The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[Beekissed]

Ok here goes. I'm not an OT in chicken years but I'm an OT in life years. If your dog loves the dogs next door or down the street, then it's not a Livestock Guardian Dog. It will play with it's friends rather than run off the animals that do not belong on your property. End of story. No if's, ands, or buts. That's the way it is. Your great doggums that you love so much is NOT protecting you or your livestock if it just loves and plays with other dogs. I don't care what you say. It's not. NO BUTS.
And with a rooster. Either he's nice and you keep him, or you kill him. None of this "I love him and don't want to kill him or give him to someone that will and don't' know what to do" BS. You either do what needs doing or you give it to someone that will. I get really tired of reading threads like this on BYC. "Oh no, I love him he's so pretty! No one can kill him! What do I do?" Then said person doesn't listen to what they need to do. Sheesh.

Well.....true...but not definitively true. Jake guards the livestock from all preds except dogs, so you could say he is effective most of the time for this job and he is confined to the area, so he cannot take off to enjoy doggie love. He is what I consider a yard dog...good for most things but not good for all things. NOT a true LGD, in any shape or form, but he's much better than nothing at all and is very effective for everything but dogs. I'll take what I can get from him and appreciate every speck of his work...without him I could not free range.

Lucy, my GP/Lab mix was death on dogs so she was more reliable in this area...but if not confined by fencing, she would make her guarded area a little bigger...lots bigger. She would take a walk to guard areas for a mile in all directions~GPs love to guard their territory as much as they love their flocks. GPs are considered LGDs but they are very much prone to wander, bonded with the herd or not. They will guard the herd very well until the herd are all asleep and bedded down and everything seems fine on the home front and then, if not confined by good fencing, might take a stroll next door to see what that animal smell or sound might be that needs to be investigated. In other words, their boundaries~in their minds, at least~are much bigger than we might say and are not limited to guarding closely to the sheep.

This is why it's recommended to pair the GP with an Anatolian or Maremma so that you have one dog that stays with the livestock up close and one that ranges out a little as being more effective for high pred areas. Really big ranchers will have a couple of 'Tolians and a couple of GPs and let them work in pairs, but as a whole team that fulfills both functions.

Forgive me bringing this up again as I'm pretty sure this has been answered before.

After hearing all the talk about lice and mites, I'm thinking about preventative measures on the roosts by putting oil in the crevices. I know folks have spoken of neem oil, but I also know there is controversy about it's safety.

If I understand correctly, the issue is using OIL to smother eggs before they hatch. (Is that correct?) If that's correct, is there any reason that something like olive oil, coconut oil, etc., couldn't be put on the roost and accomplish the same end?

Now I'm not talking about putting it on the whole roost (and watching birds slipping and sliding off in frustration) - I'm talking about putting it in the cracks where joints come together where these creatures are purported to hide and lay eggs.

I don't think the oil is being used to smother eggs...those type of eggs are deep in crevices in the wood and not necessarily in the wood of the roosts, so this wouldn't be effective. The oils most used for this purpose work as a repellant for the adult mites and an irritant to their bodies. When placed on and soaked into roosts, it keeps them from traveling from the wood of the walls onto the wood of the roosts to reach their host each night. The fumes of some oils may cause too much respiratory and skin irritant and thus act as a repellant...sort of like the pine oil, citronella oil, burnt motor oil, etc.

 

[delisha]

I just got back in town and haven't gotten through the new posts on this thread, but I have to share some sad news.

It's Marek's disease

It was reasonable to believe that Inga had sustained an injury, but now Frederic, the cockerel who was her best buddy, has declined to the point where she was. He had a small nail puncture wound last week which I had soaked and treated. He seemed to be getting better. Tonight when I got home, his leg was curled up the same way Inga's was - totally useless.

I'll be culling him tomorrow... he is my only crested Swedish Flower Hen

Does anyone have experience with Marek's?? And OT advice for me??

Yeah - I know it is very contagious. I'll be keeping my eye on all my other birds - none of which are showing any signs yet (that I know of). Do I clean the DL out of the coop and start over as a precaution? Do I need to spray it down with something to kill any left over virus?

Needless to say, if any of my flock shows so much as a slight limp or loss of balance in the next few weeks, they'll be culled right away. I have Frederic separated right now and hubby and I will cull him in the morning after the kids go to school (yeah - the kids will be told about our plans... sad to send them off to school knowing that, but we have to do what's best).

