Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[heatherscooby77]

What the h-e double hockey sticks is going on today?

I hope the screaming libertarian was yelling at the government and no a person?!? I am not saying I am sharing there opinion, but that just seemed to come out of nowhere, and hey please express yourself. We don't usually talk politics around here. I guess this is a good example of why we don't................................................

Well I have lost 2 birds to the cold so far :-( One of them was my mostly naked hen. I don't know what got into her, molting during the sub-zero temps??? The other was a chick that was with a broody hen, around 6 weeks old. Mom was starting to "wean" the peep, and I guess peep didn't do well. Oh well survival of the fittest.

I want peeps so bad that I ordered an assortment of 25 pullets: http://www.idealpoultry.com/item.html Anybody who knows me is probably thinking what the heck! I know, its been since 8/13 that I hatched anything. I have chick fever!!!!!!!

I am also going to use them as my test babies to make sure everything goes okay. I don't wanna repeat of 2013. Besides, my eggs are frozen by the time I can collect them!

I also wanna chime in on the Mycoplasma stuff. Most back yard flock owner have birds that are carrying it. It gets passed along through wild birds, rodents, and bringing carriers into your flock. It usually happens between 4-6 weeks of age. You treat them with Aureomycin for 10 days, and usually 90% of the birds will survive, and live a long healthy life. Some people will totally destroy there flock and start from scratch. To there disappointment, there new flock get reinfected. Almost every source of breeder, especially show homes, the birds will test positive for it. It is a virus. Its like testing a human for the common cold, yes we have had it............... Some of this is my opinion, so of it is fact. I cannot keep wild birds, and every rodent away from my chickens. It just is not possible. So I am probably Mycoplasma positive, but it is NOT the end of the world. As far as bathing, and dipping the eggs. I usually doesn't work, all the prep, and the removal of the bloom from the egg, it will not hatch.

 

[wingstone]

What the h-e double hockey sticks is going on today?

I hope the screaming libertarian was yelling at the government and no a person?!? I am not saying I am sharing there opinion, but that just seemed to come out of nowhere, and hey please express yourself. We don't usually talk politics around here. I guess this is a good example of why we don't................................................

Well I have lost 2 birds to the cold so far :-( One of them was my mostly naked hen. I don't know what got into her, molting during the sub-zero temps??? The other was a chick that was with a broody hen, around 6 weeks old. Mom was starting to "wean" the peep, and I guess peep didn't do well. Oh well survival of the fittest.

I want peeps so bad that I ordered an assortment of 25 pullets: http://www.idealpoultry.com/item.html Anybody who knows me is probably thinking what the heck! I know, its been since 8/13 that I hatched anything. I have chick fever!!!!!!!

I am also going to use them as my test babies to make sure everything goes okay. I don't wanna repeat of 2013. Besides, my eggs are frozen by the time I can collect them!

I also wanna chime in on the Mycoplasma stuff. Most back yard flock owner have birds that are carrying it. It gets passed along through wild birds, rodents, and bringing carriers into your flock. It usually happens between 4-6 weeks of age. You treat them with Aureomycin for 10 days, and usually 90% of the birds will survive, and live a long healthy life. Some people will totally destroy there flock and start from scratch. To there disappointment, there new flock get reinfected. Almost every source of breeder, especially show homes, the birds will test positive for it. It is a virus. Its like testing a human for the common cold, yes we have had it............... Some of this is my opinion, so of it is fact. I cannot keep wild birds, and every rodent away from my chickens. It just is not possible. So I am probably Mycoplasma positive, but it is NOT the end of the world. As far as bathing, and dipping the eggs. I usually doesn't work, all the prep, and the removal of the bloom from the egg, it will not hatch.

x2 on all of that.....especially the mg,,,,,, it is out there and if you let your birds out into the sunshine they will be exposed to it...

 

[Hounds51]

I promise not to judge all Backyard Chickeners by that post, if you all promise not to judge all libertarians by it... 

We're looking at the New Castle area, but we aren't sure yet.  The property we wanted is zoned suburban residential, but it's directly across the street from the agricultural district.

