***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kassaundra]

Got a question for experienced Okie chicken raisers... what's the best breed that is heat resistant and cold hardy? Also can you cross a chicken that is cold hardy with one that is heat resistant to make one?

Absolutely can't go wrong w/ Naked necks, they are one of the most heat tolerant breeds out there, if not the most. They are also cold hardy, even though that isn't a big problem here it really doesn't get cold enough long enough to bother most chickens (obvious exceptions w/ the ultra small breeds)

 

[bardies]

Bardles- what feed are you using? What bedding are they on? Listless and fluffed could be cocci, could be alot of things going on, i had one hatch last year of 6, they were doing good then bam- only one survivor- i suspect cocci was the culpret on that one- here is a chick booster- from NNbreeder he uses it with his

chick crumbies - medicated (for cocci - I believe), and the bedding is a towel over shredded paper fiber (hamster type stuff sold at petco). I haven't changed the towel as they have only recently really started eating...so I guess it isn't very clean by now

 

[artsyrobin]

sounds like you have been doing it right- do they have a heat lamp?

 

[bardies]

Yes, and a portion of the box is 'shaded' so they can go to a cooler area if they care to

 

[hotcurltr]

I have had muscovy ducks for about a year now and my hens have hatched out over 100 eggs. All have been healthy. I joined NPIP last May and had by brood stock inspected. Everything has been going fine. I've sold or butchered most of the young. I have about twenty 3 month olds, which I'm trying to sell and butcher some.
Anyway I haven't changed anything and the day after Thanksgiving I found my breeding drake dead. He seemed fine the day before. Healthy appetite and all. There wasn't a mark on him and hubby thought he had a heart attack. We checked all the other ducks, geese and chickens and they all seemed fine. Nothing acting funny or sick. Yesterday(Sunday) when I went out to do morning chores I found one of the young 3 month old drakes dead, the same no marks. Then as I was changing the water in one of the kiddie pools, another young drake went into a spasm and died right in front of me. I called the poultry inspector to come pick them up to be tested, he said he couldn't because everyone was out until Monday because of the holiday. Hubby bagged the one up for the inspector to pick up today. This morning another young drake was dead. They are eating, playing in the kiddie pools and running around. I followed a few of them around to see if they were breathing funny, but didn't hear anything. I only have three breeding hens and they seem fine too. I do have some young 3 month hens but none of them have died. Help I don't know when I'll get the results back on the one the inspector picked up today. He said he had to take it to Little Rock and from there it is expressed to Texas A and M. I thought maybe botulism, but they are all walking fine. I cleaned everything today, but am scared to death, it might be something my geese could get. They are my pets. I do have a muddy spot they all noodle around. It's been there for a year where I dump the big kiddie pool. I was going to try to dry it up but someone told me that the ducks and geese love to noodle around in those kind of spots so I've kept it there, and they seem to love it, but maybe there is something in it that is poisoning them. Although the geese noodle around there too and sometimes the chickens will drink from it, even though they have clean water twice a day. I was hoping I could have some suggestions before the results come back on the one. I'm dreading morning chores.Since 3 out of 4 days I've had dead ducks. There is not an avian vet any where around here, so taking blood and getting a quick look isn't an option. Since I'm so new at this, does anyone have any suggestions while I'm waiting who know how long for the results. Hopefully they will be pretty fast.

 

[Ksane]

Kim, that sucks. I lost 3 of the 10 hatchery Silkies and a few from another group but it was from putting them in a pen where other birds had been. Whatever bacteria or parasite that was in the ground was too much for their young immune sytems.
It couldn't have been coccidia with yours because they'd have had to have been exposed to it from the ground/droppings of the adult birds and they've been by themselves. I've got my 10 day old Silkies in the living room right under the TV on the wall :-/ Too scared of even putting them in the RV or on the heated deck for fear of losing them.
By the way-all the black ones from the Sizzle hatch have normal chicken feathers, not frizled or silkied. So you wouldn't have been able to use them for show if you'd have taken them.
All I can think of is make sure they're super warm. Mine have been eating 28% protein Game bird starter with hot water in from the second they hatched. Your's just started eating good? That would concern me.

