Texas

[needlessjunk]

From Houston here. It's pretty cool that states have their own threads

Welcome!

 

[tjo804]

Quote:
The problem is that if they wipe out a factory in the area ALL the back yard guys must go as well. to try to eradicate the virus it can be transmitted by wild birds or even through poo if someone at a factory has animals and goes to a feed store in the same shoes you get a viral step from your shoe and go to your coop Avain flu wha-la. Bio Security now is best for your flock even just so much as a pair of shoes for only your yard or only for shopping and not your yard. If CDC deems a wipe out they will require BackYard Flocks cull as well

I am thinking Chicken Diapers for my favorite ladies and let them live in the house with the Dog and Cats.

DH is not liking the idea at all I may not get this one past him.

 

[tjo804]

OH on eggs I have already been offered $5 a dozen but I am not sure I can keep up the supply so I havent done it. I say Start higher than the organic eggs in your area and stay there. people will pay for them.

 

[needlessjunk]

For those that sell eggs... Do you clean and refrigerate them or wipe them and leave them at room temp? I have duck eggs so they tend to be dirty no matter what. I personally don't care if they are a bit dirty but since I'm selling some now I'm concerned what other people would prefer.

 

[Briza]

I had no idea Avian flu was going around. I guess when you have as many chickens as they cram into industry-scale production, it's bound to spread quickly. The life of those chickens is what convinced me that when I was able I needed to raise my own, even if just for eggs.

I wasn't sure what kinds of chickens would be good for me to raise since I want birds that put stuff on the table but don't have to be babied their entire lives. Plus, my other half wouldn't let me keep them in a run even for their own safety. He says that if he were a chicken he'd rather live free despite the risks and I can't really say I wouldn't feel the same if I were a chicken. So, I ended up ordering random assortments from two hatcheries and I'll breed whatever does the best. I already breed plants and I can get excellent plants in one or two generations but I imagine chickens take longer.

So far, the first set is 2 weeks old and I check them multiple times a day to see how their feathers are coming along. The second set is set to ship on the 10th of this month. I lost half of the first ones to cocci according to people at my local feed store. I was so sure it was something I was doing wrong with the set-up that it took me too long to get the medication. I had them vaccinated for it and I recently found out that the cocci vaccine in the USA is neither inactivated nor weakened and can therefore cause illness in weakened chicks. I wish I'd known that by vaccinating them they meant intentionally infecting them. Now I don't know what to do about the second uninfected set. Is there something you can give them that still lets them build the immunity(since half the flock might still be passing the parasite despite appearing healthy)? Or should I just attempt to wipe it out altogether before the second set gets here?

Edit: Thanks for the info about setting egg prices high to begin with. I have always worried that if I started with low prices to attract customers, they would come to always expect that price for small-flock quality eggs.

Edit 2: Broke it down into paragraphs because I saw it and realized it was way too long. lol

 

[tjo804]

You will need to keep them separate for now anyway as they will have different heat requirements.
I do not do the vaccine and I use non medicated chick starter and I also use it fermented. fermented feed is a wonderful thing for the chicks and I have Not lost a single chick to disease.

Here are some links you may find helpful.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html
https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

and a thread here for more info and questions answered.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them

I hope these help answer some of your questions. Make sure you disinfect everything and if you can and havent I would burn the bedding for the chicks that passed.

I would also add some raw unfiltered Apple cider vinegar with the mother (Brags and Heinz both make this it is in the vinegar isle at grocery store.) to the water. 1tsp per gallon. I make it in an old milk jug with some electrolyte powder and alternate when I change the water for my chicks. fresh water only water the next change is jug water. the mother in the vinegar is a good bacteria that helps the digestive system and I even take it myself in a glass of water in the morning.

 

[Briza]

Oh, that fermenting stuff is really amazing. Though, I think I'll ferment it the way you do to make yogurt in order to keep the bad microorganisms in small enough numbers that they won't cause trouble. I'll use a yogurt starter block to make some yogurt for myself and use a few spoonfuls of the finished product to innoculate. I've been very concerned that the only germs they're getting are the ones I have on my hands when I handle them. I've also got the real kind of kimchi and sauerkraut in the fridge that I can use to inoculate their feed with good germs too.

 

[tjo804]

Starter block?
for Christmas my son got me a machine that makes greek yogurt, ? I have not been able to get it to work yet! any ideas?

 

[Briza]

I don't use a yogurt machine so I'm not sure if the steps are different. Unless the milk has just been opened, I'll scald it first to kill any bacteria that have colonized it. It's important as you want the bacteria that will form your yogurt to be dominant or you might get unpleasant tasting or even toxic results. After that, I wait for the bacteria to get to the temperature that the most heat-sensitive bacteria in the starter prefers. 75F or so for the culture I use. I put it lightly covered in the oven(off, it's just for insulation) for 10hrs or so and after that it's trial and error with the traditional methods. Your yogurt machine takes the guess-work out and is designed to breed the bacteria perfectly so all you need to do is scald the milk, wait for the right temperature to be reached, add the starter and put it in the machine(unless it has multiple settings that need tweaking).

This is what I use. You can then use the yogurt you make to start another batch of yogurt over and over again until it starts to taste off. You may need a different starter for greek yogurt though.

 

[tjo804]

intresting
thank you