The Old Folks Home

[getaclue]

Last night, DH was looking at the new chicks feeling all warm, and fuzzy. He asked me "What if they're roosters?" I answered "If they're not prize winning roosters, they'll taste good!" He almost fainted. Once again, I'm in the doghouse. LOL!

 

[bamadude]

Mmmm stout one of my faves,especially choc. Peanut butter!

peanut butter stout. Sounds great.

 

[bamadude]

What are some of u old timers opinions on vaccinations and deworming. Ive been reading alot of conflicting info. Some are saying "if it aint broke..dont fix it.. Others are the ounce of prevention is better...

 

[ronott1]

Hey...I just realized I haven't seen SCG...for ages!!! Did she get snowed in and not be able to get out?

I checked her profile and she was on BYC just not posting.

Likely very busy!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Last night, DH was looking at the new chicks feeling all warm, and fuzzy. He asked me "What if they're roosters?" I answered "If they're not prize winning roosters, they'll taste good!" He almost fainted. Once again, I'm in the doghouse. LOL!

Doghouse?? But they DO taste good!! If they aren't laying eggs, and they aren't needed for breeding or flock protection, then in the stew pot they go!!!!!!!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Quote:
Well, busy is always a good reason to be absent. But we still miss her quick wit and humor

If you are out there reading SCG......

 

[ronott1]

Well, busy is always a good reason to be absent. But we still miss her quick wit and humor

If you are out there reading SCG......

@superchemicalgirl

There, she should get an email now!

 

[CanuckBock]

What are some of u old timers opinions on vaccinations and deworming. Ive been reading alot of conflicting info. Some are saying "if it aint broke..dont fix it.. Others are the ounce of prevention is better...

Good questions!

Whatever method one uses to deworm, good idea to do a spot check on how much of a wormload your birds (or dogs or sheep or ...) have.

Aug 15, 2013; Fecal floats I did up on my two pairs of Oz Black Swans....​

I personally don't have the time, wants, or energy to do lots of fecals...so I use drugs--drugs that are proven scientifically to work. Drugs as prescribed by my vet from whom I buy most of my deworming meds from. Rotate wormers and never give too much or too little of the prescribed dosages.

I have nothing against someone say using DE, garlic or whatevers, BUT I do have concerns if they are not then doing a follow up with fecal floats to ENSURE the methods they employ are working on their birds. To me, the unconventional methods used by many are more WORK, more TIME gobbling, and more EFFORT than I am personally willing to extend...therefore I use methods my vet recommends and sleep well at night knowing I blasted them worms...blasted & nuked them GOOD!

NO worms, NO eggs...just greeny bits of plants...yee haw!
​

All areas (even properties) have different worms to consider...best hire a vet and let them apply their expertise.


Vaccinations to me are like antibiotics...I have never used any EVER on my poultry. I DO however have antibiotics on hand here (that I replace as they expire!), about 2 hours away from my vet and I would rather call my vet up...discuss the situation and have some type of strategy here that can be used after I hang up the phone which by Murphy's Law will be on a LATE Sunday evening before the work week. I do have ILT vac here too, probably way expired, but a vial is in my fridge. I would certainly have an ILT vaccination program in place if I still showed my birds AND was not practising biosecure protocols here. About ten of my friends in Alberta have lost ENITRE flocks of landfowl to ILT after attending shows (one fellow judged and never brought any birds...just never changed his "show" clothes before doing chores that evening)...devastating occurrences and not something I'd like to have happen.

Rather than enslaving ourselves to a vaccination program, we are breeding our poultry for natural resistance against one of the more common chicken diseases, Marek's (some chickens carry a resistance factor "B21"). There are always new strains being created...so we are never completely safe and always working at it. I expose all my new hatched birds to Mareks by brooding them in the Duece Coop where I also house older birds that will shed the virus in their dander. I WANT any young stocks not having natural immunity to succumb to it if that is their fate. Tough love person! Like begets like and I want birds that thrive at my house...I think most persons are the same way. You want a group you coddle and have to take too much care of...not my kinda life sentence thanks!

My own philosophy:



Not sure I am allowed to post websites...but do a search for - APA ABA Youth Poultry Club Educational Material.

Go to the Poultry Disease Worksheets and read; "What Is Marek's Disease?" by K.J. Theodore

Quote:


This is all off my own website...Chicken Page...

Disease Resistance

Quote: - Hi Cockalorum (John Miller Freeman - long time breeder of Brahmas) February 1984.


Quote: - Page 193; “Creative Poultry Breeding” by Dr. W.C. Carefoot, M.Sc., Ph. D. – 1st edition 1985.


Quote: - Page 4-5; "Observations on Heredity and Disease Control" by Donald Perham, American Bantam Association Quarterly, Summer 1978.


Quote: - Page 5; "Chicken Diseases" by F.P. Jeffrey, Copyright 2005, Published by the American Bantam Association.


Quote: - Page 6; "Chicken Diseases" by F.P. Jeffrey, Copyright 2005, Published by the American Bantam Association.


What many think biosecurity means is that you keep your animals in a protective bubble and somehow this cripples them--that they are weak because you don't expose them to all sorts of compromising situations. What I am attempting to do is raise up vigorous and strong birds that are able to naturally inherit resistance and immunity but not expose them to diseases like Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD) which is transferable in hatching eggs...chickens should NOT ever exhibit cold like symptoms--coughing, running noses, etc. OR Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) that will outright kill them OR if they manage to survive that disease exposure, then that makes the survivor CARRIERS that live to infect more birds, over and over again. My exception is Marek's Disease (MD).

One thing the oldtimers use to do is mix turkey plops in with their young chickens...that would naturally vaccinate their chickens against certain diseases because the turkeys carried a form that did not outright kill the chickens...if my memory serves me right that was for Marek's I believe--getting old, I forget. I could look it up but then I'd have to go dig out the book and I am tired...

Basically, what don't kill you outright makes you strong but if you survive the disease only to shed it and it kills the majority that come in contact with that surviver, not a good thing. Marek's Disease CAN be devastating but when I only lose 5 to 10% to this disease...I figure that is an OK bargain to lose compared to having to vaccinate for MD--vaccination is no guaranteed the kind of MD is covered. MD will kill some breeds like Silkies and Sebrights 100% but I don't keep those breeds. I hatch out birds sporadically (continuous over the summer) over the entire year...I would have to have large "planned" hatches and vaccinate them then...I would find that no fun at all. I am here doing this to have FUN!

These are my opinions, of which I have many.

There is no one right way but many approaches that we do. Even changes as we learn new and better things. Trying our best for the birds, eh?

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[bamadude]

I have 9 lf brahmas for now but am planning a wisher1000 trip in mid may.

 

[pickitfarm]

Congratulations Chickadoodles, and bunnylady on your new badges! I got another chick, and one pipping now. YAAAY! Went to the doctor yesterday. Doctor, and DH got very angry with me. DH has cooled off some. I go for all the testing tomorrow. I am praying my lymph receptors/nodes are fine.

Here's wishing it all goes as well.