 

[Kassaundra]

I have had muscovy ducks for about a year now and my hens have hatched out over 100 eggs. All have been healthy. I joined NPIP last May and had by brood stock inspected. Everything has been going fine. I've sold or butchered most of the young. I have about twenty 3 month olds, which I'm trying to sell and butcher some.
Anyway I haven't changed anything and the day after Thanksgiving I found my breeding drake dead. He seemed fine the day before. Healthy appetite and all. There wasn't a mark on him and hubby thought he had a heart attack. We checked all the other ducks, geese and chickens and they all seemed fine. Nothing acting funny or sick. Yesterday(Sunday) when I went out to do morning chores I found one of the young 3 month old drakes dead, the same no marks. Then as I was changing the water in one of the kiddie pools, another young drake went into a spasm and died right in front of me. I called the poultry inspector to come pick them up to be tested, he said he couldn't because everyone was out until Monday because of the holiday. Hubby bagged the one up for the inspector to pick up today. This morning another young drake was dead. They are eating, playing in the kiddie pools and running around. I followed a few of them around to see if they were breathing funny, but didn't hear anything. I only have three breeding hens and they seem fine too. I do have some young 3 month hens but none of them have died. Help I don't know when I'll get the results back on the one the inspector picked up today. He said he had to take it to Little Rock and from there it is expressed to Texas A and M. I thought maybe botulism, but they are all walking fine. I cleaned everything today, but am scared to death, it might be something my geese could get. They are my pets. I do have a muddy spot they all noodle around. It's been there for a year where I dump the big kiddie pool. I was going to try to dry it up but someone told me that the ducks and geese love to noodle around in those kind of spots so I've kept it there, and they seem to love it, but maybe there is something in it that is poisoning them. Although the geese noodle around there too and sometimes the chickens will drink from it, even though they have clean water twice a day. I was hoping I could have some suggestions before the results come back on the one. I'm dreading morning chores.Since 3 out of 4 days I've had dead ducks. There is not an avian vet any where around here, so taking blood and getting a quick look isn't an option. Since I'm so new at this, does anyone have any suggestions while I'm waiting who know how long for the results. Hopefully they will be pretty fast.

First off

neighbor, I really wish I could help answer but have no experience w/ ducks at all.

Have you noticed any patterns or similarities, like ages, groups that tend to hang out together, gender, pen, etc..

 

[Kyzmette]

For the ducks, it could be something picked up from wild bird droppings. Wouldn't it be safer to startthem on an antibiotic regimen just in case? That's assuming I read that right and only the drakes are dying and you have them separated from the girls. If you have them in the same pen and only the drakes are dying, that would seem like something genetic, but genetic issues don't usually wait several months then strike multiple birds at once. If you're feeding and watering them all the same and a single pen is dying you should be able to narrow that down to the environment, which would suggest a potentially communicable illness or foreign contaminant.

Kass, thanks so much for all your info. The more I read about wry neck, the farther I move away from that specific diagnosis, but I'm becoming more convinced that it is similar, a neurological disorder possibly caused by nutritional deficiencies. I didn't see a single seizure last night. They may have been out of my hearing or they may have been mild enough to not bring me running, but I'm thankful either way.

Bardies, talk to Rinda about e coli, just in case.

 

[bardies]

Kim, that sucks. I lost 3 of the 10 hatchery Silkies and a few from another group but it was from putting them in a pen where other birds had been. Whatever bacteria or parasite that was in the ground was too much for their young immune sytems.
It couldn't have been coccidia with yours because they'd have had to have been exposed to it from the ground/droppings of the adult birds and they've been by themselves. I've got my 10 day old Silkies in the living room right under the TV on the wall :-/ Too scared of even putting them in the RV or on the heated deck for fear of losing them.
By the way-all the black ones from the Sizzle hatch have normal chicken feathers, not frizled or silkied. So you wouldn't have been able to use them for show if you'd have taken them.
All I can think of is make sure they're super warm. Mine have been eating 28% protein Game bird starter with hot water in from the second they hatched. Your's just started eating good? That would concern me.

It probably took 4 to 5 days before they really started to eat. I am feeding dry. Maybe a mash like yours would be a better start for them. That way they are getting hydrated at the same time. Taht would go to the 'failure to thrive' issues that a few of them seem to have had. The container that they are in has been used before - and the waterer/feeder. I did not sterilize them. But the bedding is all new.

How can you tell that the feathers are normal already? Mine just have the little primaries coming out.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Typically an e coli yolk infection will cause death at under 1 week old. However, I was losing ALL my Isbar chicks at 3-4 weeks old, for months on end. Everything was super clean, scrubbed and disinfected regularly, moved the pen weekly, etc. Did a round of Tetracycline which helped for about 2 weeks then I went back to 95-100% losses. There was nothing else I could think of to try. Sent some chicks in for testing and it was confirmed to be a specific strain of e coli being passed from the hens to the eggs. This strain is not one you find environmentally, the vet said in his opinion it came from someone I bought hatching eggs from to start my Isbar flock. Based on the results from the OSU lab he prescribed Bactrim to treat my flock. They have not been laying so I have been unable to confirm yet if that has fixed the infection but it should have. The lab will give you a list of antibiotics they tested the bacteria sample in and tell you which antibiotics that strain is more susceptible to. Totally worth the testing fees. I think it was around $100 to dissect the 3 chicks and culture the bacteria. FYI if you are near Tulsa I can pass on the name of the ONLY vet I have found to see chickens.... and believe me I called EVERYWHERE!