***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[NanaKat]

This weeks picture of Bubbalicous, sporting a brace and vet tape, he is walking more on the end of the hoof now, not as knuckled under as it was, the only time you can stretch the tendon is while he is getting a bottle, Was almost an old people rodeo putting the brace on him this morning, not sure who won.

Once they start putting weight on the foot it will straighten out quickly. Bubba may not need the brace for more than a week. ...if it lasts that long. It may be a rodeo again to get it off. Throw him and rope tie a front and back leg together while one of you sits on him..... And have someone take a video...you could win big bucks on Funniest Home Videos.

We had a calf born this past week with one foot curled. She was trying to put weight on the tiptoe while she nursed. It was flexible so we left her with her mom in the pasture but kept watch. The next day she was able to flex the foot flat. And the next day she was running with the other calves.

 

[Cjarvis]

And she is coming to get some dirt tomorrow to mix with the compost she wants to help fill those beds. Roger said to tell you we will be careful about not overloading her truck. Sure wish our dump truck was up and running. It would be so much easier.

I heard, I don't quite understand the logic as the dirt we have here will grow anything very good, loose, rich soil all over the property. But if this makes her happier, I'm all for it. I gave up even trying to discuss things with her once she decides what she wants I just go with it. Made my life easier when I started taking that approach.

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote: i know, i would think swanlets, still looking for answers to the origins....

 

[Ksane]

I have had both pox if it wet you will not save the bird get it away from your other birds if it is dry use white shoe polish on the head it will dry up.

I hadn't heard about the shoe polish, why white I wonder? I had read awhile back to use iodine and I did that. There weren't many that had scabs, a few on their combs but none on their faces or beaks. I'm not even so sure the scabs on the combs weren't from scuffling with each other.

And here is the info from the Merck Vet manual online for fowl pox. It states that vaccination during an active outbreak will help to keep losses down.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/204801.htm

I did read that article awhile back and did order the vaccine and vaccinated every bird here 10 days ago. They send you enough vaccine for 1000 birds but it's only good for a few hours once you mix it so you have to throw it out afterwards. It was real fun sticking 50 or 60 birds with that double prong thing in their wing web . I even did the baby chicks that were here.
I'm wondering if the only way to find out for sure what I'm dealing with is take one of them to the vet. That may be the answer right there.


Forgot the rest of my post:

Thanks for the info you posted, Les.
That's the 1st I've ever read that they remained carriers after recovery with Fowl Pox though. Everything else I've read said they're immune afterwards and *not carriers.
Flagyl/Metrinidazole is commonly used for canker and I can get that pretty easily. I used to keep a huge bottle of it around for rescue dogs with giardia. I honestly don't think it's Canker because that takes direct contact and birds in yards far away from each other have gotten it. I thought at 1st it was *something that got drug home from the Newcastle auction, that may be where the original infected bird came from. It also takes months to spread and months for them to get over it. I wonder if maybe I should try the Flagyl on one of the birds with the patches in its throat just on the off chance it's canker.
Carl, Fowl Powl is rampant in Oklahoma. Especially now with mesquitoes all over. It doesn't help we live 300 ft from a creek.

 

[okcarla]

Speaking cougars...

Just got the following email from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.


==========================================================================================================

March 22, 2012
A service of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation


