Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Chickielady]

OK at 4 AM Eistein off to CA again for another load of stuff.
I think there is 2 loads left, so after this will be 1 load, and then we can say we are all moved in.

In the mean time, I am loving this cool drizzly weather...a good excuse to be inside, relax, read a good who-dunnit !

Still, it feels like Monday to me....................

 

[tmac]

Hello there!
I attempted to post this on the Buy~Sell~Trade boards but I am unable to because I have less than 20 posts. Anyway, I think this would be a better place to post anyway...

I have a 10 month old female game fowl chicken that I'd like to give away free to a good home. She is an excellent egg layer and brooder. She is aggressive towards old/weak/compromised hens but will do just fine in a flock of healthy hens. We need to find her a new home because she is too aggressive with one of our old hens. If interested you can come pick her up in Shoreline. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on places where I can donate her, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

[FamFitz]

**Pic Heavy**
Been VERY busy around my place lately. Got my coop finished and run fully enclosed so my chicks could FINALLY move out. So exciting!!





My Corgi, Lacey, wants to get inside with the chickens SO badly. She loved being able to go right up to them when they were in the brooder in the house. She wants to herd them and lick them.

All the chickens took real fast to the new coop. 1st night we had to put them to bed, but by night 2 they figured it out on their own.

Oh, if any of these scream "Roo" to you, please let me know. We know we have one (our Dark Brahma) and are hoping that the rest are female. I don't know yet what we are going to do with our Roo, so really hoping I don't have to deal with more than one. I did take individual pics of them and will eventually get around to uploading & posting them to see what everyone thinks.

Oh, and my rescue chicken, Tiny Tina, is doing really good. Her cut on her upper vent is completely healed. And she has started growing back in feathers in all the spots that were bare.

Here's a pic of her today:


She's still in quarantine, which I had planned it lasting till Wednesday, making it two full weeks. Then I was going to move her coop into the big one so she was separated, but they could see and start to get use to her without being able to peck at her. But then last night I read something about how quarantine should be at least 30 days. Anyone got any advice on that? Is 2 weeks not enough? I swear 2 weeks is what I was 1st told/read. What will I be looking for the rest of the 30 days that I wouldn't see in the 2 weeks? So far her behavior seems normal, her poop is normal, and even though we didn't see any signs of lice or mites, she was treated for them. TIA for any feedback.

 

[ochochicas]

I've always read quarantine is 30 days, which I think it a long time! I researched the common avian diseases and could not find incubation times for most of them. On top of that, some birds are carriers of disease and can spread it without showing any signs of illness. It is kind of a crap shoot now matter how you look at it. We just got a new pullet that has been isolated from other birds for the last 4 weeks. I can't stand the thought of her living the next month alone too. We'll probably keep her separate for a week and then put her in a small coop next to the others. She makes these crying noises like she is lonely. It is pretty sad. I'm probably putting too much "human" emotion into the birds, but seeing how the other pullets cuddle up to another bird when they sleep, I can't imagine the new pullet is very happy.

 

[FamFitz]

I've always read quarantine is 30 days, which I think it a long time! I researched the common avian diseases and could not find incubation times for most of them. On top of that, some birds are carriers of disease and can spread it without showing any signs of illness. It is kind of a crap shoot now matter how you look at it.

^^Exactly what I was thinking. I was also thinking it would be easier to introduce her to the rest of the flock the younger they were (and the smaller and closer to her size).

 

[tridentk9]

A little bit more information on gout. In humans it is animal proteins that are the issue as they are high in purines. If it is the same for chickens then I'm guessing that feed with no animal proteins aren't the issue. But if people are supplementing with seafood or meat (especially organ meat) the potential for gout would be much higher. Again this information is based on gout in humans.

Same with dogs. The Hyperurisocoria (HU) gene is in more than Dalmatians. Dehydration in an HU affected dog will dramatically increase the risk for stones, I'd guess dehydration, even mild dehydration, can increase the risk of problems.

 

[Espresso]

Good morning

 

[MargaretYakoda]

Good morning

And good morning to you also!

Tell us about your chickens!

 

[CarolynF]

**Pic Heavy**
Been VERY busy around my place lately. Got my coop finished and run fully enclosed so my chicks could FINALLY move out. So exciting!!





My Corgi, Lacey, wants to get inside with the chickens SO badly. She loved being able to go right up to them when they were in the brooder in the house. She wants to herd them and lick them.

All the chickens took real fast to the new coop. 1st night we had to put them to bed, but by night 2 they figured it out on their own.

Oh, and my rescue chicken, Tiny Tina, is doing really good. Her cut on her upper vent is completely healed. And she has started growing back in feathers in all the spots that were bare.

Here's a pic of her today:


She's still in quarantine, which I had planned it lasting till Wednesday, making it two full weeks. Then I was going to move her coop into the big one so she was separated, but they could see and start to get use to her without being able to peck at her. But then last night I read something about how quarantine should be at least 30 days. Anyone got any advice on that? Is 2 weeks not enough? I swear 2 weeks is what I was 1st told/read. What will I be looking for the rest of the 30 days that I wouldn't see in the 2 weeks? So far her behavior seems normal, her poop is normal, and even though we didn't see any signs of lice or mites, she was treated for them. TIA for any feedback.

Nice setup, thanks for sharing. And I'm glad Tina is getting better, she's very pretty.

I'm not surprised you heard 2 weeks since nothing is cast in concrete. One rule of thumb says 30 days & 30 feet away from any other birds. Another common "rule" is 3 weeks. And I'm sure a lot of people give up at 2 weeks. One reason for longer times is that stress from adjusting to a new environment can weaken their immune system and that "bug" they were previously fighting off might now wins the war. Also the "bugs" on your property are likely different than where the new bird came from. She will have built up an immunity to the bugs in her former location but now she's faced with new strains. (think of traveling to Mexico) The 30 days gives her time to level out, develop any issues that are borderline or new, and then show you the symptoms so you can treat as needed. All animals, by instinct, are going to hide symptoms of sickness as much as possible.

I'm assuming you're treating for internal and external pests twice, the second dose being 10 days after the first.

BTW... that's a very interesting feeder. I haven't seen that design before. Do they have any issues with sticking their head inside to eat? Love the "stairs", too!

 

[CarolynF]

I've always read quarantine is 30 days, which I think it a long time! I researched the common avian diseases and could not find incubation times for most of them. On top of that, some birds are carriers of disease and can spread it without showing any signs of illness. It is kind of a crap shoot now matter how you look at it. We just got a new pullet that has been isolated from other birds for the last 4 weeks. I can't stand the thought of her living the next month alone too. We'll probably keep her separate for a week and then put her in a small coop next to the others. She makes these crying noises like she is lonely. It is pretty sad. I'm probably putting too much "human" emotion into the birds, but seeing how the other pullets cuddle up to another bird when they sleep, I can't imagine the new pullet is very happy.

The younger the bird the shorter the quarantine, typically. If she's been quarantined for 4 weeks already why are you repeating it?
It's not surprising that she "cried" since they are very social animals. When I've put a new bird in an enclosure next to the others she goes nuts trying to get over to them. For myself I've decided that's even more painful. When dealing with lone chick some people have put a stuffed toy or feather duster in for them to cuddle with -- and it works! But those were little chicks. Others have used a mirror with some success, I haven't tried it but might be worth a shot. However you do it, good luck.