Silkie thread!

I have 3 pens, one for each roo. They all have 4 to 5 hens with them. I had my black roo with the black hens and have nice healthy chicks growing out now. I wanted to start my paint pen and switched the roos around. I hatched out 3 paint and 3 black from paint chicks all were strong and doing great till a few days ago. All the parents are on the same feed and the chicks are on a grower crumble. They are in the house away from the adults so they aren't being picked on. I don't know what to do, always had good luck with chicks till this year and trying to raise paints and paint sizzles.

I'm not sure where you live, but I had similar symptoms in my birds, so brought several for necropsy at the University of Missouri. I live in central Missouri. I was having huge losses for no apparent reason when I had never done so before, and certain colors were dying off at a higher rate. The results of the necropsy showed Lymphoid Leukosis. I have purchased birds and eggs from a number of breeders in and around the area, and it can be passed on through the egg, so you are not safe only purchasing hatching eggs from breeders. While I suspect who I got it from, there is no proof unless they also tested their birds (which they have not done despite being notified of my results).

I also have silkies, and seramas. The second generation of the seramas seems to be less susceptible to it, as only the birds that are less prone to develop the tumors lived to reproduce. I am now on my second generation of silkies, and they too also seem more resilient, but certain colors/strains of my birds seem more susceptible to infection and developing tumors. Also, my birds (as their immune systems are compromised by the infection) are more likely to get extremely ill from other infections which would not normally cause issues in healthy birds (such as coccidia). Because of this, my birds are started on a moderate dosage of Corid as soon as they are around a month old (or showing symptoms) for 14 days (as recommended by my vet), and are given vitamin supplements several times a week the rest of the time. I keep them nice and warm, and keep their stress levels low. This has reduced my death rate from around 50% to approximately 2 to 5%.

My flock is now a closed flock. I do occasionally introduce new blood of high quality birds to keep my flock from inbreeding (and because I love the breeds and refuse to destroy my pets simply to start another flock). I practice very strict biosecurity, and I only give away birds to those individuals who are fully aware of what my birds are carrying and my extra roos now have their own space in the garden, and earn their keep by eating bugs off the plants in that large fenced in area. I have notified everyone that has ever gotten birds from me. My vet, who is an expert in his field, has noted that this is actually a disease that is becoming quite prevalent in the backyard hobby because: many birds survive the initial infection and are carriers of the virus which they can later spread to other birds, and it can be spread from hen to chick through the egg. I now breed for those silkies and seramas that are hardy and more immune to developing tumors, as there is no vaccine or cure for lymphoid leukosis. Most people have birds that get sick, many die, the rest get better, and they never have them tested to find out what was going on, thus continuing the cycle of infection.

While this may not be what your birds are carrying, I hope that this information helps. Knowledge is power, and lymphoid leukosis is clearly here to stay in the poultry hobby. Here is a link to coccidia dosing: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818879/updated-corid-and-amprol-amprolium-dosing The moderate dose for 14 days straight is what my vet recommended and what has worked for me. Otherwise, a good poultry vitamin supplement a couple of times a week (Vi-tal is cheap, last a long time, and is readily available at most feed stores), quality feed, and a clean, healthy environment does wonders to promote a healthy, happy flock (so that lymphoid leukosis does not have to be a death sentence for all birds carrying it).

If you want to be sure of what your birds are carrying, have a necropsy done. They are typically around $50 or less for a gross necropsy, and $100 for more detailed results.


Take care, and I hope your birds get better soon.
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Hi there Sylvester017

I posted a reply because I thought your comment "Pre-fabricated little coops under $300 are not worth the balsa wood type construction they're made of" was a little on the generalization side and a brush away, do not go down that path.

I agree with your comments regarding the construction as some are better than others. I also agree that they are not predator proof to some predators but I was just trying to point out that, for some chicken keepers, they are fine.

Luckily we do not have Raccoons in Aus but we do have other predators that a pre-fab coop may not protect your hens from; but again, it depends on your location and circumstances :)

You would think the cheap coops would be alright but a first-time chicken owner should not rely on their safety or construction or the claims the manufacturers make. No back yard is safe from predators - even in an upscale neighborhood. Raccoons have become such a problem that bustling cities like Chicago and Ontario (Canada) have an epidemic of them. They are as far north as Alaska now and growing out of control - both population-wise and aggression-wise. Japan had imported American Raccoons back in the 70s and when owners couldn't control the adult pets turned them loose in the forests. The feral Raccoons have ruined Japan's centuries-old temples and historical sites so now Japan has an active program to completely eradicate them before they start infesting the cities.

A pre-fab balsa is not worth the money spent and I've seen homemade crooked coops that were sturdier because the owners did their homework and constructed securely instead of "pretty". Some on this thread who have bought the pre-fabs have built secure enclosure pens and realized they had to put the flimsy coops inside these pens for safety. The little coops that look securely built are so tiny that one chicken would be crowded in it.

JMHO and hate to see new owners having a false sense of security with one of these little pre-fabs. A couple big dogs could break them apart easily as I've seen what stray neighborhood dogs did to our gate and our little coop.
 
I've always brooded my lf and Silkies together. Usually even numbers. 10 lf and 10 Silkie. I also don't have any dominant personality fowl. So everyone is ok with everyone. No bullying

Sometimes we don't have the room to brood an even number of LF w/Silkies - especially if only zoned for 3 to 5 chickens but thanks for the input as I'm sure it will help some people who have the room to do even-number brooder fowl.
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. My new coop we made out of a giant storage container!
May I suggest sometime down the road that you replace the open nests with lidded storage bins or a couple covered cat litter boxes? Hens love hiding during their egg-laying. My DH and I often have looked at these storage containers and thought they'd make nice little coops raised up on cinderblocks a little to keep off the ground on rainy days. Excellent idea to put a secure kennel around it! A row of paver stones around the outside base of the kennel will secure against any digging critters - loose dogs are the worst diggers! With chainlink you may still get rat visits but the larger critters will have a hard time entering the pen - especially once a paver walkway is laid.
 
I went to the feed store today to get scratch and ended up coming home with a silkie cross. S/he doesn't have black eyes and doesn't seems as fluffy as purebred silkies. Someone had brought back a flock of young chickens back to the store. This one was the last one and was so adorable I couldn't stand it. No name yet!
She is cute! Looks like a Barred Rock Silkie cross. There is a Silkie that has the bars it's called a Cuckoo, would love one of those! Will be neat to see what she turns out like, looks like she has the Silkie feathers, so she could puff up! My birds do not have black eyes they're more of a dark brown, that might change when they get older, I don't know.
 
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