The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[speckledhen]

Cyn, last yr I lost a hen in the fall then another got sick. It was time for testing and that one had some form of ms/mg. She did not show any signs of resp. trouble just weakness and not eating. After it got dry I did not have any more get sick. also the next testing time was clean. I guess my isolation and removal of those hens did the trick for me. I did hate to lose one of pretty barred rocks though. They are such sweet hens and wonderful Moms.

I'm sorry to hear that. I know, I love my big BR hens so much, especially Dottie. I have Dottie separated still. I really think Atlas hurt her badly. She is panting heavily as if she's in pain. She was perfectly fine yesterday, clucking like she was still on her way to broody. Today, no clucking. I'm so worried about her.

As far as Lucy and Carly, I really believe these bantams are not very strong. And they are so low to the ground that any dampness just really gets to them. Lucy hasn't laid in three of her four years of life and her legs are super short like an Ohiki, not at all like her breed. She was never exactly right from the beginning. Carly is just like a wild bird, the size of a robin or even smaller. You'd have to see her to appreciate how tiny she really is.

 

[getaclue]

This past summer it rained almost every day for at least 3 months. I was really expecting trouble, so I got a gallon of Oxine (regular strength). Fortunately my coop stayed dry, and it was summer, so it was not cold out. Most molds, and mildews can be cleaned with bleach, then be sure to rinse the bleach off real good.

 

[speckledhen]

This past summer it rained almost every day for at least 3 months. I was really expecting trouble, so I got a gallon of Oxine (regular strength). Fortunately my coop stayed dry, and it was summer, so it was not cold out. Most molds, and mildews can be cleaned with bleach, then be sure to rinse the bleach off real good.

There was only one small area of mildew on a window frame in the coop and I got that off. You can't bleach pens and mold just grows up out of the ground during these long rain events. All you can do is till and/or lime it. Oxine is great for misting or for putting a tiny bit in water (for those who don't know, 1/8 teaspoon in each gallon in a plastic waterer is the right amount).

 

[1muttsfan]

So sorry to hear you are having so much trouble,Cyn. The most dangerous times of the year for outdoor animals are in spring and fall, when it is warm one day cold the next, and especially when there's a lot of moisture. Animals that are marginal for any reason are very susceptable to that kind of environmental stress.

 

[speckledhen]

So sorry to hear you are having so much trouble,Cyn. The most dangerous times of the year for outdoor animals are in spring and fall, when it is warm one day cold the next, and especially when there's a lot of moisture. Animals that are marginal for any reason are very susceptable to that kind of environmental stress.

That is very, very true. Caroline, my Buff Brahma, has issues with sinusitis and has for four of her nine years. I almost put her down when I saw bubbles in her eyes-this was post-fungal infection that one summer and she was one of those who had it. She has very small nares and has always been a sneezer, ever since she was about a year old. Thankfully, I called Dr. Bohannan, our former state vet (would never call the State of GA anymore, not since he retired) before I put down my then 5 year old hen and he said she just had a secondary bacterial infection from the fungal thing and to give her Tylan, that she was not contagious, he was 100% positive. So, she, with all this wild wet stuff, is having a recurrence, poor dear. So, Tylan for poor Miss Caroline again. I worry about Amanda, who has to lay on her chest 24/7. She can haul herself up onto her feet like crutches but she has no use of one leg due to arthritis. She is still laying at almost 9 years old, too, but I always fear for her in wet and/or frigid weather. She has a heat lamp over her, but still...

No one else in the Old Hens' Retirement Home & Hospice seems affected so far by this. Their pen sure began to smell nasty so I pitchforked it up, every bit of it, and doused it with DE to maybe help a tiny bit and it smells much better now. I need some ag lime in there and the actual tiller, but working with my husband is hard. He is always in pain and one 2 hour job puts him on recovery time for days. I can't do it all myself.

