***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Ksane]

Am I just too much of a chicken? Or would you all risk it?

No pun intended-I swear!

 

[Ksane]

What would yall suggest is some good scraps i can start feeding at 6 weeks?

Bugs!! I start feeding mine their feeder bugs (like in Kass's videos) when they're less than a week old, they love them. I think anything they'd eat if they were out with their mamas in the yard would be acceptable.

 

[eramsey99]

Bugs!! I start feeding mine their feeder bugs (like in Kass's videos) when they're less than a week old, they love them. I think anything they'd eat if they were out with their mamas in the yard would be acceptable.

well yesterday i gave them a small amount of just spagetti noodles and some of them sat around all day like squirming acting like it wasnt going down..

 

[Greybear23]

Bugs!! I start feeding mine their feeder bugs (like in Kass's videos) when they're less than a week old, they love them. I think anything they'd eat if they were out with their mamas in the yard would be acceptable.

Bugs are good! You can buy dried meal worms at Atwood's and other places. I would try cooked rice, cooked mixed veggies, maybe chop up things like speggetti real fine so theyu can digest it, chickens will eat almost anything, you can even give them meat scraps, some prefer to cook them but I feed them either way and my chickens love them.I feed mine grass clippings also, but you might want to make sure they are chopped up fine for smaller birds as the long blades of grass can get stuck trying to digest, also if you are feeding "OTHER" foods be sure and keep a good supply of grit out for you birds to help in digesting their food, JMO, Lynn

 

[Kassaundra]

I'm reading about this disease called Lymphoid Leukosis that virtually all Spitzhauben have because the original Spitz's imported into this country had it and that's where all our Spitzhauben came from. I was supposed to get some this week and I'm really just sick about this. Some of the same people who were in a panic over it 2 yrs ago now claim "it's no big deal". Yet all the info I'm reading about it suggests it's just plain stupid to knowingly expose your flock to it by getting Spitz's without testing them 1st. I wanted those Spitz so badly and now I'm too scared to risk it. If there's even a 1 in 50 chance of them passing it to my other birds it's not worth it to me. I wish I could find some sort of solid info on it but so far I can't. Mainly I'm finding factual articles warning against risking it and individual chicken owners saying "it's no big deal". I've read until my eyes blurred and finally came to the conclusion that there's nothing anyone can say to make me risk my other birds getting it (especially my Cochin girls!) so I'm going to pass on the Spitz. Which makes me ill to even say. It's passed from hen to chick through the egg. And any eggs that hatch along with those eggs get it. It's gradual and sneaky and most people don't even realize that's why they lose birds (as in the case with most diseases).
Am I just too much of a chicken? Or would you all risk it?

This is the first I've ever heard of it, so I don't know enough about it to say whether you should risk it or not, but I had a couple of questions, since you have already read the articles. What exactly does the disease do, is it chronic or fatal?

You said it is passed from mother to chick through the egg, other then that is it communicable? What if the father was spitz and the mother a diff breed?

 

[Ksane]

It's passed from rooster to hen also, I did find reference to that in several places. It's also passed through feces to other birds-like stepping in feces and walking into another bird's yard and passed directly through bird to bird contact. But most articles also said it "only" kills about 20% of your birds and it's gradual and vague. It's a virus that causes tumors. It's like Marek's but it's not super contagious like Mareks and there's no vaccine for it. My frustration is in not being able to get a straight answer anywhere from individuals. I read where "my Spitz never had it" but come to find out, they didn't TEST them-so how do they know if some of the deaths they've had weren't attributed to this disease? That's the frustration. People don't know so they throw their hands up and say, "Just don't worry about it." I'm one of those ridiculous people who wants to KNOW. The mere fact that too many people *don't know makes me uncomfortable about getting birds that are known to have it. It's a problem in the breed.

 

[Kassaundra]

So then anyone who has ever had a mixed flock w/ a spitz or spitz mix also has this? Or anyone who has gotten any chicken of any breed that also had a spitz or spitz mix in the flock w/ any other chicken also carries it? Or almost any bird purchased at an auction that had a spitz or spitz mix or had been kept on a place w/ a spitz or exposed bird can have it or carry it? What I'm saying is it is out there and not just confined to spitz's anymore.

If it is going to keep you up at night worrying over it then don't get them, there are other birds w/ top knots, but don't kid yourself that if you don't get a spitz your (the general you not specifically you) flock hasn't been exposed if you have brought any bird into your place that has ever lived elsewhere or been to a show or auction.






So not meaning that every bird that has been to an auction, show or lived elsewhere has it or carries it, just that any of them COULD have/carry it.

 

[Kassaundra]

So the birds that get it / have it, are they noticably sick and then die in days, or is it chronic failure to thrive and die in weeks to months, or never knew my chicken was sick dropped dead at 4-6 yrs old?

You said 20% fatal, do the 80% then live long productive lives?

 

[modernman]

Hey bycer l have for sale a quad of black langshans and trio of salmon favorlles all of them are show birds we showed last year.just have to many before i put them craiglist i wanted give my byc friends a chance first

 

[Oakieridge]

It's passed from rooster to hen also, I did find reference to that in several places. It's also passed through feces to other birds-like stepping in feces and walking into another bird's yard and passed directly through bird to bird contact. But most articles also said it "only" kills about 20% of your birds and it's gradual and vague. It's a virus that causes tumors. It's like Marek's but it's not super contagious like Mareks and there's no vaccine for it. My frustration is in not being able to get a straight answer anywhere from individuals. I read where "my Spitz never had it" but come to find out, they didn't TEST them-so how do they know if some of the deaths they've had weren't attributed to this disease? That's the frustration. People don't know so they throw their hands up and say, "Just don't worry about it." I'm one of those ridiculous people who wants to KNOW. The mere fact that too many people *don't know makes me uncomfortable about getting birds that are known to have it. It's a problem in the breed.

I haven't ever heard of it either but after dealing with the respitory stuff one time that would make me leary of buying ANY bird known to have a chance of having something like this. I love my litte flock I would not take the chance of making the others sick, and then I would never be able to sell or give birds away since there would be a health risk in my flock as well. I am with you on this one.