Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

These people say chickens who sneeze don’t have cold like humans. It’s always a bacteria who causes it. The Dutch name for it is snot. Google doesn’t translate snot. Maybe its a chicken word for all sneezing diseases like Mycoplasma and Coryza.

mycoplasma isn't a bacteria (it's a plasma), and some other respiratory infections are viruses, neither of which are touched by antibiotics, so giving them in such cases just encourages the development of antibiotic resistance in bugs that are exposed to them.

 

[BDutch]

mycoplasma isn't a bacteria (it's a plasma), and some other respiratory infections are viruses, neither of which are touched by antibiotics, so giving them in such cases just encourages the development of antibiotic resistance in bugs that are exposed to them.

Sorry, I shouldn’t have mebtioned any specific sneezing diseases. Not knowing much about it involving chickens.

I didn’t agree with those people either. Not only for the health of my chickens. Also because it created a big problem for humans/ in hospitals that people gave so much antibiotics to animals. About 2/3 of the use of antibiotics is by animals/farming). Many vets describe antibiotics even not knowing the cause of the problem.

 

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach
Besides the auto pop door, another improvement could be: pavement around the coop and run or slabs / bury hwc in the ground. This helps against digging rats and other creatures for sure.

My run is in a condition that I didn’t trust for nightly predators too. Not wanting to get up early every day I decided to install a chicken guard to the run.
But last year a fox managed to enter the run at dawn (biting through a thick rope that held the netting).
One chicken went out after the pop door opened and got killed. Luckily I heard a lot of noise and went to see what was going on before he made more casualties.

Foxes hunt at dawn (and sometimes even during during bright daylight ) too. So for safety reasons it’s best to wait to open the auto pop door when the sun is up and the first people in the the street get up too.

In the 8 years the chickens stay in the run with a chicken guard I only had this one casualty by a fox and lost two chickens free ranging. Of course improvements against braking in followed.
The chicken guard itself never had problems except one time when I had a leaking roof and the thread got wet / got stuck .

What make of auto door closer/opener did you get?
If it runs on batteries, how long do they last?

 

[RoyalChick]

mycoplasma isn't a bacteria (it's a plasma), and some other respiratory infections are viruses, neither of which are touched by antibiotics, so giving them in such cases just encourages the development of antibiotic resistance in bugs that are exposed to them.

When I was young enough to be learning these things we learned that mycoplasma was a separate type of thing. Different from bacteria.
These days I believe it is classified as a genus of bacterium lacking a cell wall.
In chickens it is responsive to antibiotics, though they do not typically achieve a cure.
As a teenager I had a thing about mycoplasma - they are quite beautiful. I still have a book of mycoplasma photographs that I have kept all these decades!

Tax: Eli slaughtering a stir fried shrimp tail

 

[Shadrach]

I'm considering this.
https://www.chickenguard.co.uk/product/chickenguard-standard-2/

Also interesting, Solway recycled plastics make boards to order.
https://www.solwayrecycling.co.uk/shop/recycled-plastic-sheets

 

[BDutch]

What make of auto door closer/opener did you get?
If it runs on batteries, how long do they last?

I bought a standard Chicken Guard on batteries.
The batteries dont need replacement often. They last over a year. Maybe even 2 years.
https://www.chickenguard.nl/
Its cheaper in the UK.

 

[RoyalChick]

I'm considering this.
https://www.chickenguard.co.uk/product/chickenguard-standard-2/

Also interesting, Solway recycled plastics make boards to order.
https://www.solwayrecycling.co.uk/shop/recycled-plastic-sheets

I don’t have experience of chicken doors, but the Solway boards look interesting.
Here you can get recycled plastic lumber - it is good stuff and can be used for construction framing.
I used it in some parts of the Chicken Palace build - I would have used it more if it weren’t so expensive.

Tax

 

[Shadrach]

When I was young enough to be learning these things we learned that mycoplasma was a separate type of thing. Different from bacteria.
These days I believe it is classified as a genus of bacterium lacking a cell wall.
In chickens it is responsive to antibiotics, though they do not typically achieve a cure.
As a teenager I had a thing about mycoplasma - they are quite beautiful. I still have a book of mycoplasma photographs that I have kept all these decades!

Tax: Eli slaughtering a stir fried shrimp tail
View attachment 3444353

A friend of mine has mycoplasma in his chickens. He has a good vet. The vet won't prescribe antibiotics for mycoplasma, only for secondary infections. The current thinking seems to be that some chickens will survive and develope resistance to mycoplasma.

 

[BDutch]

If you like to read reviews on auto- pop door:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/categories/automatic-coop-doors.16/

PS i changed the link for a better result.

 

[Shadrach]

Just bought the standard unit. I don't need the sensors. Setting the timer should work just fine. Most evenings I'm there at dusk to close them up so it's the morning opening that's important. I'll need to adjust the pop door to prevent noses and feet from getting under the door to push it up. This should be pretty straight forward. I have spare plastic.

I won't be able to get a straight pull on the cord so I'll need to sort out a pully.
Given it's going to be inside the extension, weather shouldn't be a problem.
It will also mean there is some incentive to get a door on the coop extension and I can move the auto door opener to the pop door that will be in the extension door eventually.
I've got close to four square foot per bird in the coop so in the event that something goes wrong the chickens should be okay if a bit pissy until I get there.