San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[Knock Kneed Hen]

any body heard from Knock Kneed Hen?  There was a fire up in Julian when I came back from the house on Sunday.  Sunrise highway was closed.

deb

Thanks for the concern Deb. I came on to make sure everyone else is alright. The fire is quite a distance from us, but reports from local firefighters don't paint a pretty picture. Mt. Laguna is devastated. Hope they can get a handle on it. Facebook has a good page for following local fires: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=562085733854886&id=151582704905193
Here's a pic from my deck. Everyone, sleep with one eye open. The winds can change in that part of the county in a very short time. Spot fires have been reported in the Cuyamacas. Sunrise hwy to to 8 is being evacuated.

These pics taken by local Julian volunteer firefighter Bill Everett:

Here's a link to Cal Fire's live broadcast. 6:49...Potrero may be in danger...http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/9733/web

 

[ozexpat]

I bought many chicks over the last several months from many different breeders from LA, Riverside, and San Diego. I drove over 500 miles to collect all my rare/beautiful breeds. All my chicks were obtained from very reputable breeders with both parents on site. I got WAY more birds than I can keep since they were all sold unsexed, I wanted to make sure I got girls of the breeds I wanted. I will be selling many extras from now until a few months. This Swedish Flower Hen is 87 days old. She is very sweet. My birds are fed organic vegetables, organic fruit, live worms I breed myself, and organic feed. All of my chicks have come from breeders that do NOT vaccinate which I feel is very important! Thank you!

I am always interested in why people don't want to vaccinate their birds. I vaccinate for fowl pox and Newcastle disease. It is so simple and prevents debilitating death.

 

[RHRanch]

I am always interested in why people don't want to vaccinate their birds.

I vaccinate for fowl pox and Newcastle disease. It is so simple and prevents debilitating death.

I would be scared as heck to buy birds from all different kinds of sources in general, and even more so if I didn't quarantine and vaccinate... However, I may just know better because I have had the misfortune of having been sold/given birds that were infected carriers and I ended up culling ALL if the birds that were in contact with them, and some that were not, just for safe measure. It really was terrible. You can't always trust the people who you get birds from, even honest clean breeders can have hidden disease/carriers or have their flocks contaminated just from one bird.... Nowadays I am super picky and almost never add new birds to my flock, let alone unvaccinated ones, but some people are more willing to take the risk than I am, it's a personal choice and it depends on your husbandry perspective.

 

[Phage]

I vaccinate for fowl pox and Newcastle disease. It is so simple and prevents debilitating death.

How about for Mareks?.

 

[ozexpat]

Mareks is more complex as a backyard hatcher but yes I should have mentioned I vaccinate for mareks. I have a page here somewhere on my vaccination regimen including costs. I can't search using phone and a 7 KB/sec internet connection here in the Philippines but will post it here when I get back.

Vaccine co-op are the way to go if a few want to do it together

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Wow Potrero? thats half way between Descanso and Pine valley..... I dont have sound or I would go to the above link
Dang.... just when the Cuyamacas were beginning to regrow. The Lagunas too too many fires over the years for the Lagunas.... For both of them.

Keeping my fingers crossed those dang winds dont focus....

deb

 

[Phage]

Be safe everyone in the fires

 

[alisar]

Keep safe east county peeps!

 

[ozexpat]

Fires suck. We lost our house when I was 3. Its my first memory.

I spent a lot of summers in the volunteer bush fire brigade growing up in oz.

Our prayers are with those close to harms way.

 

[mrsbrcant]

Mareks is more complex as a backyard hatcher but yes I should have mentioned I vaccinate for mareks. I have a page here somewhere on my vaccination regimen including costs. I can't search using phone and a 7 KB/sec internet connection here in the Philippines but will post it here when I get back.

Vaccine co-op are the way to go if a few want to do it together

I would like to vaccinate because I have had outbreaks of fowl pox and I believe I have lost some birds to Mereks. I have given the vaccines that are given as drops but I'm always hatching just a few eggs at a time or just getting a few birds here and there. I always quarantine new birds but I think you can have healthy birds that are carriers of Merek's. I'm also not sure I have a steady enough hand to stick a needle into a tiny little chick. I think a vaccine co-op is a really good idea.