The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[cmom]

Quote: At my peak each year I too have around 400 birds. I have lost a bird now and then for no apparent reason, but the losses are rare.

 

[smarsh]

I just had a big fat egg laying RIR to drop dead. One moment she was running to see if I might be have something to eat, to doing some sort of tail dropping and setting down motion. Next morning she was dead.

 

[ronott1]

I just had a big fat egg laying RIR to drop dead. One moment she was running to see if I might be have something to eat, to doing some sort of tail dropping and setting down motion. Next morning she was dead.

It is not surprising for birds to do that. They work hard to not show weakness--It is a predator thing. The first time I saw that was when my Grand Mothers finch was eating, singing and moving around normally and just dropped dead!

In California we have a free Necropsy service for California small flocks. We can send in two a day for testing and get the result back in about a week. It is very helpful for finding out what killed a bird.

 

[Rancher3535]

It is rare but it does happen to all of us to lose a bird here and there. I find it hard to know what is going on sometimes when you have a bird that is healthy looking one day and the next deader than a door nail. I am very observant of my birds because I am in the pens most day 3-5 times a day or in the build always watching them. Because I run so many birds like some of you (500-800)... if I see one that is kind of not look like they should, they are pulled out of the flock/pen and isolated for a week. If they do not pull out of it with in a few days of meds and such, I remove them totally from the place. I have always thought the strong live and the weak die. You never want to use a weak bird in your breeding pens anyway.

I used to poofoo all this...add this to the water and that to the water but since I have put all of my birds on a daily ACV water or Oil of Oregano water I see very little illness. Fortunately, I can purchase my ACV directly from the maker before it heads off to Braggs or any of the other vinegar makers. I have to buy 15 gallons at a time in this big ole tank but it is worth it to me. I go through one tank about every other month. Between all of my pens I make up about 25-30 gallons of water every day.

 

[irishsilkie]

good enough for showing? critiques please

 

[Beekissed]

It is rare but it does happen to all of us to lose a bird here and there. I find it hard to know what is going on sometimes when you have a bird that is healthy looking one day and the next deader than a door nail. I am very observant of my birds because I am in the pens most day 3-5 times a day or in the build always watching them. Because I run so many birds like some of you (500-800)... if I see one that is kind of not look like they should, they are pulled out of the flock/pen and isolated for a week. If they do not pull out of it with in a few days of meds and such, I remove them totally from the place. I have always thought the strong live and the weak die. You never want to use a weak bird in your breeding pens anyway.

I used to poofoo all this...add this to the water and that to the water but since I have put all of my birds on a daily ACV water or Oil of Oregano water I see very little illness. Fortunately, I can purchase my ACV directly from the maker before it heads off to Braggs or any of the other vinegar makers. I have to buy 15 gallons at a time in this big ole tank but it is worth it to me. I go through one tank about every other month. Between all of my pens I make up about 25-30 gallons of water every day.

Many farmers are finding the same results. Dairy farmers are experiencing less mastitis and sheep farmers finding it increases the strength and fineness of the wool(they are getting more money for their wool as a result), while helping with general vigor.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I have lost birds in the cold weather. The hens seemed fine in the morning then weak in the evening and within 48 hours they were not eating. In the past 2 years I have lost 2 HRIR to the unknown weakness. I did lose a younger pullet to prolapse culling as well. Over all the HRIR hens I have do well in the heat but not as well in the cold. I've gotten to watching them much more carefully the day after a frigged night. The weak ones i pull out and try to get to a warmer area but if they still don't improve, my Dh takes over their care.

 

[SSChicken332]

Do you think my rir are heritage or not , they are a





litttle over 6 weeks old

 

[cmom]

Do you think my rir are heritage or not , they are a





litttle over 6 weeks old

No, From the pictures I think they look more like Production Reds. Just my opinion. Pictures don't always show the birds as they actually look like. Here are a few pictures of mine from my last years hatch in a grow out coop and pen.








She won a Champion at a show.

 

[cmom]

It is rare but it does happen to all of us to lose a bird here and there. I find it hard to know what is going on sometimes when you have a bird that is healthy looking one day and the next deader than a door nail. I am very observant of my birds because I am in the pens most day 3-5 times a day or in the build always watching them. Because I run so many birds like some of you (500-800)... if I see one that is kind of not look like they should, they are pulled out of the flock/pen and isolated for a week. If they do not pull out of it with in a few days of meds and such, I remove them totally from the place. I have always thought the strong live and the weak die. You never want to use a weak bird in your breeding pens anyway.

I used to poofoo all this...add this to the water and that to the water but since I have put all of my birds on a daily ACV water or Oil of Oregano water I see very little illness. Fortunately, I can purchase my ACV directly from the maker before it heads off to Braggs or any of the other vinegar makers. I have to buy 15 gallons at a time in this big ole tank but it is worth it to me. I go through one tank about every other month. Between all of my pens I make up about 25-30 gallons of water every day.

I pretty much do the same thing. If I see a bird that doesn't have the vigor of the other birds I pull that bird out an access it, maybe a few days with meds and such, then decide. Depending on the problem I'll decide if the bird can go back into the pen with it's flock. I have added ACV to my waterers years ago when I was using the large bucket waterers, but now all my coops have auto waterers, but I also live in Florida so maybe the part of the country you live in makes some difference. The breeders in the norther states face many different challenges. Just my opinion. I have lost a bird or two from time to time but probably not any more than people from other parts of our country. I have gone long stretches without loosing any birds too. My thought is also that the strong survive and the weak will die.

ETA: Also I am very conscious of bio-security and only wear clean work clothes and my coop shoes into the coops and pens. I am very cautious about that. Also I don't let anyone else into them.