Washingtonians

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Holy Smokes Batman !
Is there such a thing as Bantam Ducks ?
How cool !
I do not think so but how cool if there really is bantam ducks !
Miniature duckies !
I want some !!!!!

So doing lots of research...As near as I can get to a name for this ""cold"""
is Infectious Bronchitis.
There is no "chirping"
no eye involvement or exudate from eyes
no head or wattle inlargement or discoloration.
No foul smelling exudate at all...
There is gurgling in some birds but comes and goes...
There is occasional sneezing...
No coughing, no diahreah...
no shaking or twisting of the head...
and the "teenage" birds seem to have contracted it first...not all in the flock have it, but it has gone from 1 case 2 days ago to 2 cases yesterday and this morning I counted 3 and just a few moments ago I noticed 3 more...meanwhile all 21 of the 2 month olds are doing fantastic !
And like I already said, all have had the Marek's vaccine and 1/2 (including the one and only older hen that got this first) have had the New Castle vaccine.
There is no pox's, no "warty things"...
The birds do seem tired, they just want to lay around,(the ones that have "it" anyways, the rest are active and happy...) and they will close their eyes and seem to doze, but will wake up and walk away if made to have to....no goo in the nostrils, and they do not want to eat/drink which is the biggest problem as I withheld water all night and then gave them antibiotics in their water buckets...
The first bird to have contracted this appears to no longer have a temerature (her head was hot when I held her to my cheek) and she seems to be more active, recovering slowly...
So maybe this is like a 3 day flu ?
On the way to the feed store yesterday (to get more antibiotics) I got out of the van to close our gate and lock it...I noticed a dead teety bird on the driveway...DH says he has seen several of them and believes they are hit by cars...and sure enough one more flew right in front of our grill and we almost hit it...
Too coincidental ?
There could be dead birds all over as we are in thick forest on one side and flood marsh on the other, we would not see any dead birds unless they died on the asphalt.
Sufferin'Succotash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not believe in coincidences...I think this virus or "cold" is affecting the wildbirds and my chickens caught it.

I have every confidence the chickens will recover though.
Hopefully I do not have to hand feed/water everyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just checked baby bunnies...and one was very small, half the size of the others although not blue...blue bunnies are in the throws of starvation.

So brought the little dude in, got the kitty baby bottle out and the powdered baby milk replacer and fed the bunny.
HORSEFEATHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been a super MOTHER day, and still have the other half of the day to go...more birds to feed, bleaching everything...CHICKEN NUGGETS !!!!!!

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
No eating of eggs when treating with Ivermectin, but Wazine is said to be safe, and is actually used in alot of human treatment, such as kidney stones and gout medication...my dad takes it daily...but we do not sell those eggs to anyone else lest someone have an allergy.
It is fine to feed to your dogs, and you have dogs !

I didnt have you meet my dogs! They are a pain in the butt when it comes to new people. But that is why I have them. They make great alarms, but are chickens past barking. At the moment the pullets have not started laying yet. But judging by how red the combs are getting on the older two pullets, they should start laying withing a month... but have no idea of exactly when. lol

Chloe is having one of those days where all she wants to do is cry, or get into things... So I have my hands full.

I think I am about 12 pages behind everyone else. Its been quite crazy around here this past week. We are starting our rainy season preperations early this year. Our curtain drain around our house is so overgrown with grass, that our backyard was flooded last season. Unfortunately we have A LOT of curtain drain, it wrapps all around our house, garage, and fanced in yard... Then there is the maintenance to my mothers crick, it runs between our properties, down the side of the driveway. And if it isnt cleared of plant roots, silt, or obstructions, it flows over the raised bank and rips up the easment. Then the remaining flock has discovered my pumpkins, and has eaten a hole into my biggest one. Oh well, their run will be moved out under the chestnut tree soon enough. Just need three more sets of hands to help me carry the frame out of the pasture.

I hear you sister !
Sounds just like here, winter is coming, it is always coming, I can smell it and I am not ready.
I need 12 more hours in the day and at least 3 more hands and I am tired and want a cookie !

How on earth are you clearing the crik ?

 

[Chickielady]

Good news !

