Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[emorems0]

I think fisher gave good advice for the butt... the toes look to me like what my neighbor's meaties experienced when the spent weeks in the winter in really wet, poopy conditions. I helped her process them and chose to not keep the feet because they were just too gross - some of the ends were soft and gross like they just rotted from being on such soiled ground for so long.

The toes on your chicken look like they have healed up nicely though and I wouldn't guess that they are bothering her at all.

 

[BullChick]

Ugh my favorite rooster died tonight. Randomly started convulsing and died. It wasn't the one with messed up eyes. But I just feel so sick now. When that happens, I just question if owning chickens is even worth all the death we deal with. I may just stop picking favorites. Just let them grow and butcher the roosters and leave the hens alone to do their business and lay me some eggs.

 

[song of joy]

I looked it up and that might be what he has. Are my other chickens at risk of catching it?

From what I understand, Marek's is highly contagious and takes multiple forms. So, if it is Marek's, it's likely the whole flock has been exposed. Vaccines would be helpful for any newly-hatched chicks that are isolated from the flock, but not for birds that have already been exposed.

 

[FluffyButt789]

I don't know what caused it, probably an untreated infection from a plucked tail feathers or infected oil gland... if she were mine I would get her cleaned up with a nice warm soak in an Epsom salt bath followed by a major trimming of butt feathers to reduced skin irritations caused by the poop build up, then coat her but with blu-KOTE and some triple antibiotic or petroleum jelly to reduce further sticking.
The diarrhea may be caused by the infection which you may be able to treat with a round of injectable penicillin. I would supplement her diet with some yogurt and scrambled eggs. She actually looks pretty good for general feather condition and alertness, so you are obviously feeding her well.
The Epsom salt soaks should reduced the build up around her sore and may loosen the scab. After each bath I would dry her off and put a good smear of triple antibiotic around the base of the scab, this will help avoid further scabbing and reduce new contamination to the area. Eventually you will need to get the scab size down so you can see what you are dealing with...and it probably won't be pretty but you would be amazed at chickens ability to heal. She is having trouble because her housing conditions were poor where she was at before so the contamination/infection got a foothold.
If she is friendly, and in good enough condition to lay regularly I would try to give her a chance. With some patience and cleaner environment she should show improvement.
And BTW, I never fail to be pleasantly surprised at how well our birds tolerate baths, they seem to actually relax during long soaks and ours even stand unrestrained for a blow dryer afterwards!

Thank you. We gave her a bath when we first got her but it didn't help much. This time I will try a bath in Epsom salts and I will trim her feathers. And I will put on everything you recommended if I can. I wonder if she gets cold in the winter without all those feathers. We kept our chickens in the coop most of the past winter so she was fine. I wonder how old she is, poor thing has been through too much. I hope she's going to feel much better after her bath. I will post pictures. She probably will never look like a normal chicken though.

I think fisher gave good advice for the butt... the toes look to me like what my neighbor's meaties experienced when the spent weeks in the winter in really wet, poopy conditions. I helped her process them and chose to not keep the feet because they were just too gross - some of the ends were soft and gross like they just rotted from being on such soiled ground for so long.

The toes on your chicken look like they have healed up nicely though and I wouldn't guess that they are bothering her at all.

Ick that is so gross! Poor things! Even though they were meaties, it's not ok to let them live like that. Out of the 4 we got from the neighbor, 2 had messed up feet. The one I posted pictures of, plus an EE who has some sort of bent or broken toe. Thankfully we got them away from the neighbor. I wish we could get more but I cannot deal with any more sick chickens.

From what I understand, Marek's is highly contagious and takes multiple forms. So, if it is Marek's, it's likely the whole flock has been exposed. Vaccines would be helpful for any newly-hatched chicks that are isolated from the flock, but not for birds that have already been exposed.

The only one that has strange eyes is Dopey. The rest of them seem fine and completely healthy. I thought Marek's would wipe out a flock? What if Dopey was hatched with misshapen eyes? Could that be possible? Is it humane to let him live? He can see and walk around well enough. He just acts a bit stupid.

 

[dheltzel]

The only one that has strange eyes is Dopey. The rest of them seem fine and completely healthy. I thought Marek's would wipe out a flock? What if Dopey was hatched with misshapen eyes? Could that be possible? Is it humane to let him live? He can see and walk around well enough. He just acts a bit stupid.

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.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I tend to lean towards your philosophy to Dheltzel. Try to have and keep chickens become naturally resistant to bugs.

My little sickly chick seems to be doing perfectly fine now, I can't even identify which one is her unless I really look closely by picking her up. I think before, she was not eating, but I have seen her now eating and scratching with all the rest.


My broodies are doing a great job and sharing chickies. Of course I have another broody, but I am going to put her n the broody breaker, I just need her more for eggs right now. The chicks definitely seem to gravitate towards the chickens, leaving the turkey Mama a bit lonely. I will try to graft the turkey chicks on to her tonight. Two hatched within 2 hours last night, and one more had pipped before I left for work today. I will be making a separate pen for them this weekend, to make sure I will have some turkey poults that make it to adulthood.

I'm so looking forward to my latest Ebay purchase. Look at this bad boy! I can't wait to try it out. I can fit pallets in ym minivan, and now I have a good way to break them down. Imagine how many coops and pens I can build now...

http://palletpaw.com/

 

[Werforpsu]

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

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

#1

#2

#3

#4 and #5

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.

#6

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.

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you. We gave her a bath when we first got her but it didn't help much. This time I will try a bath in Epsom salts and I will trim her feathers. And I will put on everything you recommended if I can. I wonder if she gets cold in the winter without all those feathers. We kept our chickens in the coop most of the past winter so she was fine. I wonder how old she is, poor thing has been through too much. I hope she's going to feel much better after her bath. I will post pictures. She probably will never look like a normal chicken though.

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.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Totally not chicken related, but I have a question for all of you experienced people! We purchased a pool at Walmart, big 22' intex Ultra Frame. We are having a bunch of sand delivered on thursday, and I will be the one to level it out. Any suggestions? It's going to be a heck of a lot of work.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Totally not chicken related, but I have a question for all of you experienced people! We purchased a pool at Walmart, big 22' intex Ultra Frame. We are having a bunch of sand delivered on thursday, and I will be the one to level it out. Any suggestions? It's going to be a heck of a lot of work.

We had one. It was only 14' but we just laid the tarp it came with on the ground under it. It lasted 2 years with the kids constraints in and out of it. Best advice I can give is maybe lay a 2x4 across the ground with a level on it to make sure the ground is leveled out right and once it's set up, keep a tub of water by the ladder to get in so that everyone rinses their feet before getting in. I think what killed ours was the kids tracking little stones in and poking holes in the bottom lol. Also, never drive the tractor over the cord to the filter pump...I accidental hooked the cord and literally ripped the filter in pieces and off the side of the pool...super glue and silicone only width for so long lol. This was after we ordered and replaced the old filter which had sat outside with water in it all winter and cracked.