I need to apologize to you and the board members.
It's just that my family has owned our land since 1942, and all these city slickers decide to move out this way and immediately want to change my lifestyle.
We have been shooting on my property since the beginning, now all of a sudden it's not politically correct for my city slicker neighbors to put up with it!
One time my dog wondered on my neighbors land and scared his horse. Get over it! Oh yea he is the same new neighbor who tells me that when I shoot, it scares his horses. So one time when we were shooting I went down and observed his horses eating grass contently.
Thing is at 62 years old, I am sick and tired of being told what to do and when to do it.
My rant wasn't directed at you. It is at our messed up lack of freedoms country that we live in and people who want to re zone to bring their city life to my back yard.
Oh yea takes a pretty shallow person to try to take me down by my misspelling.
I am glad we have some perfect people on here.

 

[wingstone]

Quote:

I understood what you were trying to say,,,,, not sure it was the most tactful way of saying it.....
It can be hard to know what someone means by what they type,,,,, body language can sometimes say alot

 

[SilkieSensation]

I promise not to judge all Backyard Chickeners by that post, if you all promise not to judge all libertarians by it... 

We're looking at the New Castle area, but we aren't sure yet.  The property we wanted is zoned suburban residential, but it's directly across the street from the agricultural district.

I need to apologize to you and the board members.
It's just that my family has owned our land since 1942, and all these city slickers decide to move out this way and immediately want to change my lifestyle.
We have been shooting on my property since the beginning, now all of a sudden it's not politically correct for my city slicker neighbors to put up with it!
One time my dog wondered on my neighbors land and scared his horse. Get over it! Oh yea he is the same new neighbor who tells me that when I shoot, it scares his horses. So one time when we were shooting I went down and observed his horses eating grass contently.
Thing is at 62 years old, I am sick and tired of being told what to do and when to do it.
My rant wasn't directed at you. It is at our messed up lack of freedoms country that we live in and people who want to re zone to bring their city life to my back yard.
Oh yea takes a pretty shallow person to try to take me down by my misspelling.
I am glad we have some perfect people on here.

I really don't think that was their intent at all. I think they mis-interpreted your rant as did a few others. We all have to remember we can't read each other's minds, espevially just from a few words on a screen.
I think we all understand your side now that you have explained but it was a bit hard to interpret without the background info. Thank you for taking time to explain so any misunderstandings could be clarified.

 

[stake]

What the h-e double hockey sticks is going on today?

I hope the screaming libertarian was yelling at the government and no a person?!? I am not saying I am sharing there opinion, but that just seemed to come out of nowhere, and hey please express yourself. We don't usually talk politics around here. I guess this is a good example of why we don't................................................

Well I have lost 2 birds to the cold so far :-( One of them was my mostly naked hen. I don't know what got into her, molting during the sub-zero temps??? The other was a chick that was with a broody hen, around 6 weeks old. Mom was starting to "wean" the peep, and I guess peep didn't do well. Oh well survival of the fittest.

I want peeps so bad that I ordered an assortment of 25 pullets: http://www.idealpoultry.com/item.html Anybody who knows me is probably thinking what the heck! I know, its been since 8/13 that I hatched anything. I have chick fever!!!!!!!

I am also going to use them as my test babies to make sure everything goes okay. I don't wanna repeat of 2013. Besides, my eggs are frozen by the time I can collect them!

I also wanna chime in on the Mycoplasma stuff. Most back yard flock owner have birds that are carrying it. It gets passed along through wild birds, rodents, and bringing carriers into your flock. It usually happens between 4-6 weeks of age. You treat them with Aureomycin for 10 days, and usually 90% of the birds will survive, and live a long healthy life. Some people will totally destroy there flock and start from scratch. To there disappointment, there new flock get reinfected. Almost every source of breeder, especially show homes, the birds will test positive for it. It is a virus. Its like testing a human for the common cold, yes we have had it............... Some of this is my opinion, so of it is fact. I cannot keep wild birds, and every rodent away from my chickens. It just is not possible. So I am probably Mycoplasma positive, but it is NOT the end of the world. As far as bathing, and dipping the eggs. I usually doesn't work, all the prep, and the removal of the bloom from the egg, it will not hatch.

Heather:

Sad to hear you lost a pair....if you really want to go overboard there is the cackle hatchery surprise.....pm me if you're interested....on the Mycoplasma, should us backyard folks be dosing our flocks? or is this environmental and can arise adhoc?