 

[getaclue]

Thank you for the Oxine dosage information. When I mentioned the bleach, it was in reference to the window area you had mentioned, not the entire coop floor. I did turn the dirt in my coop floors a couple times, during those 3 months, but I only did half of each coop at a time, because the dirt underneath was wet, then when that dried out, I finished them up. Before I turned the dirt, I took Dawn Blue dish washing liquid, and mixed it up not quite as soapy as I would for washing dishes, then poured that on the half of the coop dirt just before turning it. That way the chickens were not directly exposed to it, and it's one of the few things that are pretty safe to use environment wise. I kept a good check on the feeders, and scrubbed them frequently, since the extra moisture can turn feed fast. All I know is, that worked for my situation. I'm only saying what I did in my situation, and I fully understand your set up is different. Something else that can help a lot, IF it is readily available to you, is adding a thin layer of sand. It really helps a lot with drainage, so the dirt doesn't stay wet. Don't worry about the sand staying on top. It doesn't take very long with the chickens scratching around that it's mixed in nicely. Again, this is only what worked for me. We each have to deal with our own situations, and they can vary radically.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you for the Oxine dosage information. When I mentioned the bleach, it was in reference to the window area you had mentioned, not the entire coop floor. I did turn the dirt in my coop floors a couple times, during those 3 months, but I only did half of each coop at a time, because the dirt underneath was wet, then when that dried out, I finished them up. Before I turned the dirt, I took Dawn Blue dish washing liquid, and mixed it up not quite as soapy as I would for washing dishes, then poured that on the half of the coop dirt just before turning it. That way the chickens were not directly exposed to it, and it's one of the few things that are pretty safe to use environment wise. I kept a good check on the feeders, and scrubbed them frequently, since the extra moisture can turn feed fast. All I know is, that worked for my situation. I'm only saying what I did in my situation, and I fully understand your set up is different. Something else that can help a lot, IF it is readily available to you, is adding a thin layer of sand. It really helps a lot with drainage, so the dirt doesn't stay wet. Don't worry about the sand staying on top. It doesn't take very long with the chickens scratching around that it's mixed in nicely. Again, this is only what worked for me. We each have to deal with our own situations, and they can vary radically.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that. I knew you meant about the window, I was just saying the ground was the real issue with mold. The ground doesn't hold water much as long as there aren't many actual holes they've dug, but it just grows white fur in extended rain periods. I would like to add some sand, though, as you suggested, again, having to haul that to the pens. I've suggested it to DH and he pooh-poohed the idea.

ETA: Apparently, my communication skills are sucky when I'm over-tired. Sorry about that.

 

[getaclue]

I too experience sucky communications skills at times, and brain farts too, so I totally understand.

 

[speckledhen]

I too experience sucky communications skills at times, and brain farts too, so I totally understand.

Thank you. I do feel over-tired lately. I'm yawning right now at not even 7:30 p.m.
Today, we went to town to get chicken supplies before the cold, icy weather gets here. I got two 50# bags of layer pellets, one 50# bag of 13-grain scratch and 4 bags of 10 c.f. pine shavings. To save DH's back, while he crashed in front of the computer because the trip to Home Depot and the co-op wore him out, I hauled all three bags of feed from the car by myself, one at a time, to the storage area in the Old Hens' Retirement Home (which is about 125 ft from the driveway and where we are storing it since we are dismantling the other coop), filled all the feeders, spread two of the bags of shavings in five coops and put away the other two bags. So, ouch. I made him fill waterers, though. So, we should be set for a few days in the coops.

DH got Dottie out of the cage later and let her walk around the soft dirt in the garden. She did not eat grass as she normally would and when she lost her footing on the right side once, she cried out, so I was right, Atlas did hurt her. She ate nothing all day long, only drank water. I'm so worried that I'm losing her.

 

[getaclue]

Wow, you worked your tail feathers off today. I'm sorry about Dottie. I hope you are able to find the cause of her distress, and help her.