Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[lindz8504]

Hopefully it isn't anything cheeka. Glad to hear everyone is getting along so well OK. Can't wait to see pictures. It has been awhile so I bet everyone has changed alot. Have a good night everyone!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I was out snapping pics, saw Tiger sunbathing... she's so beautiful with her wings spread, so I went over... and saw something in/on her eye. it's bubbly and wiped right off, her eye is clear and no one else has any bubbly buildup... what is it??? anyone???



just zoomed up close to gross y'all out...

so reading some threads makes me think that she is developing a respiratory problem. the bubbles did not return before roosting, but I will be closing my flock for now and treating for respiratory troubles. no coughing, no sneezing and no rubbing her eye at all... and no one else is showing any symptoms. hopefully I've caught it in it's earliest stage and can treat successfully!

Oh, poor Tiger. To me it looks like her face is quite swollen around the eye, too. How does the other eye compare.

Just happen to have Damerow's Chicken Health Handbook on loan from the library. "Frothy eyes" indicates chronic respiratory disease, which is listed as being common and caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum bacteria, often in conjunction with other bacteria and viruses. Disease can be spread through hatching eggs and infected birds. Survivors become immune but are carriers. "At one time, all chickens carried mycoplasma and became infectious in response to stress." Commercial operations are very vulnerable, and in some states it is a reportable disease. The disease is highly contagious, but spreads very slowly. There is vaccines for it, but efficacy is not 100%.

This is the only thing in the book that fits the bubbly eyes. She says there is no treatment for CRD, but I know differently! Denagard is used widely in Europe, but is not labeled for use with chickens in the US (but is for swine). You put it in the drinking water and there is no egg withdrawl. It is specifically for mycoplasmas, and used as a preventative as well as disease treatment. It is from Novartis. Look it up and see what you think. I have a liter of it (12.5%) and would be happy to send you some if you want to try it. Let me know.


Some more thoughts: I think is is almost impossible to keep a flock completely free of these types of diseases, and there is a lot of controversy over whether vaccinating is the best thing overall. If it is CRD, the mortality rate seems quite low in adult chickens and I imagine it could go through a flock without being noticed. Then if it can be spread through hatching eggs and even on your shoes... what can you do? The strong ones will live with it just fine. You just can't place birds that have been exposed without letting prospective owners know. But that's ok, because you can just keep them all!

Haha, I started all this to say that I think you should get the Cochins too.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi friends miss you all. Life is very busy but want to give you all a update. The chicks are doing great. Still have all 11 of them. The Delaware's are looking good. I believe I have five pullets and one rooster. I think I finally got my Delaware hens. One of them is huge and I believe it is a pullet. Still need you all to give your opinion and confirm this. That's great news if I am right. The BR's I can't really tell. No really developed combs like the one Delaware who is obviously a rooster. Need help from you guys on these BR's determining the sex of them. Pictures soon. RK Broody is doing awesome. Got her feathers back on her head, wings and her poor naked back. She looks great. Can't wait to post her pictures for you all to see. She has been a great broody and hope to give her the opportunity again. Little BO has made great progress with her walking. She is still pretty lame but does get up and walk to where she wants to go. She does rest a lot and has a way to go before she is fully recovered. I couldn't keep her confined any longer it just seemed too cruel. She has been very vocal lately and I really want her back to normal. My thinking was there is no way I could leave her in with the general population and those crazy roosters. So I put her in with RK Broody and the chicks. Seems to be working out great. Just made the switch tonight but everybody seems to get along fine. Little BO certainly is not able to bother anybody a she loved the dirt bath in the run. She walked back into the broody coop at dark and crawled in a nest box beside RK Broody and her chicks. Once again the broody coop is a awesome addition this time for separating birds who need protection. So all good news here. Hope you all can say the same thing.

Thanks for the update. Good news!!! That would be great if you got 5 Delaware pullets. Looking forward to the pics!

