Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[emorems0]

Maybe I just got lucky or my birds are just that much more awesomer than most

but I see all the threads about people integrating there babies with each other and older birds and I wonder how my birds survived. I bought 4 @ 1 week old & 3 @ 2weeks old. When I bought them they were all thrown into the same box for the ride home (the place I bought them from had all different breeds in separate brooders so they knew what was what), then when we got home they were all put into the same brooder. Never had any problems of them trying to kill each other or really even picking or pecking or general chicken abuse. The 4 younger ones did get stepped on a couple times by the bigger ones but that's about all that happened.

I didn't have a problem mixing younger birds at all, I had turkeys first, then added a bunch of meaties, Delaware and dark Cornish, then added two slightly older orpingtons when the bunch was around 8 weeks or so. The ONLY problem I have is when the younger birds (any from that mixed group) get in with the 1yr old hens. I feel like maybe pecking order and territory are MUCH more viscously defended as they mature... or maybe their pecks just do more damage when they're older (or maybe my hens are just meanies).

 

[alibabba]

Welcome to the crazy house. What do you have/want/need? There are lots of enablinghelpful people in white coats here.

paa haa haa. yep. what Chaos18 said.

 

[alibabba]

I'm a little late in getting here, but SE PA/Alburtis Berks County.

Hey Neighbor, North Chester Co, South Pottstown here

 

[Blarneyeggs]

My necropsy report came back today, it said "Mareks suspected"

, with coccidiosis.

I have no idea how om the coccidiosis, because nobody (including the one I sent) has never showed one symptom. Poop was normal, no puffiness or lethargy. Whatever. I might not even treat everyone because there's no blood in the stool and the chick died a few weeks ago.

What also kinda made me a little skeptical was the lady said "the corpse was pretty decomposed when I got it (shipping issue), you know, maggots" and there's no way there were maggots on that bird. Sorry to be graphic, but we broke it's neck, put it straight into a ziploc (didn't even set it down anywhere), doubled bagged and then double bagged it in walmart bags, and it went straight in the fridge. So that made me a little mad. Like, how do I know this lady did a thorough enough examination on the bird? She only said one thing that led her to believe it was Mareks. I asked what other things could cause the thing that made her think Mareks and she beat around the bush. I also asked why those 3 (out of 5) chicks got it and why all the other chicks I've hatched this year didn't get it, and she didn't know. Like oh, okay.

She also said that 5 weeks for mareks is the absolute earliest she's ever seen on a bird, that's almost unheard of except for lab experiments where they force the birds to get it.

Another thing she said was almost 100% of chickens carry/have it, so don't worry about selling adult birds at swaps. I can hatch chicks and sell them, but it would be kind to tell them that I've *possibly* had Mareks in my flock. I'm not hatching anymore chicks, I don't want to infect other people's flocks because I don't believe everyone has Mareks.

So basically, I'm just gonna have a closed chicken flock for now on and I'll just get into call ducks instead.

What really really sucks is the fact that Allie and Bino (my albinos) are prime age to get Mareks. I'm praying they don't get it...

Well, I'm glad/kinda not glad I sent the bird for a necropsy. I almost didn't, since no one else came down with it.

I keep editing because I keep remembering things, but my little sister's frizzle serama has been hiding eggs for over a week (her and my oegb both have, but different places) and she didn't come back to the coop tonight. I'm hoping/kinda not hoping she went broody. I want her to because I want her to come back and my sister to not be upset but I don't want her to be broody because if she comes back with chicks they'll be at risk for developing mareks when they're older and we'll have to keep them all. That and the fact that the only two chicks that lived from my broody are both cockerels. That means we have 3 hens and 3 boys. Not good. I have no idea what I'm gonna do.

I hope your sister's Serama comes back safely.

Marekshas always made me nervous, I know people who have had it and are diligent about biosecurity, never interacting with other birds. No showing, and no 4-H. I also know someone who has had it, but still manages to show her birds, she vaccinates every chick hatched and re-vaccinates juveniles and adults - it helps that she works in a lab and access to equipment for dividing the vaccine.

I was reluctant to show my birds as Mareks can be contracted through dander and how you avoid that at a show is beyond me. but then I had a long talk with a well respected breeder (also has a background in science), he told me that Mareks is everywhere and that he knows for certain that it's on his property, when a bird isn't thriving, he immediately culls it. He says his other birds are exposed and develope immunity to the disease. He wins time after time after time with his birds. Hearing him tell this really helped me relax about the disease. I think your birds and any upcoming chicks are going to be fine.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Maybe I just got lucky or my birds are just that much more awesomer than most  but I see all the threads about people integrating there babies with each other and older birds and I wonder how my birds survived.  I bought 4 @ 1 week old & 3 @ 2weeks old. When I bought them they were all thrown into the same box for the ride home (the place I bought them from had all different breeds in separate brooders so they knew what was what), then when we got home they were all put into the same brooder. Never had any problems of them trying to kill each other or really even picking or pecking or general chicken abuse. The 4 younger ones did get stepped on a couple times by the bigger ones but that's about all that happened.

I think it just depends on the birds. I routinely mix different ages. Right now, my turkey brooder has a 5 1/2 week old, 3 4 week olds, a 3 week old and soon will have 4 1 week olds in there with them. I've been mixing ages since I started. Of course, I always supervise to make sure they get along before leaving them alone. Out in the main coop I have 11 that are a year and a half old, 7 that are 6 months old and 10 that are 8 weeks old and they all get along lol

My experience has been that chicks hatched within 4 weeks or less of each other are easier to combine. Older birds are easier to combine when they are the same size, have free ranged near or even with each other and are combined at night.


ETA: no babies yet.

 

[Debby27]

Welcome! I know right where Alburtis is. Used to have a friend that lived there. What do you have?

Just a couple RIR's....had more but fox got 3 of them over the last month....

 

[Debby27]

Hey Neighbor, North Chester Co, South Pottstown here

thank you!!

 

[dheltzel]

Got my first egg from the CCL chicks that hatched in December and January. It's small, but I'm setting it anyway (got to check for fertility, right?). They are just shy of 6 months now, I hope the rest of them start up soon, I really like Legbars now that I've had them for a while.

This weekend's hatch includes the first 3 peacock eggs that developed chicks, I really hope they hatch

I want a "ridiculously tame" pea like I've heard other people have.

 

[stake]

Just a couple RIR's....had more but fox got 3 of them over the last month....

Howdy Debby:

Yep, got the tee shirt!, I haven't been successful with trapping the PIAs, but I have been able to spot light them twice....hopefully one of these nights.....also there's a new batch of young ones...my neighbor mentioned seeing one eating dropped bird feed from under another neighbor's bird feeder....

 

[Chaos18]

So what you guys are actually saying is that my birds aren't really all that special?

Oh well I guess I can stop hoping for that golden egg than.