Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[ElleLovesDucks]

Hmm, dumb birds, let me see? Just what do they do for you, and how much do YOU do for THEM? Dumb birds indeed

Story of my life. Today our Whippet was so distraught that I was holding the chickens (I hold and pet them each every morning and every evening so they are always hand tame. Too many kids visit us, so hand tame is very important), she learned to jump the fence to her yard. She doesn't seem to want to hurt them, she just gets really happy when she scares them. She likes to dart at their pen, then when they all run to the other side she sits and looks up at me wagging her tail. What a brat. So my solution was to tie her and my Beagle together with a leash. He saw her get in trouble for jumping so he won't let her go anywhere near the fence now. He's my smart dog. Does anyone else have dogs that just won't leave the chickens alone? My neighbor's dog harasses them too. She tried to convince me that I could let the hens roam without a pen, but then told me her dog might eat them. Hah. Dogs, Hawks, Eagles. .. tons of predators, and my hens like their little mobile pen.

 

[sweetmsmisty98]

My dogs don't mind my chickens but my nephew brought his dog over the other day on a leash and managed to get enough leash lose to lunge at my rooster and pull a lot of his back feathers out. And my chickens are not afraid of my dogs they sit on their backs and eat off the same dish and lay together. And I have a golden retriever and two pomeranians. I am surprised my birds aren't scared of dogs now . That dog almost ate my chicken. And my nephew had the guts to get mad at me when I whooped his dog for what it did. He hasn't been back since then.

 

[AletaG]

Story of my life. Today our Whippet was so distraught that I was holding the chickens (I hold and pet them each every morning and every evening so they are always hand tame. Too many kids visit us, so hand tame is very important), she learned to jump the fence to her yard. She doesn't seem to want to hurt them, she just gets really happy when she scares them. She likes to dart at their pen, then when they all run to the other side she sits and looks up at me wagging her tail. What a brat. So my solution was to tie her and my Beagle together with a leash. He saw her get in trouble for jumping so he won't let her go anywhere near the fence now. He's my smart dog. Does anyone else have dogs that just won't leave the chickens alone? My neighbor's dog harasses them too. She tried to convince me that I could let the hens roam without a pen, but then told me her dog might eat them. Hah. Dogs, Hawks, Eagles. .. tons of predators, and my hens like their little mobile pen.

We have a 10yo lab/pointer/weim mix we adopted from a rescue. He was a trained bird dog at one point. It's been challenging. Whenever we think his behavior is unacceptable, I put him on a 4ft lead attached to me, and go about my business. He'll shiver and twitch when I go in the chicken range area or in the chick pen, but so far, so good. Then he's good for a while; then he starts trying to lunge through the fence, or 'pointing' out birds, and we start again. He'll never make a LSGaurdian but, I'm pretty sure he isn't going to eat anyone without feeling really really guilty! LOL

 

[Hinotori]

I've lucked out with my two dogs. They are both trustworthy around the chickens. My Aussie shep/blue heeler cross still thinks some of the chickens might eat him if he's not wary. He's very careful around everything, though.

My GSD loves the chickens. The birds have come up and taken food out of her mouth. She complains and gets up and moves and they follow her. She will help me out on putting chickens in the pen. She will herd them in one at a time. When I first started free ranging them, she got so upset that they wouldn't stay where she thought they should be. She will kill and eat the sparrows and other little birds if they get in the chicken pen. The chickens used to chase after them and she'd be waiting on the outside.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

My only dog vs chicken problem is that Griz always DID chase Bluebelle out of the yard, for about eight months (and since he is an old Border Collie/Aussie and she started coming here right after she fledged, she always won) and the other day he took offense to her having her own pen on this side of the pasture fence. When the Hamburgs have gotten out, he's been satisfied to herd them back toward their run.

I've raised so many chicks in the house, and Deary lived inside for so long that the cats think chickens are boring. (They are not allowed out, but occassionally escape into the back yard).

 

[Ogress]

Hello -

Good news:
The chick survived having her leaky yolk sack tied off with dental floss and removed. She appears to be flourishing with no sign of the ordeal she went through, so I put her back with mom and her 4 siblings, and she is doing fine. I can tell which chick she is, because she runs to me when I stick my hand in the brooder - the other chicks dive under mom!