I just went outside and one of the pullets that GOT this 2 days ago, that had horrid rales, that I hand fed and watered 2X a day, is walking around all better, eating and awake...no rales.
Years ago I had 1 PBR hen get something almost exactly like this...in a flock of 50 and no others got it, and I took the hen to my vet and sat in the waiting room with her wrapped in a bathtowel, eyes closed and obviously miserable while cat and dog owneres stared.
"you brought a chicken to the vet?" one guy asked...anyway it was indeed a "cold" according the vet...he recommended keeping her warm, more tempting food and get liquids into her.
She lived too.
Anyone else ever have similar instances ?
Tamara ?

 

[cheryl98117]

Quote:
I didnt have you meet my dogs! They are a pain in the butt when it comes to new people. But that is why I have them. They make great alarms, but are chickens past barking. At the moment the pullets have not started laying yet. But judging by how red the combs are getting on the older two pullets, they should start laying withing a month... but have no idea of exactly when. lol

Chloe is having one of those days where all she wants to do is cry, or get into things... So I have my hands full.

I think I am about 12 pages behind everyone else. Its been quite crazy around here this past week. We are starting our rainy season preperations early this year. Our curtain drain around our house is so overgrown with grass, that our backyard was flooded last season. Unfortunately we have A LOT of curtain drain, it wrapps all around our house, garage, and fanced in yard... Then there is the maintenance to my mothers crick, it runs between our properties, down the side of the driveway. And if it isnt cleared of plant roots, silt, or obstructions, it flows over the raised bank and rips up the easment. Then the remaining flock has discovered my pumpkins, and has eaten a hole into my biggest one. Oh well, their run will be moved out under the chestnut tree soon enough. Just need three more sets of hands to help me carry the frame out of the pasture.

I hear you sister !
Sounds just like here, winter is coming, it is always coming, I can smell it and I am not ready.
I need 12 more hours in the day and at least 3 more hands and I am tired and want a cookie !

How on earth are you clearing the crik ?

Cleaning the crick is a muddy job. We hand dig it every season so that is doesnt change course, or overflow. So we dig out the edges with shovels, then we block it with plywood to back up the water, then realease. We do this at least 6 times, and it flushes out all the silt. The silt settles in a catch pond at the end of our properties, then we scoop it out with buckets, and fill in any holes that need filling. Like I said, its a muddy job. My youngest dog likes to help stir up the silt. And by the time we are done, her cream colored paws turn black as tar. Then it is bath time!

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
Holy Smokes Batman !
Is there such a thing as Bantam Ducks ?
How cool !
I do not think so but how cool if there really is bantam ducks !
Miniature duckies !
I want some !!!!!

So doing lots of researxh...As near as I can get to a name for this ""cold"""
is Infectious Bronchitis.
There is no "chirping"
no eye involvement or exudate from eyes
no head or wattle inlargement or discoloration.
No foul smelling exudate at all...
There is gurgling in some birds but comes and goes...
There is occasional sneezing...
No coughing, no diahreah...
no shaking or twisting of the head...
and the "teenage" birds seem to have contracted it first...not all in the flock have it, but it has gone from 1 case 2 days ago to 2 cases yesterday and this morning I counted 3 and just a few moments ago I noticed 3 more...meanwhile all 21 of the 2 month olds are doing fanyastic !
And like I already said, all have had the Marek's vaccine and 1/2 (including the one and only older hen that got this first) have had the New Castle vaccine.
There is no pox's, no "warty things"...
The birds do seem tired, they just want to lay around, and they will close their eyes and seem to doze, but will wake up and walk away if made to have to....no goo in the nostrils, and they do not want to eat/drink which is the biggest problem as I withheld water all night and then gave them antibiotics in their water buckets...
The first bird to have contracted this appears to no longer have a temerature (her head was hot when I held her to my cheek) and she seems to be more active, recovering slowly...
So maybe this is like a 3 day flu ?
On the way to the feed store yesterday (to get more antibiotics) I got out of the van to close our gate and lock it...I noticed a dead teety bird on the driveway...DH says he has seen several of them and believes they are hit by cars...and sure enough one more flew right in front of our grill and we almost hit it...
Too coincidental ?
There could be dead birds all over as we are in thick forest on one side and flood marsh on the other, we would not see any dead birds unless they died on the asphalt.
Sufferin'Succotash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not believe in coincidences...I think this virus or "cold" is affecting the wildbirds and my chickens caught it.

I have every confidence the chickens will recover though.
Hopefully I do not have to hand feed/water everyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!http://bestsmileys.com/cooking/6.gif
Just checked baby bunnies...and one was very small, half the size of the others although not blue...blue bunnies are in the throws of starvation.

