The "Show Quality" pair I bought yesterday..one is dead (update on 14)

[mycutekitties]

Thanks, we still have the Roo but I don't know why she died and I don't want him to have something and then infect our birds. He will go back tomorrow.
I wish this was not such a hard breed to find.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

Eek, don't know where you traveled to get your pair. I do know of a great couple that had some of these but they are far from you as they were very far from me. They are in Norco. I just got my three ladies from them (Barred Rock, Delaware and Jersey Giant) but they had other show breeds as well. I found the couple of Craigslist. I wouldn't be afraid to try again. Some people are just not meant to breed animals.

 

[Vcomb]

judging by the looks of the bird I'd say she might not have been sick, just too skinny. By the size of her crest and beard it looks like she couldn't see and likely starved. Sorry to hear of the loss though, hopefully you'll find better birds.

 

[mycutekitties]

So here is the deal....my kids are so upest and they want to keep Steve. They are young so they get attached fast. So we will keep him away from our other birds for a month (he has a nice area he can flock around in) and then I will let him near our other birds. He is such a sweet boy. He acts TOUGH when in his pen but as soon as you pick him up he settles right down. Even my 4 year old can hold him (and she dosen't hold many birds).
Then we will be traveling to an APA show in April that Cindy Smith (cmsdvm) will be at. We live in Central California but will be in Oregon that weekend. Will will be buying some birds from her (if all goes as planned!) Anyway here is some pics I took today of my girls with our new family member Steve...
I hope we are doing the right thing.

 

[19hhbelgian]

Must say, I'm so glad you decided to keep Steve! Those pictures are very sweet, and everybody looks very happy

I honestly agree with vcomb. I'm not convinced she was sick just from that picture. They can get a "lost" look about them when they can't see, and if she couldn't find her food &/or water easy enough... If it's not show season you can give them a haircut to make their lives easier... I do that for my guys and girls, and they are much happier once they can see properly again

Good luck with Steve!!

 

[wolftracks]

You're in my area. Can you tell me where you went for these birds?

I bought some Polish pullets a couple of months ago and they all went down in a couple of days. They weren't thin at all, but just started dropping like flies.

I'm sorry you and your family had to deal with this.

Also sorry I don't have hens for my BLP roo, or I'd set you up.

 

[buffalogal]

If they are for a 4H project, you'll find Polish are not hard to come by; pretty much every hatchery that does mail order carries them. I'd take Steve back too, and just order chicks. Your children will love raising baby chicks and by ordering something like a "Top Hat Special", they'll get several varieties and breeds of crested birds that they can pick a favorite from. You can always sell the extras on Craig's List.

Cackle hatchery in Lebanon, Missouri has some pretty good Polish for hatchery stock. I think you can order by variety there too, but don't absolutely quote me on that.H

 

[mycutekitties]

Wolftraks, I bought them from a lady in Denair. I can give you her number to see if they match. PM me if you want it.

I know I should bring Steve back but the more I think about it, I can't bring him back to that place. TINY cages is no way for chickens to live.

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
Mine were from Stockton.

If your daughter is going to be showing, get her some good birds. They have lots of Polish at the shows. The small local ones I noticed had lots of White Crested Blues. Still maybe contacting a 4H or FFA leader can point you in the right direction. I've seen too many kids show with hatchery stock and then when they get into breeding and selling chicks, they're standing there alone looking hurt when the birds they try to sell don't. People don't go to shows looking for hatchery birds. I can't seem to find a BLP hen for the life of me. No one seems to want to get rid of them around here. I have a roo that's been a very lonely fella for a year now. Poor Bling Bling.

I'd keep the roo quarentined if you have other birds, for at least a month. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

You're coming up to the show in Stevenson then?? It's going to be awesome!!

And you can't go wrong getting Polish from Cindy!! Her birds are amazing!

Sorry you went through this, but I hope that Steve is healthy and stays that way for a long time for you!! Your girls are just dolls!!!!