***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[i-love-my-honey]

@artsyrobin sorry about Galahad... he was a beautiful boy!

@i-love-my-honey Sorry about your losses too, and good luck on your hunt. I've had to shoot several dogs over the past few years. Some stray and I'm sure a couple have been from neighbors that can't keep their dogs on their property. You can do it!



I saw a bald eagle about a week ago. It's the first time I've ever seen one. I've only been in OK about 5 years and have never seen an eagle of any kind in anything other than pictures. It was beautiful and huge. I saw it in the morning but I guess I scared it off and only got to see its back end so I thought it was a really big hawk. About an hour later I went out to check on the girls and got a good look at it as it was flying toward the lake. I feel lucky that it didn't take any of my free range layers.

I did actually lose 2 speckled sussex hens recently, but not to predators. They were only 1.5 - 3 years old and died in their sleep. The first I lost about a week or so ago and the last was a couple of nights go. They have several acres to free range on and this was their favorite thing to do. Strip the laves off a couple of tomato plants that are growing near the coops. They had not been well the day before they died and weren't moving around much. They just laid down near one of the waterers the whole day and weren't running around with the flock the day/night they died. I think I read somewhere that the leaves on tomato plants are toxic so I wonder if that had anything to do with it. After she passed I ripped those 2 plants out and got rid of them thinking it may have had something to do with it. If anything I hope it was something genetic and not contagious so that the rest of my free rangers don't suffer the same fate.



I had really bad luck with speckled sussex hens from "my pet chicken". I got them from a hatchery because they were just going to be part of a free range layer flock and we wanted something pretty to look at. I got 5 pullet sand 1 cockerel. 1 didn't make it which is expected when you get day olds in the mail. Out of the 5 left 2 turned out to be cockerels, 4 out of 5 had crooked and curly toes and 1 had a pendulous crop. The only one without crooked toes was the cock so I put him over the 1 SS girl who's toes weren't too crooked and hatched a few to see if they had the same toe problems and sure enough all the babies grew up to have slightly crooked toes. Well I am down to 1 SS girl and I think if I want anymore I will get them from a breeder, even if they are just going to be layers and not a part of a breeding program.

Thank you. I cannot help but hope the dog comes around when my hubby is home, though!

I have a friend who lost over 50 chickens this summer to a family of bald eagles. Majestic Chicken Killers she calls them.

 

[Adorkable]

@i-love-my-honey Yeah I prefer when my husband is home too so he can do the dirty work

.

Wow 50 chickens

that's a lot of birds. Usually when I lose 1 to a predator I keep them locked up for a few days.. up to a week either in their run or in the coop. One time I lost 5 overnight because I failed to lock up the coop that one time. Never happened again. Other than that I've only lost 2 to predators during the day while free ranging. Those were to aerial predators... probably hawks. I'm always either outside with them or looking out the windows when they're out. I've actually probably saved a bunch of them by spotting dogs that have been coming in our driveway before they can reach my chickens. At first I used to run them off, but that wasn't working cause they would come back most of the time, so I had hubby teach me how to shoot. Sadly they will most likely be back cause they know you have food or living dog toys, but you'll be ready for them!

 

[NanaKat]

We finally heard from our nephew in Paris late last night that he is now safe at home in his apartment. He was out with friends during the attacks. He had been teaching English in Paris while working on his degrees. He now has a job in advertising.

As for hawks...it is legal by state statute to shoot a hawk attacking your livestock/poultry. I've posted that statute several times. BUT, it is illegal to shoot eagles. According to the State Wildlife, you can scare them off using several strategies...CDs and aluminum pie plates, reflective tape streamers, or cover your flock ranging areas...similar to flight pens for pheasants, Usually eagles prefer lakes for fish, but will seek out rodents, rabbits and easy prey when teaching their young to hunt.

 

[Kassaundra]

We finally heard from our nephew in Paris late last night that he is now safe at home in his apartment. He was out with friends during the attacks. He had been teaching English in Paris while working on his degrees. He now has a job in advertising.

As for hawks...it is legal by state statute to shoot a hawk attacking your livestock/poultry. I've posted that statute several times. BUT, it is illegal to shoot eagles. According to the State Wildlife, you can scare them off using several strategies...CDs and aluminum pie plates, reflective tape streamers, or cover your flock ranging areas...similar to flight pens for pheasants, Usually eagles prefer lakes for fish, but will seek out rodents, rabbits and easy prey when teaching their young to hunt.

Glad your nephew is safe.

 

[bluerosebirds]

Vinita Auction was great. Good AMish food. Very friendly people. Sold everything !