Bad News:
A disease is going through my flock. I have never had this happen before.

I had a hawk attack a rooster early June when my birds were out free ranging. He vanished for 3 days and came back missing most of his feathers and had 2 rips down his back. I put him in my bantam coop to heal, and when he was strong again, I put him back with his flock (about I have 14 hens 7 pullets and 3 roosters in a large divided coop, hens and roosters on one side, pullets and younger hens on the other with just hardware cloth dividing and broody hens now with chicks hatching in a store room in the same building, but a solid wall between them and the flock; the bantams are in a separate coop). The hens ad roosters free range. The pullets and young hens just get their coop and run.

A few days ago there was a sudden drop in egg production, and it has not picked back up. I assumed the EE's had made another nest in the woods as they often do. Yesterday I was out in the yard feeding them treats and asked them where they hid their nest when one bird cocked her head as if she were listening and I saw something in her eye. I think she tipped it to see if I had more treats. There are bubbles in the corner of her eye. I inspected the rest of the flock, and found the rooster and one other EE also have the bubbly eye thing going. No one is coughing, rattling, nor sneezing, no head shaking, and they are going about their business as usual. Poops look normal, no dirty butts, but I am also not going through the same amount of feed I typically do, but my orchard has ripe plums, and I have 30 blueberry bushes that they have been raiding. I smelled the sick birds faces and noticed no bad odors. In past years, I had always used Oxine in their water, but have not done so this year since early spring. The pullets and young hens appear to be healthy. It is my old birds that are getting sick.

I am going hunting for Tylan tomorrow. I bought Duramycin and Sulmet, and made up some of the Duramycin for the drinking water, but before I got it out there, I noticed the bottle read "not for poultry producing eggs for human consumption". So they did not get it.

Do you inject the entire flock or just the sick ones? Do you use a fresh needle and syringe per bird? Can I just inject the sick birds and treat the water for all chickens with tylan? Do I do anything for the baby chicks?

 

[Hinotori]

Ogress I'm glad you're chick is doing well. They are resilient things.


I have no idea on what the flock might have. Sorry I can't be of help there.

 

[DeltaBluezTess]

So today, I put up chicken wire around the pond pasture where my hens free range.....one Leghorn is named, "Lilly" was the assistant manager.....she even helped herself to my snack....busted, she ran back to the pond pasture with treat in her mouth and hopped back into the pasture....the guy who was helping me ...busted his gut laughing.....we didn't finish the project but Lily merely walked down to the area that we didn't finish and hopped out again. The pasture has cattle panels and we are putting chicken wire over it.

Lilly was a feral hen that I got, older but was a good layer...she is about 4 and I had her for a year and she was crazy wild when I got her....then one day, I noticed she was hovering near me and she decided I was ok but now has turned into a real pal.....she wasn't treated well by her prior owner, was rescued then I got her....now she is the Queen Ben and has to have her nose in everything.

Oh, after the guy laughed at me, she went and knocked his pop can over, no doubt looking for a treat....then followed him all around....

The guy is not a chicken guy but he took a shine to Lily.....she continued to follow us all around for the rest of the day.....I am sure she was looking for some treats....

 

[mikeyb]

So today, I put up chicken wire around the pond pasture where my hens free range.....one Leghorn is named, "Lilly" was the assistant manager.....she even helped herself to my snack....busted, she ran back to the pond pasture with treat in her mouth and hopped back into the pasture....the guy who was helping me ...busted his gut laughing.....we didn't finish the project but Lily merely walked down to the area that we didn't finish and hopped out again. The pasture has cattle panels and we are putting chicken wire over it.

Lilly was a feral hen that I got, older but was a good layer...she is about 4 and I had her for a year and she was crazy wild when I got her....then one day, I noticed she was hovering near me and she decided I was ok but now has turned into a real pal.....she wasn't treated well by her prior owner, was rescued then I got her....now she is the Queen Ben and has to have her nose in everything.

Oh, after the guy laughed at me, she went and knocked his pop can over, no doubt looking for a treat....then followed him all around....