 

[fisherlady]

To anyone who is able to do NPIP testing.... or has done their research on having it done. Can someone who just wants their flock tested for personal knowledge get testing done for all the standards.... AI and MS/MG included? If so, how would you go about doing it? Blood draw or swabs? Does it go to a state lab or a private one. Anyone have the contact info for an Pa Ag rep who may know? Anyone who is a poultry tech in the west/central part of the state?

I don't show, and I don't have a purebred breeding program, though I may have a couple of breeds I find I like well enough to keep good stock of. But I would like to know if my birds have anything or are carriers so I know what I am dealing with and the best way to handle extra birds. I don't want to pass anything along to someone else's flock. My birds have been great health wise, but testing once or twice a year would make me feel better... and if an illness happens in the future I would know if it was a new exposure or a dormant illness making itself known.

 

[wingstone]

To anyone who is able to do NPIP testing.... or has done their research on having it done. Can someone who just wants their flock tested for personal knowledge get testing done for all the standards.... AI and MS/MG included? If so, how would you go about doing it? Blood draw or swabs? Does it go to a state lab or a private one. Anyone have the contact info for an Pa Ag rep who may know? Anyone who is a poultry tech in the west/central part of the state?

I don't show, and I don't have a purebred breeding program, though I may have a couple of breeds I find I like well enough to keep good stock of. But I would like to know if my birds have anything or are carriers so I know what I am dealing with and the best way to handle extra birds. I don't want to pass anything along to someone else's flock. My birds have been great health wise, but testing once or twice a year would make me feel better... and if an illness happens in the future I would know if it was a new exposure or a dormant illness making itself known.

ditto...

 

[stake]

Can I just go on a rant real fast? Okay.


I hate sebrights. Never will I own another one. Ever. They're such pain in the butts. My rooster is HORRIBLE. He's so aggressive. I put my arm in the coop and he attacks it. He doesn't let the hens eat or drink first. When I open the pop door he either jumps at my face or flogs me as I walk away. Or both. IT doesn't hurt because I have coveralls on in winter, but if it was summer... my legs would be all cut up. Sebrights also aren't cold hardy at all. Mine shivers and shivers at anything below 45. Today the hen was shivering and she's even got her layer of winter fat. Actually she's getting a little too hefty. I'm cutting back on treats. That's another issue though. But my sebright is so LOUD. He NEVER shuts up. And he's really stupid. My hen will be drinking out of a cottage cheese container (it's just the most convenient for winter for me) and he'll try to dance for her and knck the water over. Thhen the coops all wet. In 5 degree weather. OH MY GOSH.

Sebright hens could be darling. I don't really know. But I know that I hate my rooster more than any animal ever. I've never hated an animal actually. But boy do I hate him.


On a happier note:

The hen in my pair is about to lay ANY DAY NOW!

Like literallly ANY DAY. She's been squatting for about a week and I caught her in the nesting box today sitting on the golf ball that I have in there!

This will be the first first egg of my hens that I can eat. Chippy was the only other hen I had lay her first egg with me, and I washed it with hand soap like an idiot and then threw it away.

Sorry for all the typos. This iPad keyboard makes me wanna scream sometimes.

Chippy:

Imho all birds are going a bit crazy from being coop up in the cold....I had to take my baby roo and one aggressive girl and hang them by their feet for a minute or two to slow them down...

that may slow down you sebright roo....my two cents.....

 

[fisherlady]

Wingstone.... Our Silver Pencil Rocks are now 8.5 months old, they have filled out nicely, not really tall, but well rounded with a wide chest, very nicely solid. They have settled in well to laying medium large eggs regularly, they are very tolerant of the others in the flock and even the babies they have been around and one is in full broody mode now. She has been in a box for a full 5 days, and I have taken her out numerous times to watch her behavior, she sets in the broody daze a few moments, then gets up and does the broody dash of scratching and drinking, broody poo and each time she is back into the correct box within 10 minutes. Pretty good for such a young girl. I think I'm going to contact the breeder I got them from to get her a set of eggs to see if we can get a couple of roosters to go with the hens we have. Maybe we've just been lucky, or it is the quality of the breeder's stock, but we have been very happy with them so far.