Genetic analysis from "Minco mountain lion" confirms ties to South Dakota
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation recently confirmed origins of the mountain lion struck and killed by a motorist in November 2011 near Minco.
According to Erik Bartholomew, furbearer biologist for the Wildlife Department, the 130-lb. male mountain lion that was found dead along HWY 81 north of Minco is closely tied genetically to populations in the Black Hills of South Dakota. DNA analyses performed on tissue collected from the cat also confirm it was a wild mountain lion and not an escaped domestic animal.
"The cat's DNA shows a very close genetic relationship to wild populations in South Dakota," Bartholomew said. "We can say with a high level of confidence that this male was born in the Black Hills region. Another clue that this animal was wild is the fact that it had porcupine quills in its stomach. Apparently mountain lions consider them to be good eating, or maybe they are easy to catch, but many times western states report mountain lions with porcupine quills in their front legs and digestive tract."
A small tooth from the mountain lion's upper jaw also was sent to a lab for aging. Much like the rings on a tree, the root portion of the tooth has rings that can be used by experts to age the animal. The tooth from the "Minco mountain lion" showed that the animal was at least three years old.
"We have no idea of the path he used to get to Oklahoma," Bartholomew said. "However, with him being killed near the South Canadian, he likely was following the river where their primary prey - white-tailed deer - would be in high abundance. Males tend to have very large home ranges at or over 200 square miles. The Black Hills is a small island of habitat, and many times adult males will get in territorial disputes with young males and the loser leaves in search of new territory."
This mountain lion represents a unique research opportunity for the Department since the animals are secretive and because biologists have had few other opportunities to study them up close in Oklahoma.
Other wild mountain lions documented in Oklahoma also have tested positive for Black Hills origins, such as the female captured in the city limits of Tulsa last year and another believed to have been killed by a train in 2004 near Red Rock. A male mountain lion that was shot in 2010 in the Panhandle by a Department of Agriculture employee while depredating livestock tested positive for genetic ties to populations in eastern Colorado, and another confiscated by the Department's law enforcement division in southeast Oklahoma was genetically tied to populations in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska. Additionally, several other sightings have been documented, including a young radio-collared male from Colorado that traveled through the Panhandle's Texas County in 2010 and is now living in New Mexico, and trail camera pictures from the fall of 2009 that show mountain lions in Tillman and Atoka counties.
Also called "panthers," "cougars" and "pumas," mountain lions are native to Oklahoma and historically would have been found statewide. Bartholomew said it is a common misconception that the Wildlife Department has released mountain lions in Oklahoma.
Officials with the Wildlife Department rely on the public to report verifiable sightings, photos and reports of mountain lions to help document the species in Oklahoma.
To submit photographs and report sightings of mountain lions in Oklahoma, log on to wildlifedepartment.com and report your sighting online or call Bartholomew at (405) 385-1791.


***Photo***

DNA analysis of the mountain lion that made headlines in November after being struck and killed by a vehicle near Minco has confirmed that the cat was a wild animal with genetic ties to populations in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. In this photo, Erik Bartholomew, furbearer biologist for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, takes the rare opportunity to conduct research on the mountain lion, which was hit on HWY 81 north of Minco.​

​

I'd be willing to bet your dogs were attacked by a mountain lion or cougar. In January, after we had fixed our fence and put electric wire all along the top of our field fence around our acreage, we had 2 baby goats disappear. I just thought maybe they were hiding somewhere. Then a few days later we found an adult doe killed, with her entire front eaten. She had been dragged through our creek toward the back of our property. Another doe had a big bite mark on her neck, and she too had been dragged through the creek. Sadly, we had blocked the only place our dogs could have gotten in the pen because the goats had been getting out there. So, the goats were defenseless. We now have 2 of our dogs in with the goats full time, and haven't lost another goat. I contacted the Tuttle police dept. and they too mentioned the mountain lion in Minco. The vet that we took our injured doe to said that it was something with a large bite that attacked, and not dogs or coyotes because there would have been bites to the leg area too if it were canines. Whatever it was, I figure it came through our creek area (we live a mile away from the S. Canadian river) and it jumped our fence that has the electric wire on top. I'll never leave our goats without several dogs protecting them again. Oh, and the Tuttle police officer sent me an email stating "While we do not have direct evidence of a mountain lion or cougar within the city limits of Tuttle, we have had sightings in the past. Also, a mountain lion was recently hit by a car in Minco. The wildlife department tells us that mountain lions can have a range of 100 miles or so, so the presence of one in Tuttle is a possibility."
I just hope that whatever it was decides to pick on only wildlife and not more domestic animals or people.

By the way, hello everyone! Sorry I don't get much opportunity to get online. I'm at work tonight and finally not busy. I wish I had more time at home with the critters. We finally started up our incubator and have mostly bourbon red turkey eggs in. So, if all goes well, Gerald and I will be at POOPS with turkey poults, and hatching eggs of all the varieties of birds we raise.

Oh, and we do have Komondor pups born on Thursday. Not sure how many yet. I tried to keep the momma dog in the house so she'd have them inside. She decided otherwise though. I let her outside to go to the bathroom, and she opened the gate to the barn, let 2 other dogs out, and then had the puppies under the barn. There's a crawl space under the barn, and Gerald was able to get near her, but not close enough to count pups.

 

[Ksane]

Ok here's something else from Merck about canker. This alone makes me think this *isn't what it is because it's been moving real slow and canker moves rapid, I've been dealing with this since January. And not all birds have gotten sick. Most have been perfectly healthy through it all. Although I lost some, too.