So brought the little dude in, got the kitty baby bottle out and the powdered baby milk replacer and fed the bunny.
HORSEFEATHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been a super MOTHER day, and still have the other half of the day to go...more birds to feed, bleaching everything...CHICKEN NUGGETS !!!!!!

CHICKEN NUGGETS for sure. This made me think Avian flu. I will have to look into that more. I don't like that idea at all. I will have do a little praying, and a lot of thinking on that subject. I think that you have been very restrained in using some of the words that come to my mind.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
I didnt have you meet my dogs! They are a pain in the butt when it comes to new people. But that is why I have them. They make great alarms, but are chickens past barking. At the moment the pullets have not started laying yet. But judging by how red the combs are getting on the older two pullets, they should start laying withing a month... but have no idea of exactly when. lol

Chloe is having one of those days where all she wants to do is cry, or get into things... So I have my hands full.

I think I am about 12 pages behind everyone else. Its been quite crazy around here this past week. We are starting our rainy season preperations early this year. Our curtain drain around our house is so overgrown with grass, that our backyard was flooded last season. Unfortunately we have A LOT of curtain drain, it wrapps all around our house, garage, and fanced in yard... Then there is the maintenance to my mothers crick, it runs between our properties, down the side of the driveway. And if it isnt cleared of plant roots, silt, or obstructions, it flows over the raised bank and rips up the easment. Then the remaining flock has discovered my pumpkins, and has eaten a hole into my biggest one. Oh well, their run will be moved out under the chestnut tree soon enough. Just need three more sets of hands to help me carry the frame out of the pasture.

I hear you sister !
Sounds just like here, winter is coming, it is always coming, I can smell it and I am not ready.
I need 12 more hours in the day and at least 3 more hands and I am tired and want a cookie !

How on earth are you clearing the crik ?

I make award winning cookies. I put in just about everything but the kitchen sink in them. The cookies are almost good for you. But I haven't got a good substitute for wheat flour. Now I will have to think about that for a while. Good thing Google exists.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
Well it is good to know that you can at least treat the birds and have them recover. That is a very positive sign.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
Could the dogs be getting in a neighbor's yard or under your house perphaps finding an old (gulp!) gravesite of some long buried pet or ??????????

My old lost and gone lab LOVED the buried heads and guts of FISH!!!!! It was always black and oozy and she would just waller and rub in it, absolutely delighted with her new au-de-la-stinkfish parfume !!!!!!!

http://bestsmileys.com/puking/2.gif

I talked a bit longer to DH today, and I realized that I hadn't sent him the update that I wrote last night to him. Any way after telling him, he suggested that maybe something is under the shed. That is one of the few places that I really can't get a good visual on. Most of it is blocked off from the animals, but I do know that they can get under there. The cats spend time under there, and of course any number of smaller things can do the same, including the nasty stinky little dogs that live at my house.

I was helping the neighbors out yesterday. The lady across the street had her mother die a bit ago and they are setting up the estate sale. So there are a few things that I am not half bad at, and I spent the afternoon helping organize the sale. Anyway as we were chatting, I come to learn that they have been having trouble with rats at their house.

YUCK! Of course that would explain a few of the gifts I have received via the twins.

(The twins are very large semi feral tom cats that tolerate me because I feed them.) So I am wondering now if it isn't a dead rat under the shed.

My DS is going to be stopping by later and he is going to look for me.

I can't help but be slightly grateful that the rats are better fed at the neighbors, than have the rats dining at my house. I am not sure if that makes me bad or just human.

 

[eco2pia]

Yep, there are bantam ducks. Yep, they are freaking adorable. Yep, come heck or high water I am getting some.

So if I can't find any in the neighborhood, there will be come spring, cause I'll have to order a quarter box and sell off the surplus. I just have to decide whether to get them from Ideal(cheaper but just one variety offered and lesser quality) or Holderread's where they have amazing stock but cost an arm and a leg. Stay tuned in spring if you live in NW WA and want to combine orders with me--or better yet e-mail me.

How is it there aren't a bunch of duck lovers here in the land of the slug?

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
So far I have been doing very well at not wanting any ducks here in suburbia. I had 2 once and I thought that the messiness and dirty wasn't worth it. I have always thought that ducks are really cool at other peoples houses. But eco you are just plain a duck enabler.

I didn't know about bantam ducks either. I may just have to get a swimming pool and a few ducks with you in the spring. I just don't know what DH will make of that.

eco; by the way a warm welcome to the thread.

Okay okay I am really going to get myself out the door.