The guy is not a chicken guy but he took a shine to Lily.....she continued to follow us all around for the rest of the day.....I am sure she was looking for some treats....

chickens are con artists. they're worse then puppies for getting their way. of course I would never fall for their tactics and conning ways.

 

[tammyfarms]

Hello -

Good news:
The chick survived having her leaky yolk sack tied off with dental floss and removed. She appears to be flourishing with no sign of the ordeal she went through, so I put her back with mom and her 4 siblings, and she is doing fine. I can tell which chick she is, because she runs to me when I stick my hand in the brooder - the other chicks dive under mom!

Bad News:
A disease is going through my flock. I have never had this happen before.

I had a hawk attack a rooster early June when my birds were out free ranging. He vanished for 3 days and came back missing most of his feathers and had 2 rips down his back. I put him in my bantam coop to heal, and when he was strong again, I put him back with his flock (about I have 14 hens 7 pullets and 3 roosters in a large divided coop, hens and roosters on one side, pullets and younger hens on the other with just hardware cloth dividing and broody hens now with chicks hatching in a store room in the same building, but a solid wall between them and the flock; the bantams are in a separate coop). The hens ad roosters free range. The pullets and young hens just get their coop and run.

A few days ago there was a sudden drop in egg production, and it has not picked back up. I assumed the EE's had made another nest in the woods as they often do. Yesterday I was out in the yard feeding them treats and asked them where they hid their nest when one bird cocked her head as if she were listening and I saw something in her eye. I think she tipped it to see if I had more treats. There are bubbles in the corner of her eye. I inspected the rest of the flock, and found the rooster and one other EE also have the bubbly eye thing going. No one is coughing, rattling, nor sneezing, no head shaking, and they are going about their business as usual. Poops look normal, no dirty butts, but I am also not going through the same amount of feed I typically do, but my orchard has ripe plums, and I have 30 blueberry bushes that they have been raiding. I smelled the sick birds faces and noticed no bad odors. In past years, I had always used Oxine in their water, but have not done so this year since early spring. The pullets and young hens appear to be healthy. It is my old birds that are getting sick.

I am going hunting for Tylan tomorrow. I bought Duramycin and Sulmet, and made up some of the Duramycin for the drinking water, but before I got it out there, I noticed the bottle read "not for poultry producing eggs for human consumption". So they did not get it.

Do you inject the entire flock or just the sick ones? Do you use a fresh needle and syringe per bird? Can I just inject the sick birds and treat the water for all chickens with tylan? Do I do anything for the baby chicks?

Greetings from your NC stalker - past and future Washingtonian!

According to the "Chicken Health Handbook" by Gail Damerow which is my go-to book for most issues, there are quite a few diseases that can cause a drop in egg production. Unfortunately, bubbly eyes alone does not narrow down the diagnosis. Are the sick birds listless, fluffed up or do you see any other unusual behavior? Are any of the eggs changed, e.g. watery whites, weak yolks, weak shells, etc?

The only way to be absolutely sure is to send the sickest to the diagnostic vet lab for a necropsy. I did a search and the only lab in WA seems to be down in Pullman so you would have to contact them and find out how they would want you to send the bird (or carcass if you have a death). There is a link with a price list that is somewhat difficult to understand, although if I am reading the list correctly they seem reasonable. If you are considering sending a bird, you might want to call ahead and confirm their prices.

My flock had Infectious Bronchitis last year, it was obvious because I had several 5 week old chicks that died within a few days. The disease likely spread from my adults to the babies when I added some adults (which had been on my property in quarantine for several months) to the main coop. The adults that were already in the coop were susceptible and became sick, it spread to the baby's coop through the air and they showed symptoms and died first. None of the adults died, but I did notice egg changes. Some egg shells were weak and lighter than normal, whites were watery and yolks were weak. My decision was to start over with new birds as the adults that had been sick would always be carriers. Unfortunately for IB, there is no treatment, you can treat for secondary infections with antibiotics, and give vitamins for general health. Here in NC the diagnostic lab tested 5 carcasses and euthanized and tested another bird that was going to die, the charge was only $30. Very reasonable to know what you are dealing with in my opinion.

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???