"The disease course is rapid. The first lesions appear as small, yellowish areas on the oral mucosa. They grow rapidly and coalesce to form masses that frequently completely block the esophagus and may prevent the bird from closing its mouth. Much fluid may accumulate in the mouth. There is a watery ocular discharge and, in more advanced stages, exudate about the eyes that may result in blindness. Birds lose weight rapidly, become weak and listless, and sometimes die within 8-10 days. In chronic infections, birds appear healthy, although trichomonads can usually be demonstrated in scrapings from the mucous membranes of the throat."

 

[Buster52]

Hey all. Nice seeing so many of you at the auction tonight. I had a heartbreak, though.

I'm minding my own business when my great niece tells me there is something she just has to show me. What do I find but a cage with two FREE male Great Pyrenees/German Shepherd mix pups. They were abt 6 weeks old, had the coloring and look of a GSD, but the bulk of a Great Pyr. Fool that I am, I rushed over to ask permission of the woman I love (who said yes, of course) and by the time I got back both had been claimed. To make matters worse, the lady who got the last one asked me to take it out of the cage for her. Oh, how hard it was for me to hand that puppy over! Pure torture!

Those are going to be some cool looking dogs! Can you imagine what appears to be a 150 pound German Shepherd? Awesome.

We left early and stopped by Atwoods in Chickasha to pick up a few more BBW turkeys to sell as meat birds at the farmers market this summer. Tomorrow morning we are going to try out Mary's Swap meet. I have heard so much about it I just have to see it for myself. Afterward, I'm taking my sweety to Bricktown for lunch and a movie, if we can find anything decent playing.

So is Mary's as busy on Sunday as it is on Saturday?

 

[Buster52]

I'd be willing to bet your dogs were attacked by a mountain lion or cougar. In January, after we had fixed our fence and put electric wire all along the top of our field fence around our acreage, we had 2 baby goats disappear. I just thought maybe they were hiding somewhere. Then a few days later we found an adult doe killed, with her entire front eaten. She had been dragged through our creek toward the back of our property. Another doe had a big bite mark on her neck, and she too had been dragged through the creek. Sadly, we had blocked the only place our dogs could have gotten in the pen because the goats had been getting out there. So, the goats were defenseless. We now have 2 of our dogs in with the goats full time, and haven't lost another goat. I contacted the Tuttle police dept. and they too mentioned the mountain lion in Minco. The vet that we took our injured doe to said that it was something with a large bite that attacked, and not dogs or coyotes because there would have been bites to the leg area too if it were canines. Whatever it was, I figure it came through our creek area (we live a mile away from the S. Canadian river) and it jumped our fence that has the electric wire on top. I'll never leave our goats without several dogs protecting them again. Oh, and the Tuttle police officer sent me an email stating "While we do not have direct evidence of a mountain lion or cougar within the city limits of Tuttle, we have had sightings in the past. Also, a mountain lion was recently hit by a car in Minco. The wildlife department tells us that mountain lions can have a range of 100 miles or so, so the presence of one in Tuttle is a possibility."
I just hope that whatever it was decides to pick on only wildlife and not more domestic animals or people.

By the way, hello everyone! Sorry I don't get much opportunity to get online. I'm at work tonight and finally not busy. I wish I had more time at home with the critters. We finally started up our incubator and have mostly bourbon red turkey eggs in. So, if all goes well, Gerald and I will be at POOPS with turkey poults, and hatching eggs of all the varieties of birds we raise.

Oh, and we do have Komondor pups born on Thursday. Not sure how many yet. I tried to keep the momma dog in the house so she'd have them inside. She decided otherwise though. I let her outside to go to the bathroom, and she opened the gate to the barn, let 2 other dogs out, and then had the puppies under the barn. There's a crawl space under the barn, and Gerald was able to get near her, but not close enough to count pups.

Yes, we have pretty much decided it was a cougar. We are proud of our dogs for driving it off, whatever it was.

BTW, I am obviously in the market for another dog or two, so I'll PM you about your pups. Nice to see you online! Say hi to the Egg Man for me. Miss you guys at the auctions.

 

[Buster52]

I heard tonight there is going to be a new auction starting up next month. It is going to be in my back yard in Walters! That should bring some Texas folks up this way.

I'll forward details as I get them. We are excited!

 

[Tony O]

Quote: the even more interesting question is why?

Good question.

I have no idea.