The Front Porch Swing

[Windy Bay Farm]

Well folks... I need some advice. In recent weeks I have noticed that one of my RIR girls has developed some sort of respiratory issue; rattly breathing, clear nasal discharge and the occasional bubbly clear liquid in one eye and occasional sneeze. This has been happening now for a month or so. I isolated her from the flock recently and am still noticing a rattle when she breathes but little to no nasal discharge and no clear, bubbly liquid in her eye. To add insult to injury, I noticed one of my Black Star girls has also developed a sneeze, with a nasal discharge (clear) - I have now isolated her. I've been reading up on the symptoms and good heavens, it could be anything. I'm not sure if it's, viral, bacterial or environmental. They are both eating, drinking and doing normal chicken things and the Black Star is still laying an egg about everyday. These girls are less than a year old and I hate to cull them but I'm not a believer in pumping antibiotics into my birds so I'm lost as to what I should do. I will cull if need be but would like a little feedback as to what any of you folks think.

Thanks !

 

[lindz8504]

Oh, hon! You asked the wrong person! I'm none too fond of goats and think they are much, much more trouble than they ever yield in good for a homestead. They require major fencing and they still keep getting out, they are born for mischief, they don't flock well, and the current gene pools out there have been ruined by the pet market and goats are no longer the hardy and tough animal they used to be back in the day. Back then they could be an asset but now they are more of a liability.

You'd do far better getting some hair sheep that you can milk....Katahdins are reasonably milky and are a wonderful and easy livestock to have around. No need to stack the deck against yourself by getting goats.

Also, I never advise getting the animal before having the buildings and fences firmly in place.

But...no one else holds my views about goats out there so you'll maybe want to ask someone else!

LOL.... Thanks for the input! I definitely am worried about fencing ect, and that will be #1 priority if we decide to go ahead and get them. My daughter is begging, and wanting to possibly show them. We had goats when I lived at home, and never really had much trouble with them getting out of fencing, but I know many people do! The farmer that we are going to get them from has his in a fence that is held together with baling twine and pallets in most places, with a strand of electric along the top. I still have to decide for sure how much we want to add to our plates this year!

 

[Beekissed]

Well folks... I need some advice. In recent weeks I have noticed that one of my RIR girls has developed some sort of respiratory issue; rattly breathing, clear nasal discharge and the occasional bubbly clear liquid in one eye and occasional sneeze. This has been happening now for a month or so. I isolated her from the flock recently and am still noticing a rattle when she breathes but little to no nasal discharge and no clear, bubbly liquid in her eye. To add insult to injury, I noticed one of my Black Star girls has also developed a sneeze, with a nasal discharge (clear) - I have now isolated her. I've been reading up on the symptoms and good heavens, it could be anything. I'm not sure if it's, viral, bacterial or environmental. They are both eating, drinking and doing normal chicken things and the Black Star is still laying an egg about everyday. These girls are less than a year old and I hate to cull them but I'm not a believer in pumping antibiotics into my birds so I'm lost as to what I should do. I will cull if need be but would like a little feedback as to what any of you folks think.

Thanks !

Don't know about other folks but I have a three day or so rule on anything affecting any one bird of an acute symptom....three days to resolve or show marked improvement towards being gone. If not gone, the bird is gone. I've never had any respiratory symptoms other than wheezing that lasted a day or so after putting wood ashes in the dusting spots or fresh cedar in the dog/chicken lounging area. Those were resolved within a day or two.

One other time some years back I had been given some red stars that were past their prime. I had added some cedar shavings in the coop and two of them started having wheezing from it that they couldn't seem to get over....some lady wanted a few pet chickens and said she would take them to her place. It took those birds a few weeks to lose the respiratory irritation from those cedar oils but they lived with her for a year or so before falling to predation. The rest of the chickens didn't have any reaction to the cedar, so they remained at my place.

A few days to see if they can shake it, then the bird is gone. It's a bird problem and not a flock problem...yet.

Sounds like symptoms of CRD and they say that's a chronic, carrier type situation that makes your flock carriers so it's a difficult decision on your part. Don't know what I would do in your situation if it ran through the whole flock, but it's usually transmitted through shared waterers and feeders, particularly since you feed wet feed. Scrub out your waterers, kill the birds, wait and see if anyone else is going to get it and then make tougher decisions. Until then I'd open up some major ventilation in your coop...fresh air can keep disease transmission down.

I'd also be putting ACV in the water if you aren't already. Might cut down on germ transmission.

 

[Beekissed]

Checking in from New Mexico bringing my prized Quiche Lorraine and Spinach Quiche.

NM, checkin in!

Welcome to the Porch!

I LOVE quiche!

whoa, you been one busy women! Did I tell you we FINALLY got that arch up over the chickens run? with the tarp over it. Yep FINALLY. It's been nice to because it came a flood that night and the trough only had about a cup water in it hubby said. It held up in all that wind to which surprised me bcause we had stuff blown all over the yard.

An arch is a very strong design to put into any structure...they can really hold up under stress. You'll love it! I'm building a hoop coop type storage for winter wood storage this spring for that very reason...to shed rain and snow and have a cheap, resilient storage area that will take me all of an hour to erect and will last for years to come.

My wife and I had dreamed of a log cabin in the mountains for 30 years, finally found our dream lived in it nine years and sold it, we now live back near family, each decade of life changes my heart and my understanding of what God's desire might be, I finally read the Bible cover to cover when I retired, Jesus and I are walking closer than ever but life is still not anywhere near "easy street", my wife is in Denver helping our son and grandkids through a terrible divorce while I am in Missouri helping our daughter and son-in-law after his second liver transplant.............................thanks again for your porch

Me too! Sat under preaching and went to church for 41 years before I finally read the Bible from cover to cover.

