Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[elizmartin]

Box shouldn't be that airtight to pull out all the oxygen. I use the hand warmers to move chicks if I buy any at shows. Never had an issue and the chicks usually sleep in the mostly dark all the way.

Interesting, i always thought it was a chemical reaction activated by the internal mixing when you shake them up….since they are totally wrapped and inclosed i wonder how the oxygen gets in or out.

 

[Hinotori]

 

Box shouldn't be that airtight to pull out all the oxygen. I use the hand warmers to move chicks if I buy any at shows. Never had an issue and the chicks usually sleep in the mostly dark all the way. 

Interesting, i always thought it was a chemical reaction activated by the internal mixing when you shake them up….since they are totally wrapped and inclosed i wonder how the oxygen gets in or out.

I've never seen one that wasn't cloth. The warmth is a chemical reaction with oxygen. They are in plastic to keep the oxygen out. Once taken out of the plastic they start warming. It starts working faster if you shake it a bit to get it all exposed. Sometimes they are used in home storage of dry goods to stop rancidity. Activate and toss one in the bucket of grain before sealing.

They sell single use self heating back warmers at the store that use the same stuff. Mom wouldn't make it some days without those.

The self heating cans of food and drink you can buy use a different chemical reaction for pretty much the same purpose.


ETA...Ohhhhhh. I think I know what you're thinking of. Plastic squishy baggies with a capsule you have to break like the cold packs. I don't think ive seen ones like that in over a decade. The dry iron ones are sturdier and easier to deal with.

 

[ShockValue]

I use those all the time while sailing the long cold races. Never thought about putting them in a container to suck the oxygen out. I put silica beads in my dried mushroom storage to try and keep moisture out, but even then they only last for a year. Wonder if those packs would help there too!

 

[OverEggstended]

The desicant silica packs for food preservative and dehydration are rechargeable.

 

[Hinotori]

For food storage they use up the oxygen. Oxygen causes rancidity. I have a bunch of oxygen absorbers that I put in anything I vacuum seal. Need desiccant if there is moisture issue.

 

[Chickielady]

they dont like where it puts em so they dont jump

But by then, they are already stuck...don't they freak out & you have to either let them out somehow, or dispose of them, for a lack of a better word.
We have no problem with deer in the garden, cuz Jack is penned right there & he makes his presence known.
The back side of the house however, is a deer/elk highway.
They look so cruddy this time of year shedding.



This is the window in the upstairs bath, Einstein's hunting spot..............

 

[Two Chicksahs]

ochochicas, I feel really bad that you have lost so much. The whole situation is really very sad! So much waste of life! We send our condolences.

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:

Until you got the new bird you're flock was fine. And I think most of us would be in the same boat. So THAT's where I get confused.

If we assume our birds have been exposed but are healthy, wouldn't it be logical to say they are Resistant? If that's true why do we see such devastation when a new bird, carrying the virus, is introduced? It just doesn't add up.

Since Marek's is endemic to Western Washington, it would probably be safe to assume our chickens have been exposed. Some breeds are resistant, and older birds (over one year old) seem to be less likely to develop severe cases of Marek's, so it would also be safe to assume they had been exposed in the past and have some immunity against it.

Marek's is mostly a disease of young birds and pullets at point of lay. In my case, I had a sickly pullet that lived in a stall in the barn. I thought the rooster had hurt her leg. My broody hen lived in the stall next door with all the dander from the sick bird flying around. When my incubator hatched chicks were big enough to go outside, they were also in the barn breathing in the dander from the sick bird day in and day out. This went on for two months before the sick bird became unable to walk and I sent her to the lab. My babies were all infected by then. They inhaled so much Marek's they really didn't have a chance. There has not been a lot of research done on the incidence of exposure vs. disease, but I can assume that if the chickens had small doses of Marek's over a long period of time, they might build some immunity. However, if they are slammed with mega-doses of virus, it is just a matter of time before it kills them.

So far the only pullets that seem to be OK are the australorps. Maybe the breed is resistant?? I don't know. My Speckled Sussex that were raised in the broody in a stall with all the Marek's dander also seem to be really healthy - knock on wood - they are only 16 weeks old.

There are also several different strains of Marek's, with some being more deadly than others. I think I have a particularly bad one.


Thank you for explaining. I have a friend dealing with Mareks, too. The more situational information I get the better chance I have to understand, so this helps.

So you raise Sp Sussex? I tried to get those this year but it didn't work out. Where did you get yours?

Best of luck in dealing with this, my heart goes out to you. Take care!

 

[Chickielady]

Since Marek's is endemic to Western Washington, it would probably be safe to assume our chickens have been exposed. Some breeds are resistant, and older birds (over one year old) seem to be less likely to develop severe cases of Marek's, so it would also be safe to assume they had been exposed in the past and have some immunity against it.

Marek's is mostly a disease of young birds and pullets at point of lay. In my case, I had a sickly pullet that lived in a stall in the barn. I thought the rooster had hurt her leg. My broody hen lived in the stall next door with all the dander from the sick bird flying around. When my incubator hatched chicks were big enough to go outside, they were also in the barn breathing in the dander from the sick bird day in and day out. This went on for two months before the sick bird became unable to walk and I sent her to the lab. My babies were all infected by then. They inhaled so much Marek's they really didn't have a chance. There has not been a lot of research done on the incidence of exposure vs. disease, but I can assume that if the chickens had small doses of Marek's over a long period of time, they might build some immunity. However, if they are slammed with mega-doses of virus, it is just a matter of time before it kills them.

So far the only pullets that seem to be OK are the australorps. Maybe the breed is resistant?? I don't know. My Speckled Sussex that were raised in the broody in a stall with all the Marek's dander also seem to be really healthy - knock on wood - they are only 16 weeks old.

There are also several different strains of Marek's, with some being more deadly than others. I think I have a particularly bad one.

 

[CarolynF]

Heat Packs, Desicants... I have more to learn!

@ShockValue ... mushrooms? We have even more in common than I realized.