FluffyButt789
Songster
I don't believe Marek's is symptomatic for most chickens. They can have it their entire life and no one would know. Unless they are stressed, they show no symptoms and aren't shedding the virus to contaminate others.
The vaccine is a live turkey Marak's virus because the turkey version does not cause any symptoms but prevents the chicken form from becoming virulent enough to cause symptoms. Vaccinated chicks can still contract chicken Maraks and even show symptoms and die, but the chances are reduced somewhat.
My policy is to keep turkeys (good excuse, but I'd have them anyway) close to the chickens, take care to reduce stresses as much as I can, and never vaccinate so that if there is Maraks in my flock, I am breeding for resistance to the symptoms.
So are my birds ok? If I add more to my flock, will those be ok as well? Is it humane to let Dopey live?
Morning All! I tried to get on several times while the site was down and then I got busy! Hope all is well with you all!
I have begun the long process of guessing male or female for this years group of chicks
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The BO's have separated themselves nicely into 2 groups: comb/waddle getting bigger/redder and comb staying small and pale. I have three of each so I followed to odds
The Ameraucanas / EE's are another thing all together. Some days, I think that they are all male. I am having a very hard time telling since they don't all look the same. Also, even though TSC said Ameraucanas, I am not sure if I should think of them as Ameraucanas or as EE's
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We also have one that is a bit of a runt I guess...even at 7-8 weeks it isn't fully feathered and has no tail really. It is an ugly little bugger which is too bad because it was the most beautiful chick.
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One of the BO pullets climbs up in my lap whenever I sit down. A cockerel sometimes joins her, but the BO's are the only ones to do that, the Ameraucanas are quite a bit more flighty.
Last night was night 1 of me leaving the fence open that was splitting the groups in the coup. All the little guys still huddled on their side and I let them all out at 7am to help with the confinement. None of the little guys seemed scared or injured when I left them out so it was a small success. I know that the pecking order will still need to be worked out. My BSL's might get a bit grumpy when the BO's get to be full size and they can't be pushed around any more.
What a beautiful bunch you have there! I love BO chickens. We have one that is a year old and she will come up and sit on our laps. I only have 1 EE but man she was very flighty when we first got her. She's slowly getting friendlier but still won't let us touch her. I hope your EE chickens won't all turn out to be male... time will tell
It will take multiple baths over an extended period to see a real change in the scabbed area. After the first bath though you can get her butt feathers trimmed and her skin coated with the greasy stuff to help that part of the problem right away. Her feathers should regrow by fall because now that she is getting a proper diet she will probably have a normal molt.
Once you give her the first major cleaning bath the rest will be more of a soak to soothe her skin and loosen the scab and debris around the scab. Those soaks will be pretty simple and only her butt needs submerged. We used a big pasta pot to do Epsom soaks with one of our birds so I didn't have to have a whole big sink full of water.
Thank you. We will probably use a tote to give her a bath outside so she doesn't make a mess in our house. Maybe we'll do it tonight if we have time. My hubby is pretty fond of her so if we can get her to look and feel much better, he will be happy to know we can keep her until she dies of old age.