The Old Folks Home

[bamadude]

Yeah. CC thats gonna be messed up if the grand jury doesnt indict the police officer on criminal charges.....imho thats messed up. Its basically sending the message: "regardless of the proven facts; we are gonna tear up other peoples belongings"...

 

[Alaskan]

actually, there is a 'new' goat breed based on that theory.

Supposedly a bunch of goats were abandoned in New Zealand, and they kept reproducing, and a bunch dying, for years.

And then someone said, WOW! These goats are really healthy.

Remember, that New Zealand is a prime environment for worms of all kinds, and goats in general have lots of worm problems, and need to be wormed often to keep them healthy.

Anyway, these goats actually, GENETICALLY resist worms of all kinds!

They do trials of them, stick them in a worm filled pasture for some odd months, then test them, if they have a high worm load they are culled.

Sorry...my sister was telling me all of this, she has goats, and I have no idea what the name of this breed is.

 

[hennible]

I have no experience. All I know about favus is that birds usually recover without treatment. You can speed it up with what you're doing, anti-fungals or mange meds.

Prevention is better nutrition and sanitation. I know you said you had low humidity but it may not hurt to put (and accurate) hygrometer in the coop to see what you have in there.

It is contagious so continuing the anti-fungal treatment and a thorough cleaning should help.

It was caused ( I think ) by wet bedding, and the hay was a little damp before it went into the coop in the first place. I moved everyone to another coop with fresh hay of a better quality... Thanks

Thanks for the oyster shell explanation..... I always assumed it stayed grit like for a few days before passing on.


There are MANY people who use corrid at the drop of a hat.

I don't have many issues, since I am where it is cold -duh- i do have some periods of lots of wet, enough that I had to watch the horse hooves for thrush..... So I suppose that means it is also a prime environment for coccidiosis.

Anyway, I want to try to breed for birds that are hardy enough to withstand anything. So, I don't want to treat for anything.

I have had a few birds die of disease, but never half or more of my flock. i keep reminding myself, that if that happens to me, that I want to ride it out, not treat.

I am careful about biosecurity though. I do NOT want a super scary nasty.

For a super tough cold hardy bird try bramahas, a number lived out the winter here with no coop no water and no feed... Someone it seems abandon them.... The birds where still alive the next spring, apparently no frost bite or illness...
Not sure who ended up with them.

It annoys me when feed store personnel or others use the moniker 'oyster shell grit'. They're two different things.

Did I ever tell anyone that many things annoy me?


On another note:
We're girding our loins for when the St. Louis county grand jury doesn't have indictments in the aftermath of Ferguson unrest.

Yup feed store owner to me after I asked for oyster shell AND grit
" just get oyster shell, it works as grit and provides calcium "

 

[vehve]

Alaskan, those sound cool. And a great example of evolution.

 

[Alaskan]

as to Brahmas

We have had them in the past, because they do have a good reputation for cold weather.

My kids did like the hens, sweet things that would let the boys cuddle them etc.

However, I just got the heebie jeebies whenever I looked at them, ALL those feathers, ALL that body mass, and not that many eggs, AND the eggs they laid were medium.

Every time I looked at them, I could see my money washing down the drain.


That is one reason I have moved over to the 'egg layer' type of chickens. I like knowing that my money is being used for eggs, not extra fluff.

And yes, my skinny little guys do look at bit colder, but they deal with it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It was caused ( I think ) by wet bedding, and the hay was a little damp before it went into the coop in the first place. I moved everyone to another coop with fresh hay of a better quality... Thanks
For a super tough cold hardy bird try bramahas, a number lived out the winter here with no coop no water and no feed... Someone it seems abandon them.... The birds where still alive the next spring, apparently no frost bite or illness...
Not sure who ended up with them.
Yup feed store owner to me after I asked for oyster shell AND grit
" just get oyster shell, it works as grit and provides calcium "

I advise that hay is not a good choice for bedding. It may be a case of semantics.

Hay is a dried grass that is intended for feeding primarily to ruminants in the off season. If it gets wet it gets moldy fast.

Straw is the dry stalk that's left after gleaning the seed from oat, wheat or other grain production. Straw makes a good bedding and is usually used for horses, cattle and other livestock.

Best for poultry is pine shavings or sand depending on one's climate.
At any rate, all bedding should be kept dry.

Some feed store employees may know what they're talking about but most know where the feed and hay are kept but are not trained nutritionists nor had veterinary training.
So why do people seek them out for knowledge?

Alaskan, those sound cool. And a great example of evolution.

There are a couple other really cool evolutions on that front.

Gulf Coast Sheep and Cotton Patch Geese.

Sheep were brought by the Spanish and became feral. They evolved to survive the hot humid environment. They don't have hair on their underbodies.
http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/gulf-coast

 

[ozexpat]

Birds that get medicated feed as chicks normally dont get cocci infections.

The small amount of Amprolium - a thiamine blocker , not antibiotic - in medicated feed will limit exposure as the chicks build up resistance.

If you get a full blown outbreak, Amprolium at therapuetic strength in the water for those who have an aversion to antibiotics.

I would give Di-Methox over Sulmet. Both are Sulfa drugs but Di-Methox is gentler on the chicks organs and also covers more species of cocci.

 

[hennible]

I get hay for free from my Neighbour, the season is too short here for straw... So it's just a case of the best deal, free being the best deal... I use pine shaving occasionally. I value the information you've given
This is the first time the hay has caused problems. It's cost effective so I will use it, I will just be more careful in my storage of it.
Thanks CC

 

[ozexpat]

All you wanted to know about a fecal float test

This is a goat sight but principles are the same

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I get hay for free from my Neighbour, the season is too short here for straw... So it's just a case of the best deal, free being the best deal... I use pine shaving occasionally. I value the information you've given

This is the first time the hay has caused problems. It's cost effective so I will use it, I will just be more careful in my storage of it.
Thanks CC

Free is good. It's just how one incorporates it into their management.

I don't know if this would work for your situation but if it were me, I would gratefully accept the hay, use it to feed my larger animals or sell it and use the proceeds to buy some shavings.