 

[cheeka]

thanks for the research Lynda! I was able to pick up Denegard at the supply store after work, will be heading out momentarily to give everyone fresh clean dosed up water. She was clear eyed this morning, and no one else was frothy, but I'm not taking chances, something could be coming from down the street, or even from one of the realty people... shoot, my own Realtor has chickens... not that they should be showing places in their chicken shoes... but who knows?

 

[cheeka]

dosing #1 is complete. Tiger has no bubbles, but her eyes are moister than normal, her muffs are damp. still no sounds of illness, no gurgling, sneezing or coughing...
when I was at the store, I picked up my first ever bag of "scratch". I've always made my own, from bags of different seeds and cracked corn... the primary grain in this bag is different from what I've given them, the boys got the first batch, mixed into a nice big bag of leaves - they were very actively searching it out, clucking the "food" cluck...it was great! then I got some for the girls. such snobs! only 5 or 6 of them went for it. the older girls in particular turned their beaks up! they are so spoiled! so be it... I'll give it to the boys and keep the millet and boss more for the girls...

8 Eggs so far, and that's probably going to be it for the day. Peach laid, she's given me 3 eggs in the last 4 days. I'm figuring on 5-6 more before she plants her butt back in her nest. I'm thinking that I will leave her pullet and Sillie with her for the winter, but I'll move her little boys out when they are about 12 weeks old - roughly 2 weeks from now.

Chester's old "Grandma" stopped me along my route today, to ask how he's doing and see if I want his old dogloo house - heck yes! those things are expensive! she just brought it up - it took up almost the entire back of her truck! mashed in beside it were 2 nice bags of leaves and a tray of leftover rice... my Min Min cat was in the back eating the rice when we came back to grab it for the chickens... Chester remembered her, was happy to see her, but seemed very relieved when she left without him. we had a good romp in the yard afterward, with me singing Chester Lives Here Now while he bayed the happy hound BoWow. He's been the perfect pup here. oh he's gotten out a couple of times... but he doesn't go far, matter of fact, he always goes to my neighbors compost pile. I can catch him before he gets there if he finds something wonderful to roll in... every night, he heads upstairs at 9. curls up on my bed, and while he seems sound asleep, his tail starts wagging as soon as I come up... No accidents, no dumping trash and no eating what he's not supposed to (unless I leave something out...) Ruby baits him from time to time with her food dish, but he's wised up to her antics. he's such a happy guy, he doesn't want to squabble over food or toys, he knows there's enough for everyone and just goes to get another toy, or looks at me for a new bone... I am so happy that he's mine.

Mylee called this morning, asked me if I would come and pick her up. her Dad got a new apartment while she was here, she's got her own bedroom and it's really nice, but she misses me... so I said, well... I don't know where your new apt is. She said "it's big Omi, in a building with a playground and a pool, and we have a big TV and my socks are on the floor, now come and get me" great directions! she asked how each and every single critter is, by name, one by one...! it took quite a while, but it was long enough to distract her from wanting to be picked up...this house can't sell fast enough!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Ah, little Mylee sure knows how to tug on those heartstrings! Wouldn't that be something if you could live really close? She's in Arizona? Soooo hot, but AC will be your best friend!

Great that you could get the Denagard locally. I had to mail order it, a liter of the stuff, but figure it will get used eventually.

Chester sounds like like a champ. Very good company for Ruby too. Stopped at a pet store on the way home today, for no particular reason, and may have found my new cat. She is part Siamese with blue eyes, and is a very pale gray color with points that are only slightly darker. 2 years old and has had at least one litter of kittens, but she is tiny (kitten sized), exceptionally calm, but looks a little rough and worn. Nothing a bit of TLC won't fix. First cat I've seen since Sid disappeared that I'm seriously considering. Happens to be at the same store where I got Sid (10 yrs ago), although it is through a different rescue group. Have to see how Hubs feels about it. We all miss having a cat around.

