The Old Folks Home

[pennyJo1960]

Congrats on you first green tomato Penny!

okay caught me on that I was saying that to someone else but do not recall who I have ate them all my life

 

[chickisoup]

O.M.G! Is right!

Bless her little heart. She finally gave up!

All things considered she actually looks in pretty good shape. Not psychotic anymore at all, LOL!

I appreciate the kind words and encouragement everyone, honestly. My DH understands how hard this has been on me but only another chicken person can fully relate. I'm not giving up on my flock. I just blame myself for not buying vaccinated birds to start with. I know there is a pro and con to the whole vaccination debate but if I'd known how bad Marek's disease is around us and the impact it would have on my flock, first and foremost, it would have been a no brainer. At least my flock would have had a fighting chance.

So just how hard ARE turkeys to raise? I keep reading how hard the poults are to raise but if they will help my flock resist Marek's, hey, I'll take your psychotic hen, SGC! Just kidding,.....really.

Hi Micro! just an encouraging word from another who's been there. There can be light again. My vaccinated survivor birds (my two survivors of last year's shipping nightmares and my remaining,now 3 yr old Aussie) are all doing great. I know, it's a bit early to declare victory, I have to admit that, so even tho they are vaccinated, I am just a bit nervous, but also hopeful, that these little cheepers in my brooder are my fresh start. I know the limitations of the vaccine, but, my chicks go outside into their new growout pen this week and we start again!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I wonder if Mareks has a limitations by weather ? We really have none in Western Washington

 

[Kusanar]

Where do you live??? Just wowsers!

I also enjoyed your hay post...good info.

I'm in Virginia. Lots of hay fields and lots of beef cows. Our hay is technically "cow quality" as it is cut a little later than horse people like and it's also got a lot of weeds in it and is just whatever grass the field grows, so some bales are nearly all orchard, and another one might be all timothy. It IS barn kept and doesn't have any mold, so it is perfectly safe, just not fancy.

Guess this is one of those years where the cicadas emerge and make a racket. I hate that noise. Rather listen to the birds. I am hoping it will be a little cooler and less humid thanks to the rain today.

I haven't heard any this year yet, we had a bunch last year though.

What I have always found fascinating about cicadas other than the cicadas themselves are the Cicada killer wasps that prey on them. More than once I've been walking and had one drop down from a tree with a wasp wrapped around it. The wasp was bigger than the Cicada. I was always glad that Cicada killers weren't preying after humans.

Ugh, I had to catch one of those Cicada Killer Wasps IN the house one day... Had the window open and in it came... I went after it with one of the big refillable drink cups from the movies and a clip board... After knocking it out of the air about 3-4 times with the clipboard I finally managed to knock it into the cup and toss it back outside...

On a more fun note, I got a surprise trip to the beach on Saturday. We drove down Saturday morning, got there at lunch time, got lunch at a really cool little crab shack we found last time we were down there, then went to the beach until about 4 when a storm started blowing up, so we drove back home. There were jellyfish EVERYWHERE at the beach for some reason...

 

[microchick]

Hi Micro! just an encouraging word from another who's been there. There can be light again. My vaccinated survivor birds (my two survivors of last year's shipping nightmares and my remaining,now 3 yr old Aussie) are all doing great. I know, it's a bit early to declare victory, I have to admit that, so even tho they are vaccinated, I am just a bit nervous, but also hopeful, that these little cheepers in my brooder are my fresh start. I know the limitations of the vaccine, but, my chicks go outside into their new growout pen this week and we start again!

Thanks, Chicki.. I appreciate the encouraging words. I'm in a better frame of mind about things this morning.

I told my husband that for all I know that fox that has taken up residence in the area is spreading disease. It's dragging its feathered kills all over our property and for all I know it's spreading Marek's along with anything else. The Conservation Dept still haven't returned my call from last week.

Imagine that....................

 

[microchick]

I wonder if Mareks has a limitations by weather ? We really have none in Western Washington

I know I have read somewhere where it doesn't like ultra cold weather, nor ultra hot.

I seriously didn't think it was around us either. Now if the Marek's doesn't get the flock, the fox is sure gonna give it his best shot.

The fox I can deal with if I have to, the Marek's though is another matter. From what I've read, it's pretty much everywhere. One article said that if your chickens are breathing, they have been exposed.

 

[Alaskan]

I know I have read somewhere where it doesn't like ultra cold weather, nor ultra hot.

There is Mareks all over in Alaska.

So I think that is just a false hope.

 

[Kusanar]

The fox I can deal with if I have to, the Marek's though is another matter. From what I've read, it's pretty much everywhere. One article said that if your chickens are breathing, they have been exposed.

If that is the case, and the Marek's kills around 2 years old, then only breeding from birds around 2-3 years old would improve resistance because any birds that don't make it that long weren't resistant and birds that make it that long are resistant.

 

[CapricornFarm]

What are you going to get?

Turns out we got nothing. I would love a truck just like the one i totalled. But with 4x4. Long bed, no crew cab. Not 5 feet to the floor board from the ground. You would not think it would be so hard. My theory is that a lot of people have more than one truck and are hogging the good ones.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I'm in Virginia. Lots of hay fields and lots of beef cows. Our hay is technically "cow quality" as it is cut a little later than horse people like and it's also got a lot of weeds in it and is just whatever grass the field grows, so some bales are nearly all orchard, and another one might be all timothy. It IS barn kept and doesn't have any mold, so it is perfectly safe, just not fancy.


I haven't heard any this year yet, we had a bunch last year though.


Ugh, I had to catch one of those Cicada Killer Wasps IN the house one day... Had the window open and in it came... I went after it with one of the big refillable drink cups from the movies and a clip board... After knocking it out of the air about 3-4 times with the clipboard I finally managed to knock it into the cup and toss it back outside...

On a more fun note, I got a surprise trip to the beach on Saturday. We drove down Saturday morning, got there at lunch time, got lunch at a really cool little crab shack we found last time we were down there, then went to the beach until about 4 when a storm started blowing up, so we drove back home. There were jellyfish EVERYWHERE at the beach for some reason...

Jelly fish are taking over the ocean. Global warming. It is really bad in places, like i think Japan.