One can't really grasp the need for a closer relationship with Jesus until they do that, I don't think. It was like the sun coming out in my comprehension of God's love for us and intentions for my life and I have walked closer and closer ever since. I think one moves from milk to meat after reading the entire Bible...at least it worked that way for me. Wish I had done it years and years ago.

I'll pray for you and your family, Ocap.

(just prayed!)

 

[enola]

I agree with Bee. The ONLY medication I use for sickness is Corid for coccidiosis. I keep my bedding dry as possible and chicken poop out of all feeders and waterers. I worm my chickens spring and fall. The ONLY time any one goes in my chicken house besides me are the neighbor kids when I travel.

When I sell chickens I meet the potential buyer in town. For bio-security reasons I don't want anyone on my property that owns chickens. I also change my shoes that I wear to work (and to TSC) before I go to the chicken house.

I have a closed flock and very seldom do I have a sick chicken.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree with Bee. The ONLY medication I use for sickness is Corid for coccidiosis. I keep my bedding dry as possible and chicken poop out of all feeders and waterers. I worm my chickens spring and fall. The ONLY time any one goes in my chicken house besides me are the neighbor kids when I travel.

When I sell chickens I meet the potential buyer in town. For bio-security reasons I don't want anyone on my property that owns chickens. I also change my shoes that I wear to work (and to TSC) before I go to the chicken house.

I have a closed flock and very seldom do I have a sick chicken.

There's where I differ than most folks on here....I don't give meds for anything. I don't care about the occasional poop in the feeders and waterers, though I'll swish it out and change the water if I see it. I don't worm my chickens at all, though I'll give them a spring purge like garlic or such once or twice a year. Anyone can go in my chicken house and I don't isolate or use any biosecurity measures other than now I will put castor oil on a new bird's legs and dust their body with sulfur or pyrethrin powder and give them a dose of castor oil before putting them on the land.

I never change my shoes to accommodate the coop. I have a pretty closed flock though I get the occasional infusion in the form of chicks or when someone insists on donating me a rooster,which I usually kill within a few days and eat. Or when I get some free roosters to feed up on FF.

And I never have a sick chicken. The first one I ever had was that strange cheap meats cockerel that got chicken guts stuck in his crop and started showing signs of infection the very same day...and was killed that day.

 

[enola]

........cockeral that got chicken guts stuck in his crop....

Is giving me some strange visions!

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Don't know about other folks but I have a three day or so rule on anything affecting any one bird of an acute symptom....three days to resolve or show marked improvement towards being gone.  If not gone, the bird is gone.  I've never had any respiratory symptoms other than wheezing that lasted a day or so after putting wood ashes in the dusting spots or fresh cedar in the dog/chicken lounging area.  Those were resolved within a day or two.

One other time some years back I had been given some red stars that were past their prime.  I had added some cedar shavings in the coop and two of them started having wheezing from it that they couldn't seem to get over....some lady wanted a few pet chickens and said she would take them to her place.  It took those birds a few weeks to lose the respiratory irritation from those cedar oils but they lived with her for a year or so before falling to predation.  The rest of the chickens didn't have any reaction to the cedar, so they remained at my place. 

A few days to see if they can shake it, then the bird is gone.  It's a bird problem and not a flock problem...yet. 

Sounds like symptoms of CRD and they say that's a chronic, carrier type situation that makes your flock carriers so it's a difficult decision on your part.  Don't know what I would do in your situation if it ran through the whole flock, but it's usually transmitted through shared waterers and feeders, particularly since you feed wet feed.  Scrub out your waterers, kill the birds, wait and see if anyone else is going to get it and then make tougher decisions.  Until then I'd open up some major ventilation in your coop...fresh air can keep disease transmission down. 

I'd also be putting ACV in the water if you aren't already.  Might cut down on germ transmission. 

Hi Bee... Thanks for your input. At this point since it has been going on for awhile I may just cull them today and be some with it. I hate the thought of it because they're still laying but I really don't see much, if any improvement. I'm sitting in the same room as both birds now and the RIR is rattling when she breaths and the BS, although no rattle, has that clear nasal discharge atm. I may take them this afternoon and do the cull.

 

[Beekissed]

Got to tell you guys a Jake story. The other day when I killed Fanny he stayed far away and was giving me "the look". He paced and was agitated, finally went and laid down at a distance. Her carcass was thrown over in the usual spot in the woods...he immediately went and examined her. Today he has moved her carcass to near the coop and has laid next to it all day...he is still laying there as I type this. Occasionally he'll stand up and sniff or nudge her, then lay back down.

It's funny because all the cheap meat rooster's carcasses he has systematically brought them into his "den" this winter and slowly gnawed on their parts until only the feathers and bits remain. He had brought Toby's carcass in to his den and didn't touch it. Would just lay next to it each day. I finally had to take it away and burn it. We cleaned out our burn barrel the other day and disposed of the ashes and things that didn't burn well over in the appropriate space in the woods. The next day I went out and there was Toby's crispy carcass in the yard...Jake had brought him back, right where Fanny is lying right now. Up by the coop, where Jake apparently feels they belong.

He won't eat one of his own chickens but he will continue to guard them, long after death. Now, tell me that mutts can't be livestock guardian dogs because they don't "bond with the flock".

I put Toby back in the burn barrel to see if I can this time reduce him to something that Jake no longer feels needs to be back in the flock.

 

[enola]

When I only use the "best cuts" of an older chicken, I put the remaider of the carcass in the "animal's" crockpot. Cook for a few hours, let it cool and then feed to the girls. Free protein and they love it. Completely recycled........