 

[NanaKat]

Im going top post here and on the emergency thread section


One of my Bantam cocks has a swollen oil/preening gland. it is about the size of sparrow egg and when the crust came off in bathing the area, he is bleeding profusely from the skin about the gland. Other than the swelling, he is healthy and active...but his tail is hanging low because the swelling is putting pressure on his tail joint. That is how I noticed something was wrong.
Do I attempt to scalpel the swelling to relieve the pressure inside the gland?
Can the duct from the gland be plugged...does that happen.

Gentle pressure on the gland only makes the surface bleed. I can stop the bleeding with cut dust. I can start him on Tylan 200 or LA200 or penicillin...an arsenal of antibiotics at my disposal.

I would prefer not to cull him as he is a Gold-laced Birchen Rosecomb.

 

[Kassaundra]

Im going top post here and on the emergency thread section


One of my Bantam cocks has a swollen oil/preening gland. it is about the size of sparrow egg and when the crust came off in bathing the area, he is bleeding profusely from the skin about the gland. Other than the swelling, he is healthy and active...but his tail is hanging low because the swelling is putting pressure on his tail joint. That is how I noticed something was wrong.
Do I attempt to scalpel the swelling to relieve the pressure inside the gland?
Can the duct from the gland be plugged...does that happen.

Gentle pressure on the gland only makes the surface bleed. I can stop the bleeding with cut dust. I can start him on Tylan 200 or LA200 or penicillin...an arsenal of antibiotics at my disposal.

I would prefer not to cull him as he is a Gold-laced Birchen Rosecomb.

I have no first hand knowledge, the little research I did said soaking in warm water while massaging the area can loosen and relieve some of the impaction. The biggest cause is vit A deficiency from a heavy seed diet, and sometimes (though not very often can be bacterial) I was on a vet site, they said if warm water and massage doesn't release the impaction surgery is required (by a vet) so not sure if it simple lancing or real surgery.

 

[i-love-my-honey]

We finally heard from our nephew in Paris late last night that he is now safe at home in his apartment. He was out with friends during the attacks.  He had been teaching English in Paris while working on his degrees.  He now has a job in advertising.  

As for hawks...it is legal by state statute to shoot a hawk attacking your livestock/poultry.  I've posted that statute several times.  BUT, it is illegal to shoot eagles.  According to the State Wildlife, you can scare them off using several strategies...CDs and aluminum pie plates, reflective tape streamers, or cover your flock ranging areas...similar to flight pens for pheasants,  Usually eagles prefer lakes for fish, but will seek out rodents, rabbits and easy prey when teaching their young to hunt.

SO glad you heard from your nephew!

My friend free ranges her flock on her property in a wooded area. The eagles would roost in the trees - under the canopy - and lie in wait. Nothing they have tried has worked to deter the eagles. The tree the nest is in is not on their property and the man who owns it is not friendly. The remaining 25 or so chickens remaining have gotten pretty savvy, though!

 

[NanaKat]

Quote: I could not find any information on the oil gland....so am glad you found something.
I tried the warm water bath, but will do another one to see if I can get it to loosen up. Right now it is pretty firm and any pressure seems to make the surface bleed a lot....that is worrysome since I don't want a lot of blood loss on such a small bird. .
I am thinking about surgery options. I have a scalpel and a punch. Either way there will be an opening for draining the gland..the smaller the better. I'm thinking also the opening should not be near the duct, but closer to the back of the swelling. Here is what I'm dealing with...not for the squeamish....the oil duct is on the right.

 

[Kassaundra]

I could not find any information on the oil gland....so am glad you found something.
I tried the warm water bath, but will do another one to see if I can get it to loosen up. Right now it is pretty firm and any pressure seems to make the surface bleed a lot....that is worrysome since I don't want a lot of blood loss on such a small bird. .
I am thinking about surgery options. I have a scalpel and a punch. Either way there will be an opening for draining the gland..the smaller the better. I'm thinking also the opening should not be near the duct, but closer to the back of the swelling. Here is what I'm dealing with...not for the squeamish....the oil duct is on the right.

That is what I would do make an opening not near the working end, so scar tissue won't be a problem in the future. He won't make it this way for sure so really nothing to lose. The surface bleeding is bothersome, not just b/c of the blood loss, but the severity of the block bad enough to have split the skin like that, the pressure on the tissues is great, I would worry about "compartment syndrome" not so much a rush of toxins into the blood stream, but more tissue death in the general area of the gland. If you soak again I would soak in epsoms salts, maybe it will help to "draw out" better.