Rebuilding my Farm

[Farmerboy16]

I plan to have the chicks swap tested as soon they hatch, so I will not have to wait until the chicks are a few months old to have their blood drawn. Meanwhile, I am going to put down all the chicks that are 3 months old and down today, that is about 50 birds. I will only want to keep the soon to be breeders and adults for producing eggs for hatching, to save money on feed. (If the test results comes back negative for the day-old chicks, all the birds will be put down/ sold as meat birds, the same day the results come.)

 

[Farmerboy16]

I lockdown 38 eggs today! They are due on Sunday. Please pray that they hatch clean!

 

[mong7769]

Sending postive thoughts your way for a clean hatch!

 

[ThePigeonKid]

I lockdown 38 eggs today! They are due on Sunday. Please pray that they hatch clean!

Praying.

 

[Wickischickies]

Farmerboy, I just read your thread! When I was chatting with you about my problem I didn't know how much you have lost.

I posted my plan of attack but thinking maybe it needs to be posted else where. I am hoping that my plan will give me an MG free flock. Even as I look at the plan I am finding other ways to protect my flock. I will miss my chickens free ranging on the farm and coming to my door begging for treats everyday. I already miss it. Everyone I have left is on lock down. The coop/cage that the vet said has it was culled already. After culling, I spoke to MSU who told me the test the vet did was NOT a MG test. He did a blood test and told me (while I was still in the office) that they had slightly elevated white blood count. I'm pretty sure he was right though.

I am thinking I got it when I purchased my first breeders from a farm near us. We did have people on our farm who had a chicken die at their farm while they were here. BTW you asked where we are located, between Lansing and Flint.

If only I had read a story like yours 5 years ago when I researched chickens and the breed I wanted. I would have been much smarter about my flock. I would have been more careful about where I got my birds. I would have had them tested as soon as I got them. I would have never let anyone into my coops. And I would not have taken someone's word that their chickens have never showed signs of illness. I would have quarantined my new birds differently, I would have sacrificed an old bird in the quarantine pen to see if anyone got sick.

I hope and wish you the best of luck starting over. Hopefully we can help each other through this process of starting over and finding "clean" birds. The breed I had has very few breeders so I have a feeling this is going to be painstakingly hard and expensive.

 

[Wynette]

Farmerboy, I just read your thread! When I was chatting with you about my problem I didn't know how much you have lost.

I posted my plan of attack but thinking maybe it needs to be posted else where. I am hoping that my plan will give me an MG free flock. Even as I look at the plan I am finding other ways to protect my flock. I will miss my chickens free ranging on the farm and coming to my door begging for treats everyday. I already miss it. Everyone I have left is on lock down. The coop/cage that the vet said has it was culled already. After culling, I spoke to MSU who told me the test the vet did was NOT a MG test. He did a blood test and told me (while I was still in the office) that they had slightly elevated white blood count. I'm pretty sure he was right though.

I am thinking I got it when I purchased my first breeders from a farm near us. We did have people on our farm who had a chicken die at their farm while they were here. BTW you asked where we are located, between Lansing and Flint.

If only I had read a story like yours 5 years ago when I researched chickens and the breed I wanted. I would have been much smarter about my flock. I would have been more careful about where I got my birds. I would have had them tested as soon as I got them. I would have never let anyone into my coops. And I would not have taken someone's word that their chickens have never showed signs of illness. I would have quarantined my new birds differently, I would have sacrificed an old bird in the quarantine pen to see if anyone got sick.

I hope and wish you the best of luck starting over. Hopefully we can help each other through this process of starting over and finding "clean" birds. The breed I had has very few breeders so I have a feeling this is going to be painstakingly hard and expensive.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. These things are just heartbreaking!

I am the type that always looks for the silver lining, and I think in this case, it would be all that you have learned. Although you wish you could have done things differently, what is done, is done, and how you handle it going forward is really what counts!

Also, I'm a believer in sharing information - if even just ONE person is helped by this thread, then it was so worth posting it here!

Daron - any hatching going on? (Did you put down your Longcrower trio, and were there any of their eggs in this hatch?

)

 

[KimKimWilliamso]

Thank you so much for the reality check. I imagine most people new or old to chickens will take something from the lesson you have passed on to us.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Wickischickies- It would be great to help each other to fight this thing and finding clean stock!! Please feel free to post here on any info you find on MG. [quote name="Wynette" I'm so sorry you're going through this. These things are just heartbreaking!

I am the type that always looks for the silver lining, and I think in this case, it would be all that you have learned. Although you wish you could have done things differently, what is done, is done, and how you handle it going forward is really what counts!

Also, I'm a believer in sharing information - if even just ONE person is helped by this thread, then it was so worth posting it here!

Daron - any hatching going on? (Did you put down your Longcrower trio, and were there any of their eggs in this hatch?

)

[/quote] Wyentte, I have only got rid of the extra roos and the peafowls, and culled over 40 chicks, ages from a week old to 3 months old. I am hanging on to the others that I have, until I have their offspring tested and received the results in the mail. If clean, then I will save as many eggs that I get for 3 weeks from the hens, then cull every single bird that I have before dipping the eggs in the Tylan solution. If positive, try again one more time with stronger Tylan solution. I had set 15 Tomaru Longcrower eggs and 7 made it to lockdown. Due date is today. I have 3 PIPS!! Wahoo!! 1 Green Egger Frizzle Fibromelanotic Turken 1 Icelandic 1 Tomaru Longcrower Also, one of my Coronation Sussex pullets laid her 2nd egg yesterday!! She is from my first hatch of chicks that I hatched last fall after I had culled my flock. Just in time if the chick's test results comes back negative! So, I am taking that as a good sign!

 

[Wickischickies]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. These things are just heartbreaking!

I am the type that always looks for the silver lining, and I think in this case, it would be all that you have learned. Although you wish you could have done things differently, what is done, is done, and how you handle it going forward is really what counts!

Also, I'm a believer in sharing information - if even just ONE person is helped by this thread, then it was so worth posting it here!

Daron - any hatching going on? (Did you put down your Longcrower trio, and were there any of their eggs in this hatch?

)

Wynette,

There is always a silver lining, sometimes it takes a while to see it. Our silver lining is that we will be starting over with hatching eggs. We will be able to work with the chicks and tame them. The rooster we have (for a few more days) always calls danger when he sees my son, which makes my son upset. I am looking into the vaccine Monday for the new chicks, hopefully it isn't too expensive. I did a little reading about it, and I will not be able to use it but maybe the hubby will (if we can afford it). It say 10/2000 doses. I am wondering if that means that it is 10 mixes totaling 2000 doses or what. I'm really hoping that it means 10 mixes totaling 2000 doses because then I could split the price and doses with others. Guess I'll know more very soon because I'm calling the company this week, even though my eggs won't be here until May.


I am really hoping that Farmerboy's trick works. I am so excited they are pipping! Praying they make it and pass the test!

 

[Farmerboy16]

Wickischickies- Please let me know what you find out about the MG vaccines, I want to vaccine all of my new future flocks, and maybe we can split the cost between us?

I have 2 chicks out now. Many more on the way!
The Tomaru Longcrower was out first!