What did you do with your flock today?

[TropicalBabies]

I hung out in the run and gave out treats to our flock! My favorite girl Bessie loves to sit on my shoulder while a few others took a dust bath

Beautiful girls!

 

[ChicksnMore]

Welllll. I talked to my favorite vet. He's the one that does my Mereks vaccines for me and that I get my antibiotics for my flock from. He said it doesn't sound like bird flu and also told me if I saved a bird from bird flu, that means it wasn't bird flu. . He thinks Mereks is unlikely. He suggested botulism as a possibility because there was a dead sparrow in the coop the other day and because I feed duckweed to my chickens as occasional treats.

I had no idea my pond goodies could carry botulism and colist... something. So I need to rethink my pond goodies. I feed a lot of that stuff to my birds and have for years. It sounds unlikely to be the pond goodies because the horse, dogs, ducks etc all drink the water and/or eat the plants. But I need to read about it because I didn't know it could be a problem. My pond certainly looks healthy!

So for now I'm just keeping him isolated and watching to see if he gets worse or better. Everything I've been doing may not help but won't hurt. So far he's not worse in his balance and the poopy butt clearing hopefully means a tad better. He IS eating and drinking still so if it is botulism, hopefully it's a very mild, recoverable dose. No one else shows any sign of sickness still so at least there's that.

 

[crazychickenman007]

Beautiful girls!

Thank you!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Thank you!

Do you only have 2 girls? Is it possible you have managed to resist chicken math?!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Welllll. I talked to my favorite vet. He's the one that does my Mereks vaccines for me and that I get my antibiotics for my flock from. He said it doesn't sound like bird flu and also told me if I saved a bird from bird flu, that means it wasn't bird flu. . He thinks Mereks is unlikely. He suggested botulism as a possibility because there was a dead sparrow in the coop the other day and because I feed duckweed to my chickens as occasional treats.

I had no idea my pond goodies could carry botulism and colist... something. So I need to rethink my pond goodies. I feed a lot of that stuff to my birds and have for years. It sounds unlikely to be the pond goodies because the horse, dogs, ducks etc all drink the water and/or eat the plants. But I need to read about it because I didn't know it could be a problem. My pond certainly looks healthy!

So for now I'm just keeping him isolated and watching to see if he gets worse or better. Everything I've been doing may not help but won't hurt. So far he's not worse in his balance and the poopy butt clearing hopefully means a tad better. He IS eating and drinking still so if it is botulism, hopefully it's a very mild, recoverable dose. No one else shows any sign of sickness still so at least there's that.

This is very interesting...
That is just kind of good news as it is always good to have more clues as to what is happening. I had a girlfriend loose all of her ducks to possible botulism. I am pretty sure I have lost at least one chicken to it but never did test so will never know 100%. Nasty business and I too hope it is mild and minimal. The fact that he is much the same to a tad better is hopeful ♡♡♡
Thanks for keeping us posted and hope you continue to.
PS. How awesome to have a great, useful & favorite vet. Worth their weight in gold ♡

 

[crazychickenman007]

Do you only have 2 girls? Is it possible you have managed to resist chicken math?!

Not at all hahaha. There’s 6 in the big coop and run which are my original 6. Then I have 17, 8 week olds in a smaller coop right next to it, waiting to get to size to introduce fully to the big ones. They have olive eggers at my tractor supply right now too, so tempting! this is my original 6 on their evening forage tonight.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Not at all hahaha. There’s 6 in the big coop and run which are my original 6. Then I have 17, 8 week olds in a smaller coop right next to it, waiting to get to size to introduce fully to the big ones. They have olive eggers at my tractor supply right now too, so tempting! this is my original 6 on their evening forage tonight.

Beautiful! And that is the chicken math I am talking about! Lol. You are going to be swimming in eggs... but none blue unless you hurry down to TS lol

 

[crazychickenman007]

Beautiful! And that is the chicken math I am talking about! Lol. You are going to be swimming in eggs... but none blue unless you hurry down to TS lol

I know!! my wife is on board too but we have so many already lol. I told her we’ll re-evaluate in the spring

 

[Jalloway]

I gave my girls a pumpkin

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Welllll. I talked to my favorite vet. He's the one that does my Mereks vaccines for me and that I get my antibiotics for my flock from. He said it doesn't sound like bird flu and also told me if I saved a bird from bird flu, that means it wasn't bird flu. . He thinks Mereks is unlikely. He suggested botulism as a possibility because there was a dead sparrow in the coop the other day and because I feed duckweed to my chickens as occasional treats.

I had no idea my pond goodies could carry botulism and colist... something. So I need to rethink my pond goodies. I feed a lot of that stuff to my birds and have for years. It sounds unlikely to be the pond goodies because the horse, dogs, ducks etc all drink the water and/or eat the plants. But I need to read about it because I didn't know it could be a problem. My pond certainly looks healthy!

So for now I'm just keeping him isolated and watching to see if he gets worse or better. Everything I've been doing may not help but won't hurt. So far he's not worse in his balance and the poopy butt clearing hopefully means a tad better. He IS eating and drinking still so if it is botulism, hopefully it's a very mild, recoverable dose. No one else shows any sign of sickness still so at least there's that.

I hope that he gets better!