So yeah - I need advice on dealing with an outbreak of Marek's and preventing further losses if its possible.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/90/mareks-disease

I am so sorry you are going through this.
Mareks is herpies in the chicken world. Nasty business.
Have the bird tested. Call your state lab and ask them what you need to do to have a necropsy done. It is better to know than to guess. You can make decisions after you know for sure.

 

[Bulldogma]

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/90/mareks-disease

I am so sorry you are going through this.
Mareks is herpies in the chicken world. Nasty business.
Have the bird tested. Call your state lab and ask them what you need to do to have a necropsy done. It is better to know than to guess. You can make decisions after you know for sure.

Thanks for the info, Delisha! I'll look into that tomorrow.

 

[Beekissed]

I wouldn't clean out the DL..once you start that kind of process you will never feel it is enough and will feel you must disinfect every surface and that is impossible....unless you are going to disinfect all the soils and every possible surface in their environment.

I don't know anything about Mareks that one can't pick up on the web. If I had this in the flock I would be doing the same that you are...culling birds most affected, keeping those that survive it, expose any new chicks to the carriers as soon as possible so that they can also gain these antibodies and go on with life.

You are doing what you can to build good immune systems right now in your husbandry practices but culling is now in your wheel house and you can see why it is important now...it protects your other birds too.

Everyone needs to see this as one of the most powerful tools a person can possess to keep a flock healthy...killing problems before they arise and, if they do arise, kill them then. This leaves the strongest and most able to survive other onslaughts on the flock's health and environment.

So sorry, BDM....

 

[bobbieschicks]

This isn't my picture, oh I wish! I don't have fields like that. Most of my land is wooded. I have 1 1/2 acres that are not - and it's grass, clover and weeds Their previous owner was a photographer Thanks The bite seems fine in person, so I think she must have been chewing. I really don't care if they are mixed, but what else do you think they have in them? Their faces are darker now, but not as dark as suffolks on Google Images. They are cuter than the Sufflolks too

Clem's first encounter with Molly!

Not sure what to think, though she was very submissive. Even took quite a few head butts.

Doesn't matter to me if they are pure or not They are the same size as Clementine, which is perfect. We ended up getting the two girls despite Bee trying to get me to get those Katahdins Though I may consider something less wooly in the future.

It snowed for the first time today.. For all of 5 minutes.

Love this picture.. Though the land is so boring right now.. Dull.. Uninviting. A bit of snow would look better than this.

Lots going on here

All I kept thinking was "baa ram ewe, baa ram ewe" lol! Beautiful animals and property!

 

[Beekissed]

LOVE that movie. We use "that'll do, pig" constantly in our lives and everyone enjoys that line...use it every chance we get.

 

[bobbieschicks]

You guys are too much! lol We love it as well, though I am actually looking forward to snow. Something to cover up the lack of colour We were out all day yesterday taking down pens and getting everything ready for winter. There seems to be more than enough room in the one part of the barn for the chickens. I have moved the geese in with the sheep at night - as they need a deep bucket to wash their bills and they also eat the timothy hay.

After picture. We put up two more roosts. In reality, only 20 birds were moved from the sheep part of the barn to this side with the others..

Nesting boxes (4 more behind grow out pen)

Betty the wild turkey greeting me on the deck. She likes to escort me to and from the barn. Make sure no roosters try to get me :lol

Has to be my favourite bird on this farm. She has such character and sass.

Yep.. This rooster stepped too close to me..

Bettye is beautiful, reminds me of a great big pine cone.

 

[bobbieschicks]

"All dogs are wolves I tell you, bite you just as soon as look at you, savages." "All sheep are stupid."

Love the blank wrong assumptions in that movie. Babe goes down as an all time fav in our household.

 

[Beekissed]

Aoxa, your camera is fantastic! Those pics of the sheep and the dog feels like we are standing right in the barn with you. Aren't both the dog and the sheep the most beautiful animals you've ever seen? I just want to reach out and touch them!

You are allergic to wool and you got the woolly sheep anyway???

Just had to have them, didn't you? Told ya that you should have went with the hair sheep.......

 

[Beekissed]

BTW, here's my Christmas card to you all...sending out early this year.

Sorry, guys....just had to! It was just so funny....

This is me and the Bat sending out our seasonal love.