Sumatra Thread!

[ramirezframing]

2015 is our goal to go to Ohio. For us, it will be a couple days of driving to get there

Yeah, it would take you a few driving days, but the views are priceless. Hows the colt and his mom doing?

 

[Infnityhrt]

My thoughts on vaccinating are... If you don't have a problem with it don't vaccinate for it. Called our state veterinarian when the kids wanted to start showing and they said they do not recommend anything unless you have a problem because you risk the possibility of introducing dieseases onto your place and will always have to vaccinate for it. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
There was a breeder from around here that vaccinated for the ILT and said it couldn't pass thriough the feces because it was a new vaccine not the old one and vaccinated her birds less than 2 weeks before going to the show, but funny birds from other breeder that were around hers got sick.

You never know what you may get when you go to a show, but please don't vaccinate unless you are having a problem and even then, maybe try and breed for resistance.
Knock on wood we have never brought anything back from a show, but we have a weird line of defense that may or may not actually help but I like it.

Oxine.. dieseases love wet places to grow and multiply, so our first line.. Oxine!

After the birds are bathed and placed in the shed they are given the vitamin water to boost their immunity for a week before the show.
Two days before they are sprayed with Adams flea and tick to hopefully keep off any bugs that may transfer from a bird at the show.
When unloaded at the show, the cage is sprayed down with a 6oz per gallon solution of oxine it has residual effect and work up to over 24 hours
7 drops of oxine we add to a gallon of water for drinking incase another bird sneezed in their drinking water it would kill the germs landing in it
Then when we are loading up to come home, all birds are sprayed with the same solution the cage was, both top and bottom of bird under wings and feet.

Can't say that it works or doesn't work.. help with my peace of mind though LOL.

 

[NYREDS]

My thoughts on vaccinating are... If you don't have a problem with it don't vaccinate for it. Called our state veterinarian when the kids wanted to start showing and they said they do not recommend anything unless you have a problem because you risk the possibility of introducing dieseases onto your place and will always have to vaccinate for it. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
There was a breeder from around here that vaccinated for the ILT and said it couldn't pass thriough the feces because it was a new vaccine not the old one and vaccinated her birds less than 2 weeks before going to the show, but funny birds from other breeder that were around hers got sick.

You never know what you may get when you go to a show, but please don't vaccinate unless you are having a problem and even then, maybe try and breed for resistance.
Knock on wood we have never brought anything back from a show, but we have a weird line of defense that may or may not actually help but I like it.

Oxine.. dieseases love wet places to grow and multiply, so our first line.. Oxine!

After the birds are bathed and placed in the shed they are given the vitamin water to boost their immunity for a week before the show.
Two days before they are sprayed with Adams flea and tick to hopefully keep off any bugs that may transfer from a bird at the show.
When unloaded at the show, the cage is sprayed down with a 6oz per gallon solution of oxine it has residual effect and work up to over 24 hours
7 drops of oxine we add to a gallon of water for drinking incase another bird sneezed in their drinking water it would kill the germs landing in it
Then when we are loading up to come home, all birds are sprayed with the same solution the cage was, both top and bottom of bird under wings and feet.

Can't say that it works or doesn't work.. help with my peace of mind though LOL.

You make a good point that I should have added to my post. Once you start vaccinating you can't stop.

 

[NYREDS]

.
To the breeders and long timers-can you give a rationale as to why you don't vaccinate?
I'm trying to make a choice and would love your experienced input to help make my decision. Thank you!

I don't vaccinate as I prefer to breed for disease resistance. It's the same reason I don't medicate for anything other than Coccidiosis. There are a couple good threads here on breeding for resistance-do a search for them for more info.

 

[championsumatra]

If you are like me with a small flock of really nice show chickens. You don't want your best birds getting sick. If you have a whole yard full of really nice show chicken it's ok not to vaccinate. but I still recommend everyone to vaccinate to be on the more safe side.

 

[ramirezframing]

If you are like me with a small flock of really nice show chickens. You don't want your best birds getting sick. If you have a whole yard full of really nice show chicken it's ok not to vaccinate. but I still recommend everyone to vaccinate to be on the more safe side.

So what all do you vaccinate your birds for? Since it seems like this is your first time (out of the 8 - 9 years that you have showed birds) that you have vaccinated for fowl pox. And I don't see how the size of flock makes any difference in whether to vaccinate or not.

 

[Infnityhrt]

If you are like me with a small flock of really nice show chickens. You don't want your best birds getting sick. If you have a whole yard full of really nice show chicken it's ok not to vaccinate. but I still recommend everyone to vaccinate to be on the more safe side.

Then your more likely to spread the diesease for others to catch also

 

[raph]

I was offered a blue leghorn cockerel yesterday, i would have taken him there and then but we haven't got room just yet. I was a bit depressed to find two of my pekin hens squashed under a board of wood. i had a board of wood rested on the side of a coop to stop the wind for the birds inside the coop, and it got blown over onto the pekins. its a shame as they hadn't even started laying they were young.

Out of my hatches i have 2 definite cockerels and 1 definite hen, and there's one who is looking more hen than cockerel.if it(the undecided one) is a hen ill be pleased. I'm going to keep the best cockerel and hen, and then try and get blue Sumatra hatching eggs from England. Then what hatches from the eggs goes in breeding pens with the two chicks i have currently.
Did someone mention knowing some blue Sumatra breeders in the UK?

 

[raph]

I got some photos of the chicks.

That's the first one to have been born, he is only a week older than the others.

That's the Undecided one.

I think the other male





The undecided one again.

That's definetley a hen

the undecided one and the hen

The reason i say she is undecided is her/he's comb and slight wattles.









the 1st won to hatch.

 

[ramirezframing]

That's the Undecided one.









The reason i say she is undecided is her/he's comb and slight wattles.

They all have nice dark eyes and good skin color so far. As for your undecided one, the comb is throwing you because it looks like a single comb instead of a pea comb to me. Sorry about your pekins, hope you can find some more soon.