Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[Bens-Hens]

Thanks team.

I will keep you posted as we work through the plan. Hopefully, if it works for us there will be a record for other families that find themselves in the same unfortunate position and want to work through it.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Finding it hard to sit still with an incubator running lol. Found something to keep my busy.

Converted my still air into a fan forced. Used an old 80mm computer fan, Nokia phone charger and some screws. Assisted by youtube 'store bought' kits.

Cranked up the Hova-bator fr a bit of RnD before we need to use it for this staggered hatch.

Also, bought MD vaccine from the east, already have some people eager to buy most of the spare doses so that's a weight off my mind as I did not want to waste a heap and be lumped with the big bill.

 

[Wrightsx4]

Great news on the vaccine! Your fan set up sounds like the one I put in my homemade.

 

[Bens-Hens]

We candled our current batch of eggs tonight.

We set 18, think we have 5 clears and 13 are developing. Day 7.

Latte goes to her new home tomorrow, I think she will be fine for the new owner, I just hope that she is not treated too bad by the existing small flock of Isa Browns.

Then the no so nice job is to be done with the two remaining birds and the major clean out begins.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Latte was re-homed today. More upset about it than I expected. Not tears or what ever, just a bit disappointed I guess.

We had her for so long, and in all honesty, we spoiled our chooks. Where she is going I doubt that she will get the sort of attention. Also noticed yesterday when clipping her wing for the new owner that her comb and wattles are really pink. They were only a light pink two days ago, and now they are a dark pink. She must be getting close to laying. Good for her, but a part of why I am sad about giving her away. We never got an egg from her, and just my luck she will go to her new home and be laying like a new pullet in two or three weeks.

"Them's the breaks" they say.

While the wife was delivering Latte, the other two birds were put down. After work the clean out and Virkon S program will begin.

Also, our next step is due today or tomorrow. 1000 Dose of MD vaccine, split by the makers into eight 125 dose vials. Had to buy it from the east coast and have it kryo shipped on dry ice. Already have 4 doses lined up for sale, and we will keep one or two, so just have two left to move on and spread the cost of the vaccine and freight.

Sadly, on with the show.

 

[Wrightsx4]

Trying to find the right words, but only fellow chicken people could understand the intensity of your struggle. Most newcomers to chickens would have given up but your desire to eradicate this awful disease from your property is inspiring. I hope I never have to face such a thing to keep my chickens. Where I live there's a good chance my hatchling will gain immunity to Marek's (from what I've read and I hope it's true!) We are overrun here by wild turkeys - the flocks strut through our property throughout the days most of the year. They graze on our lawn, share the same pastures with our chickens. They interact with our chickens and seem very curious about them, even sitting on the fencing watching them when they're in the pen as if to say "why are you in there today? Come out and play." While such close proximity risks the sharing of other diseases, it may also give them a natural immunity to Marek's, but only if these turkey flocks carry the turkey form of the disease.
I hope that six months, a year, and years from now your property stays free of this virus so that you never have to face it again.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Thanks Pam.

The kids took it well, we didn't sugar coat it, but we did bend the truth a little. When we put Pepper down, we took her to the vet, as a family and left her there. The kids saw, and we explained that she was sick and not getting better, so the vet was going to put her to sleep, then she would never wake up.

We now use that for the kids as they have seen and understand. I tell them that when they are at school I will take the sick chickens to the vet. We feel at 4 and 6 they don't need to know it's handled at home. When they are older they will understand the DIY version. I feel it's important to know how and why we have done what we have, but it's hard when a 4 year old says "I don't want to get sick!" Little fella thinks we might take him to the vet too!

They are great kids, love them to bits so naturally I try to make these things as easy as possible.

After a few 'we didn't know enough' mistakes early on, one has lingered. It has taken great cost and self education, but we now think we are on the right path to being clear, healthy and educated.

In other chirpier news, our little fluffy butts and really not that fluffy any more! They seem to be some sort of teenage half breed fluffy feathery butts! Really think we have at least two roosters too. Noticing one of the LS (Lucky) as having different feather tips, and he has grown his feathers in a different pattern to the other two. Also has much more of a comb.

Milo, the one that was first feather sexed on day 2 is also feathering differently to the other RIR chick (Rosey) He has about the same comb development as Lucky, and has grown his feathers in a different order.

Of the lot, I now am thinking we have two cockerels and 4 pullets. Love their nature, they like to come hang out with me.

If Nova is still reading along, we ran out of blue gum bedding, and have some non treated pine shavings in there. SO MUCH EASIER to pick droppings from! Much less dust too, although $39 a block is not exactly cheap.

 

[NovaAman]

We have an abundant flock of wild turkeys here on my property also. We go out of our way to feed them in the heart of winter. I love them, such pretty birds.

I know how you feel about putting your girls down. It is so hard. And I cry every time I have to do it.

Wild turkeys... IE... natural Mareks preventors. least that is the hope.

 

[NovaAman]

HOLY COW! $39 for a block? How big is that? I only use pine shavings in my coops too. SO easy. Then I when I clean the coops, I take the shavings out to the back of the property through the trees and use them to keep the foot paths easy to walk on. Gets rid of the poo, keeps walking areas cleared a bit from the undergrowth. But by the end of summer, the weeds and growth start to take over, but the pine shavings are gone. Better there than the land fill. They don't burn too easy either..

 

[Bens-Hens]

That's a good idea there. I will find a use for it. The block I got was a compressed block, when I tipped it into my bedding wheelie bin it made about 120l of volume. Compressed it was not very impressive.

Going to try track down a wood shop or something that I can get cheaper/free stuff from.

I was reading up on the Vaccine we just got, and the HVT part of the description means 'Herpes Virus of Turkeys' Seems it has been derived from the Turkey strain, does not stop the disease but stops them getting the lesions, and therefore stopping the symptoms. Just means you can unknown carriers. Back to how it got to our yard in the first place with the vaccinated rescue birds.