Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[hennotrooster]

I have a delima...I have two EE's that give us green eggs and four RR/BO mix which give us brown eggs the last month the whites are runny and the yolks break in the brown eggs...the EE's eggs are fine. yolks break just before it is time to turn them over. Why would this be happening they eat the same foods/bugs.

 

[hennotrooster]

wow...just read the post above mine and non of my girls are showing any other symptoms outside the change in the eggs and I'm not sure if the eggs that are weak are from one bird since I'm not sure who is laying which egg as not all are weak. I have six layers shells are fine.

 

[Ogress]

Hi NC stalker -

Thank you for the response. None of my birds are listless nor do they have fluffed up feathers. A few weeks ago, I did notice that one of my EE's was giving me eggs with thin shells that would break easily; I suspect she has since stopped laying completely. I'm eating some sunny-sides right now from eggs I collected yesterday, and they are just fine. Other than one egg-bound bird 4 years ago, and one day-old chick a few years back, I have only lost birds to predators. I'm hoping that is not about to change. Right now the 3 bubbly eyed birds are standing on my deck, preening and behaving perfectly normal. On two of those birds you have to pick them up and look closely to see the bubbles. The third I can tell from further away. None has swollen wattles nor any other symptom that I can see.

I have my birds for egg production for my family and a few friends. I don't sell birds, nor do I show them so I won't cull my flock, but I don't think I will be adding to it either; at least not until I get this under control. I know they will now always be carriers even if they show no symptoms. I think my LF flock will always be susceptible to diseases from wild birds as they have access to free-range from dawn until dusk. I have just been lucky until this point. If I lose a bird, I may send it to Pullman for a necropsy.

Searching bubbly eyes on BYC, it looks like lots of people have had success treating it and whatever infections have caused it with Tylan, Duramycin or Sulmet, but of those 3, Tylan is the only one approved to be used on a layer flock, and the one that seems to get the best reviews. I can do that now, and treatment is only 3 days. I can do that far quicker than waiting for a bird to die and sending it in for necropsy. I just need to know if I use the injectable form, do I use a fresh needle for each bird each day? and can I inject some birds and treat the drinking water for others? (I'm thinking of injecting the free-range flock and treating the water for the pullets since they are showing no symptoms but roost in close proximity to the layer flock)

 

[Ogress]

Greetings from your NC stalker - past and future Washingtonian!


On a totally unrelated topic, I grew up near Cathlamet and went to Wahkiakum HS, I think we played sports against North Bend. LOL... My 30 year reunion was last year. Where do the years go???

I had to look up Cathlamet - I had heard of it, but did not know where it was. You likely played South Bend which is on the coast and oddly no where near North Bend. I am about 35 miles E of Seattle in the Cascades. We are close in age - my 30 year reunion will be in 2015, but I grew up in California. It is much nicer here!

 

[chickiemomy]

Quote:
Actually there is a WSU poultry research facility in Puyallup - they will do necropsy's & other diagnostic tests -- no live testing. Avian Health & Food Safety Laboratory 2607 Pioneer Way Puyallyup -- ph 253.445.4537. Heard a talk by the director (?) or whatever her title was? at the Mother Earth News Fair a couple of months ago. She was Great!

 

[Ogress]

Puyallup would be much better - I can drive there! If I lose a bird, I will take it there. None of my birds are behaving oddly nor are they lethargic, so hopefully I will not lose any.

 

[Ogress]

I can't get Tylan at any place I can reasonably drive to today; they all sell Duramycin. I will scrub down my coop again, and this time I will mist it with Oxine, add oxine to the water for all my birds. I will also mist a little oxine over their heads when they roost tonight. I will only add Duramycin to the water that the flock with the bubbly eyed birds are in; I assume all of that flock is exposed (10 hens, 2 roosters). I don't like the idea of prophylactically medicating everyone with antibiotics. I think the "better-safe-than-sorry" mentality leads to overuse of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. If my pullets, bantams or rooster coop show any signs of illness, I will add the medication to their water at that time, but for now, they will only get oxine.

 

[haagchick]

Hi, I'm not sure what's going on with your birds. I do know one thing...do not share the same needles with other birds. You may give a healthy bird the infection you're trying to avoid. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Ogress]

Day 19: mamma hen stomped on the egg, and the membrane was exposed on about half the egg. The hen pushed it out in front of her, where it turned cold and the membrane was tough and leathery. I pulled the egg out to throw it away, and as I was holding it, the chick started struggling. I poked a couple holes in the leathery membrane, but mamma would not take the egg back and kept rolling it away. After a few hours of no progress, I peeled the chick out and put her under the hen and then went away for the evening. (one of the chicks in the photo hatched day 18, another 19, and the remainder on days 20 &21. Usually when I put eggs under a broody, they all hatch within hours of each other)

When I returned 5 hours later, I checked on the chick and the first thing a noticed was yolk and blood all over the nest. The yolk sac had fallen out of the chick's abdomen and broken open. I took her in the house, tied off the broken yolk sack off with dental floss close to her abdomen. For the next 36 hours, I gave her chick feed soaked with nutra-drench and gave her liquid nutra-drench through a syringe. (I'm hoping "she", certainly don't know!) I also gave her a bath in a bowl of warm water as she was completely glued-up with yolk.

Post op:

Next morning:

Friday night I put her back under the hen, She is now flourishing with her 4 siblings, and easy to pick out from her mates as she runs to my hand when I reach in to the brooder rather than dive under the hen.

Here is a photo I took of her an your ago (Sunday evening):

And what is left of the yolk sack:

 

[Ogress]

Sick bird update:
Cleaned the coop, scrubbed all the feeders and waterers with oxine and filled all the waterers with water treated with oxine. I am holding off on the duramycin for now and will order Tylan to inject only the affected birds. I got 5 nice eggs from the 10 hens today, and since the hens are at least 3 years old and some older, I think that is pretty good. If I use Tylan only on my affected birds, I will only need to toss the blue eggs. I assume all my birds have been exposed to whatever it is that they have, but until I see symptoms, I won't give antibiotics. Here are some photos of the coop and the 3 affected birds:
The big coop: (screens are out because I washed those too)

The rooster and the 2 hens - all 3 with bubble eye:

The rooster has it in only one eye (I think he looks pretty good for having been ripped apart by a hawk in June, another one of my roosters ripped his comb earlier in the year - poor Flop, it is hard being at the bottom of the pecking order!).

Good eye:

Bad eye:

This hen has it the worst - it is in both of her eyes; the photo is blurry because she pulled her head up from the water bowl as I snapped the photo. The other hen also has it in 2 eyes, but it is barely noticeable

Today's eggs: