What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

Well, we had an overnight guest last night. While I was preparing potato salad for dinner, Ferdy did his 'super chicken' act and started shouting dementedly then running in and out of the kitchen. I have learned that this means something is wrong so I followed him. On my dining room windowsill was slumped the smallest adult pigeon I've ever seen. It could barely lift it's head and didn't put up any sort of struggle when I brought it in. It had a leg ring and looked well, just exhausted. Anyway, I put it in a dog crate with water, electrolytes and vits then gave it some warm mash to eat. It had perked up considerably after a couple of hours. This morning, it's still in the crate, enjoying breakfast and cooing quite contentedly. I could just let it be on it's way but I'm going to contact the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, see if I can trace it's owner.

I really hope it's not Mycoplasma, ChicksnMore

Lucky little bird! Good luck finding it's owner

 

[ChicksnMore]

Oh I'm so glad! Poor girl! The way they get infections is so painful looking. I'm glad she is at least eating the baby food! Sounds like it's going to give her some great energy that is much needed.

Yes, my main large fowl flock carries MG (they were officially tested), but I have managed to keep my show birds clear of it. As long as we are super careful handling the show birds and they are vaxxed for it, I have gone over a year without any illness in their flock. All other new birds are vaccinated for it as well. It is a crappy virus that requires a lot of care and medication that I am still learning to deal with. That is why it always seems like I have sick birds...they get flare ups whenever they are stressed--like major weather storms or stretches of miserable heat! I just could not go through and cull them all. Typhoid Mary as I loving called her, brought it to my flock in 2021 and I had 20 birds by then. I couldn't stomach the thought and did a lot of research and felt I would rather try to make it work. Many of my birds are completely immune to it and I find it's primarily birds that are from local breeders. The ones that have struggled despite vaccination are hatchery birds and lavender birds. Even the eggs I hatch from other breeders in different parts of the country manage well when vaccinated. My guess is the line breeding of lavenders (anyone can make lavenders without understanding the impacts of continual inline breeding without new blood) and the quantity over quality nature of hatchery stock makes them more susceptible. Just my musings over the impacts with my birds. I call my birds from one of the local breeders my bullet proof birds. They don't get fowl pox, they don't have any signs of illness, they go through molts, heat, cold, and muddy conditions without any signs of stress. It's fascinating to me. I visited this breeders property and she culls hard for health and sturdiness and hatches a lot of birds the right way--and her birds show the proof in my opinion! I suspect that my death coop birds that can't walk are suffering from the most severe case of MG and that is why I haven't until now sent in a chicken for a necropsy. But since so many have presented with the same symptoms I decided I should find out if there are secondary things going on as well. I am definitely no longer going to bring in lavender birds unless they come from super strong breeding stock and probably no more Polish from outside. Spider seems to have taken well to the vaccine. I have read that one should assume that about 80% of all backyard flocks carry MG, so my feeling is as long as I am acting responsible and spending the crap ton on the vaccination there is no point in culling...unless I never want another bird that didn't come from an egg in a verified non-MG flock. There are even a couple of hatcheries that have started offering the vaccine as well as the Marek's vaccine. The MG vax is much more effective however, than the Marek's vaccine. Denagard is the medication that is used for MG flocks, as it is one effective med that the birds don't build an immunity to, unlike meds like Tylan or Baytril. *posted before I was done* I hope that you don't have this to deal with, but if you do, I'm more than happy to answer any of your questions!

Thank you so much for the wealth of information...you answered my questions very well without me having to ask them! I read about the percentages of backyard flocks they believe carry it and started to wonder if I really need to cull. But then I read it can take monthly antibiotics to keep them healthy and that it can infect every type of bird I have on my property...even the parrot...and I think of my neighbors with peafowl, parrots and chickens. It'll take some thought.

First is just confirming if it is mycoplasma. And seeing if I can get that vaccine. If I talk to neighbors and offer to vaccinate their birds as well, maybe I can keep mine. If I can afford to!
Do you do the vaccinations yourself or through a vet or...?

 

[kurby22]

Thank you so much for the wealth of information...you answered my questions very well without me having to ask them! I read about the percentages of backyard flocks they believe carry it and started to wonder if I really need to cull. But then I read it can take monthly antibiotics to keep them healthy and that it can infect every type of bird I have on my property...even the parrot...and I think of my neighbors with peafowl, parrots and chickens. It'll take some thought.

First is just confirming if it is mycoplasma. And seeing if I can get that vaccine. If I talk to neighbors and offer to vaccinate their birds as well, maybe I can keep mine. If I can afford to!
Do you do the vaccinations yourself or through a vet or...?

I do the vaccination myself--it's pricey because the only size is 1000 doses and so I wait until I have a bunch to vax and then it only ends up costing about $8-10 a bird which is worth it to me since they are my pets...I also have a friend that has an MG flock here in town so we are going to start sharing the vaccine so it goes further. It has to be used all at once within 2 hours of being at room temperature, so I throw away a lot more than I would like and it pains me every time haha. I've had the virus in the flock for more than a year now and none of my quail have gotten it and none of my show birds have gotten it - at least not visibly. I have lavender d'Anvers and they have never been sick. I just make sure if one is showing signs of the illness I don't touch or go into other coops/runs without washing my hands, changing shoes, and clothes. Most of mine also get a mild case in the eyes, and Terramycin, probiotics, and electrolytes are often are enough to clear it. That is why I decided to dismantle the Death Coop and build a new one with a different set up. I am thinking that it hasn't been exposed to enough sun and heat to kill the virus once one is exposed. I also plan to turn over the soil really good underneath it. Commercial hatcheries also have access to a more effective vaccine that I am hoping becomes available to backyard folks soon. It's an aerosol that you allow to absorb into their eyes and nose--and they find a much higher effectiveness. The one now goes subQ in the neck at under 10 weeks and again 3-4 weeks later. So it's a much bigger pain but I can afford to do it so I do. With you having so many different types of birds, I can understand your concerns. Instead of culling you might see if there are any folks locally with an MG+ flock that would take them--if that is what it ends up being and you decide that is the best course of action. Many don't know they have it, but the ones that do are probably like me and willing to take them since it's already a part of our life. Sort of like folks with Marek's in their flocks that don't want to cull their babies.

Did you send the sample in through the Research lab RAL? I am thinking about sending in a Live sample for Nohope so I can bury him in my backyard if/when he doesn't make it. The necropsy lab keeps them and Nohope is my baby boy.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I was thinking of your flock @ChicksnMore as I was scrapping my boards this morn. I wonder what the chances are of your Yokos getting it from the new birds are. Highly plausible yes? Also, if you close your flock. No more breeding or giveaways or sales and just keep THEM till The End ?

 

[ChicksnMore]

I do the vaccination myself--it's pricey because the only size is 1000 doses and so I wait until I have a bunch to vax and then it only ends up costing about $8-10 a bird which is worth it to me since they are my pets...I also have a friend that has an MG flock here in town so we are going to start sharing the vaccine so it goes further. It has to be used all at once within 2 hours of being at room temperature, so I throw away a lot more than I would like and it pains me every time haha. I've had the virus in the flock for more than a year now and none of my quail have gotten it and none of my show birds have gotten it - at least not visibly. I have lavender d'Anvers and they have never been sick. I just make sure if one is showing signs of the illness I don't touch or go into other coops/runs without washing my hands, changing shoes, and clothes. Most of mine also get a mild case in the eyes, and Terramycin, probiotics, and electrolytes are often are enough to clear it. That is why I decided to dismantle the Death Coop and build a new one with a different set up. I am thinking that it hasn't been exposed to enough sun and heat to kill the virus once one is exposed. I also plan to turn over the soil really good underneath it. Commercial hatcheries also have access to a more effective vaccine that I am hoping becomes available to backyard folks soon. It's an aerosol that you allow to absorb into their eyes and nose--and they find a much higher effectiveness. The one now goes subQ in the neck at under 10 weeks and again 3-4 weeks later. So it's a much bigger pain but I can afford to do it so I do. With you having so many different types of birds, I can understand your concerns. Instead of culling you might see if there are any folks locally with an MG+ flock that would take them--if that is what it ends up being and you decide that is the best course of action. Many don't know they have it, but the ones that do are probably like me and willing to take them since it's already a part of our life. Sort of like folks with Marek's in their flocks that don't want to cull their babies.

Did you send the sample in through the Research lab RAL? I am thinking about sending in a Live sample for Nohope so I can bury him in my backyard if/when he doesn't make it. The necropsy lab keeps them and Nohope is my baby boy.

The University of Arizona has a testing lab here. It's $32 for the mycoplasma test and takes 10 business days for results. It'll only tell me yes or no on mycoplasmas though. So if it's not that then I'm back to reading to see if there's any possibilities that need management. My brief reading about possibilities sounds like most of them run their course and are done. If it's not something that can make them life long carriers that spread it, then I'll consider myself blessed.

I definitely want to vaccinate my birds for mycoplasma now regardless of test results though. Where do you buy your vaccines from?

I had thought they might have picked it up free ranging, or by mouse visitors, house finches (we have a lot of those here) or...? But now I'm wondering if it's been in them longer and if moving the adults into the new coop was the stressor. Or changing their let out time from daily to every other day. Or if it's too many birds. That flock is 21 birds. The new coop is slightly smaller than the old and I'd already decided to get rid of some for their comfort. I gave away two and had five sold, though luckily they hadn't been picked up yet so I could cancel it. It has such a long incubation time that it's hard to pin down the why's.

Anyways...I'm rambling now...lol.

Patience while I wait for results, fingers crossed and get the vaccinations going. On the plus side, it looks like all the birds will survive this round. The only questionable one at the moment is the one girl.

Thanks so much for sharing

 

[ChicksnMore]

I was thinking of your flock @ChicksnMore as I was scrapping my boards this morn. I wonder what the chances are of your Yokos getting it from the new birds are. Highly plausible yes? Also, if you close your flock. No more breeding or giveaways or sales and just keep THEM till The End ?