 

[cheeka]

Love Siamese, all the varieties... and those mixed with... love how vocal they are. TLC would bring her to her greatest potential, keeping my fingers crossed that hubby says yes! my best kitty is Min Min, tiny street smart survivor, technically, I stole her... she was neglected terribly. so... I took her. I think i may have related the story last year... can't remember... but she's amazing and is about 16-17 now. Hershey is my best pest. always on the keyboard.

Mylee lives in Albuquerque NM, still hot, but not as hot as Arizona... I'm thinking more like southern Colorado, be within so many hours of her and so many hours from my folks... but it will depend on where I can transfer.

We have at least one good dog romp everyday, usually two... I shed the specs and get on the floor with a whole bunch of toys... he submits to Ruby and they play fabulously together, but Ruby won't play tug with him, she will with me... but she gets mad if he tries to take the other end of her toy. it's a work in progress, hoping that soon she'll cut that out. he is a champ. that's m'boy!

 

[lindz8504]

Here is my special kitty.... she really needs a helmet sometimes.

Anyway, she is about 13 and thinks she is a dog! She had kittens when she was about a year and a half old and we had a blue heeler with puppies at the same time. Unfortunately, she decided she wanted to raise puppies instead of kittens and abandoned her babies. Luckily, the dog took care of puppies and kittens, and they all found homes when they were old enough!


Anyway... keeping fingers crossed that you get a new fur-baby!

 

[SullyD]

Love all the fur baby talk and pictures! Love Siamese too! Had them growing up. My parents have a seal point and a lilac point. Very nice cats! I have two mutts from a shelter. One is a mackerel pattern, very cool, the other is double pawed. Litter mates too and they look nothing alike!

Lindz-I see you got some answers on your chicks. I hope they are correct! The two that answered you are wonderful about responding to questions, and they seem very knowledgeable also.

Apparently I ordered some "rare marans" back in May (and forgot about them), and they showed up today. Chicken math strikes again. Just when I thought I was getting close to having everyone in one location, I have fluffy butts again! I will post some pictures later and see if anyone can take a guess as to what kind of Marans they are. I know two are BCM's. I have an all yellow chick and a brown one. That is it for me! That makes my total 40 chickens! I will be getting rid of 10 of the 12 roos I have which will bring it down to 30. I am figuring an average of 2 dozen eggs a day, (when ever they start laying on a consistent basis!). I better start lining up my customers!

Ok-Thanks for the update. I look forward to reading about the happenings at your place. Very entertaining!

Cheeka-good luck with Tiger. Keep us posted as to his progress. Great to learn about all this stuff. Sorry you have to be the one teaching it to the rest of us. How goes the house sale? Any lookers yet? Sounds like Mylee really misses you! It is great that you have such a positive role in her life, but at the same time, it can break your heart when you can't be with her.

Can anyone give me ideas about what age you introduced your chicks to the rest of the flock? I have the broody auction hen and 17 auction babies that are 12 weeks old now. I am pretty sure 9 are roos, the rest are pullets. They have all interacted with the rest of the flock during free range, but they have not been in the run with everyone or the coop. The two groups are housed separately. I would like to give one house to the new babies in two weeks when the babies are older. In the past I have just stuck the young ones in the coop at night, but that was only 4.

 

[cheeka]

pretty girl... helmet... we say that round here... needs a helmet... Min's a really dark calico, disappears like camouflage on a rock wall, or in autumn leaves, the rest of my cats are black...one all black, 2 with white patches underneath. out of all the colors I've had on the hill, the bright ones disappear eventually.

8 Eggs today, 1 really perfectly egg shaped egg from Peach. got some cute pictures................................




kick it again Mama! no bugs that time...


Peach brought her family further away from their pen than ever before. the rooster pens are to the right, in the stand of trees that are casting that shadow. Sillie glows like snow. she's so white she reflects the blue sky, like water or snow, s/he's actually hard to photograph. just tons of light reflecting back in an almost chicken shape.