Small chick recovered from runny eye, first egg today :)

[lvchicken]

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I'm very sorry.

It must have been a frustrating experience. I think animals know when we're trying to care for them, and no doubt she was very fortunate to have had you. I think it's really great that there are some wee fuzzy-bums to carry on for her.

Thanks AR, not many people outside of here understand how we can get attached to our fowl. But we can.. and do

You are SO right. We need to use one of my roosters as a meat bird, but I just can't get myself to take him to the butcherer. He doesn't even like me either!

 

[Miss Lydia]

We don't have much of a problem processing our extra roos, believe me it's not easy but when they start fighting it gets the whole flock out of sorts, so instead of giving them away to who knows who, [alot of people use roos to train fighting roos around here] we just do it and after it's over it's amazing the peace that comes to the flock. To us it's more humane. And we know where our food comes from.

 

[lvchicken]

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Thank you. He is our only grown roo for now. We have little baby ones, but they won't be fighting for a while.

 

[Atomic Ranch]

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[Atomic Ranch]

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I'm learning this. My mom used to tell tales of her grandmother going out to "fetch dinner" on the farm (chop, chop). I grew up just eating chicken from the store. Became vegetarian "just because" at twelve, then started eating meat again at 25. After seeing how factories add muscle mass to meat birds so quickly that they can't walk, at 36 I'm headed back to vegetarianism or raising my own!

BTW, do you know anything about a possibly treatment for aspergillosis? I'm fairly certain my little roo has it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aspergillois, is called Brooder pneumonia, it's from mold being inhaled into the lungs when hatched. it says treatment - no known cure. and to prevent it from spreading the infected ones should be distroyed brooding and equiptment disinfected. It doesn't sound very promising. There is a product called Oxine AH that might help with this. Heres the link and then you decide if this might help. www.shagbarkbantams.com/Oxine.htm I wish I had better news for you,

 

[Atomic Ranch]

I've read that it can also be contracted through food sources, especially maize crops. He had corn the night before. Might be botulism as well. He's been in a different box than the others for a few weeks, and none of them have symptoms. The first signs of something amiss were when he was two weeks old. I'll likely cull

but wait another day I suppose. I feed him natural anti-fungals / yogurt / painkiller (for birds) and he's better than yesterday so who knows.

The runty one continues to thrive and is almost feathered out now.

I'll be moving the larger Delawares and the Cochin out to their new coop tomorrow or Saturday-- exciting! Securing up the run a little better after reading some of the stories here, then they'll be able to be outside for the first time!

 

[Miss Lydia]

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If your seeing improvement then by all means wait. Culling is very last resort. I hope he pulls through. this info I got was from my Book of Geese by Dave Holderread. I know those babies will love being outside and great news about runty!! and most people would say if our flocks have CRD we should cull, it's up to the individual and their situation. I'm pulling for you and your roo!!

 

[Atomic Ranch]

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Thank you!! Good days and bad for him. It may be best if he can't fend for himself, be mobile, etc. but we will monitor him and see what (if anything) we can do. Sometimes the ones who recover are stronger. In regard to CRD, I understand why culling is best for all. Since I'm not breeding or selling them, I'm happy to raise the others as egg pets

Hey, how are your chicks doing?

Here's the coop, unpainted. We worked with a fence already there, and will enclose the top. The egg box will be bumped out to the left soon. Wanted to get them out in the nice weather asap, so here are the Delawares and Cochin-- wide-eyed and (naturally) after the silo of food. I'll photo the runt "small chick" when we let her out with the others who are younger.

Exciting day for them (me)!

 

[Miss Lydia]

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Thank you!! Good days and bad for him. It may be best if he can't fend for himself, be mobile, etc. but we will monitor him and see what (if anything) we can do. Sometimes the ones who recover are stronger. In regard to CRD, I understand why culling is best for all. Since I'm not breeding or selling them, I'm happy to raise the others as egg pets

Hey, how are your chicks doing?

Here's the coop, unpainted. We worked with a fence already there, and will enclose the top. The egg box will be bumped out to the left soon. Wanted to get them out in the nice weather asap, so here are the Delawares and Cochin-- wide-eyed and (naturally) after the silo of food. I'll photo the runt "small chick" when we let her out with the others who are younger.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b18/love_those_spacemen/coopunpainted.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b18/love_those_spacemen/delsandcochin.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b18/love_those_spacemen/delsandcochin2.jpg

Exciting day for them (me)!

That is really a nice setup. they look so small in their new house. I know they love it. Can I add a bit of advise? I don't know what your predators are like out there but if I was you I would put hardware cloth around the bottom 2 ft. of your run and also around your windows. because I have read too many times about people coming out and finding their chickens pulled through their wire fencing with their heads pulled off, I am sure a very sad way to find their chickens. Again it will depend on your predators but raccoons are one of the worst for doing this, but other preds can do it too. Anyway love your setup.