I was just doing the where did it come from dance...lol. If it is mycoplasma and I keep them I'll definitely have to close my flock. I already have 15 chicks ordered that come in April. And if it is mycoplasma and I keep them, I'll have to rewire my runs to keep the wild birds out, and no more free ranging because we have gobs of house finches here and they're major spreaders. I hate the thought of spreading illness and culling both. Waiting for results before I even think about who all I need to notify they might have gotten a sick bird from me.

 

[kurby22]

The University of Arizona has a testing lab here. It's $32 for the mycoplasma test and takes 10 business days for results. It'll only tell me yes or no on mycoplasmas though. So if it's not that then I'm back to reading to see if there's any possibilities that need management. My brief reading about possibilities sounds like most of them run their course and are done. If it's not something that can make them life long carriers that spread it, then I'll consider myself blessed.

I definitely want to vaccinate my birds for mycoplasma now regardless of test results though. Where do you buy your vaccines from?

I had thought they might have picked it up free ranging, or by mouse visitors, house finches (we have a lot of those here) or...? But now I'm wondering if it's been in them longer and if moving the adults into the new coop was the stressor. Or changing their let out time from daily to every other day. Or if it's too many birds. That flock is 21 birds. The new coop is slightly smaller than the old and I'd already decided to get rid of some for their comfort. I gave away two and had five sold, though luckily they hadn't been picked up yet so I could cancel it. It has such a long incubation time that it's hard to pin down the why's.

Anyways...I'm rambling now...lol.

Patience while I wait for results, fingers crossed and get the vaccinations going. On the plus side, it looks like all the birds will survive this round. The only questionable one at the moment is the one girl.

Thanks so much for sharing

Oh nice! I think I'm going to try out RAL, it's $20/test so it may be a bit pricey as I want to test for a few things just to rule them out! Gonna wait till I hear back about JoJo though, since his presentation was similar but not the same.

I get the vaccination from Valley Vet - https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=ae64ad79-9b3f-49c8-8a0b-3675ea3eb0f8. It requires a bigger needle than I use for antibiotic injections because the fluid is thicker. When it comes time to administer, let me know and I will double check the needle size. I think they are 22 mm, but I can't be certain.

All my fingers and toes are crossed!

 

[ChicksnMore]

Oh nice! I think I'm going to try out RAL, it's $20/test so it may be a bit pricey as I want to test for a few things just to rule them out! Gonna wait till I hear back about JoJo though, since his presentation was similar but not the same.

I get the vaccination from Valley Vet - https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=ae64ad79-9b3f-49c8-8a0b-3675ea3eb0f8. It requires a bigger needle than I use for antibiotic injections because the fluid is thicker. When it comes time to administer, let me know and I will double check the needle size. I think they are 22 mm, but I can't be certain.

All my fingers and toes are crossed!

I like that $20 price! I was honestly sitting here sweating at how much this might cost in total. Id love to test any birds that make it through this without getting sick...just in the hope their free from it. I added a new band to all the birds in the flock that weren't sick and I'll remove the band if they do get sick. I'm keeping them all together because it sounds unlikely...but when it's run it's course, I'll know if there's any birds that have a chance of being free from it.

Hope JoJo's test turns up something easy to manage for you.

Off to buy vaccines

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

That would be getting the most out of your materials . I like it! Be easy to protect from weather when need also
The pinterest addition has access into the main coop, will you be doing that? And the switched pitch on the roof What is the height that you can get? Will it be ok for cleaning, collecting eggs and grabbing a chicken with out you getting stuck ? If so, it totally works lol. yippee! Coop builds!

Thinking this through with yall as yall bring up some good points @kurby22 too!
If I'm using it to separate specific ones for breeding purposes then I wouldn't want them having access to the main cioop/run right?
When you say "switched pitch" do you mean how there is a gap between the 2 roofs?
The height beside my main coop is gonna be lower due to the ground on that side being at the highest point.
I have problems with the rain water and runoff going down the hill and into the run inspite of my 2 trenches dug. I guess they might slow it down some but idk.
Now that the little coop is gone I'll be able to get out there and measure off some stuff.
We haven't heard from the contractor doing the back porch...I need those 4x4s from under the deck lol!
And with my luck I'd end up causing our entire house to collapse if I tried to get then rather than letting professionals do it lol.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Thinking this through with yall as yall bring up some good points @kurby22 too!
If I'm using it to separate specific ones for breeding purposes then I wouldn't want them having access to the main cioop/run right?
When you say "switched pitch" do you mean how there is a gap between the 2 roofs?
The height beside my main coop is gonna be lower due to the ground on that side being at the highest point.
I have problems with the rain water and runoff going down the hill and into the run inspite of my 2 trenches dug. I guess they might slow it down some but idk.
Now that the little coop is gone I'll be able to get out there and measure off some stuff.
We haven't heard from the contractor doing the back porch...I need those 4x4s from under the deck lol!
And with my luck I'd end up causing our entire house to collapse if I tried to get then rather than letting professionals do it lol.

You definitely don't need a door connecting them to keep breeders separate...but if you add a door while building it then you might find it handy later. Definitely not necessary though!

Would it be possible to raise the dirt level inside the run? That might fix the runoff problem.

Can hear your eagerness to get started and love it!