! I figure I'm due another one). Perfect world would have quarantine with full clothing change and even enclosed for no air exchange. Obviously, it's not practical, so we do the best we can do, and hope! I put one of my existing birds in with the quarantine birds, in case they are carrying something they are not affected by. And although I used to consider a month good, if I brought a bird onto my property now, it would be in quarantine for four months. Obviously, I'm only bringing in chicks and eggs, which have a reduced chance of having anything. And soon, I'll have all the breeds and bloodlines I want and will only do outgoing birds.
As far as swaps go, any bird that does not sell goes into quarantine for the night and to the auction the next day.
And I keep my eyes open. I see people asking advice for sick birds in one group, but selling or trading on another! They go on my "want nothing to do with" list. I could have put down my sick birds last year, and continued to sell birds. But those asymptomatic birds would have been carriers. So I could have made a few bucks off them....but lost all potential customers for later, because word does get around!
However, I admit to being overly paranoid, perhaps. Losing my flock, plus having a biology background makes me doubly so.
