Well, JJ the rooster didn't even last a week before he keeled over and died.
I found him this morning when I let the hens out.
I am so discouraged. Part of me just wants to pull down the chicken coop, get rid of all my hens and rebuild in the front yard and repopulate with all new hens!
I have scrubbed down and disinfected that darn coop within an inch of it's life. I have dusted and redusted. I have supplemented their feed with the recommended vitamins and minerals.
Yet, they still die.
It didn't start until Roy the animal guy started bringing his birds over. Not just chickens. He also brought over doves and pigeons and guineas and peafowl. I have no clue which birds he brought were the ones that brought in whatever is killing my chickens, but I suspect it is the doves and a few of his game hens.
After I post this, I am out to clean the chicken coop again. And scrub down and disinfect it again.
Don't know if it will help, but it is all I can do.
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Baby, our stray dog who is now pregnant, is not dealing well with her pregnancy, poor thing.
She has the pregnancy sleepies...falls asleep at the drop of a hat, anywhere, anytime. Fell asleep in the middle of dinner last night, her little head laying in her food bowl. She also has the pregnancy munchies. She doesn't care who is eating what, all she knows is "I need to taste that RIGHT NOW!" So, after last nights impromptu nap in her kibble, she desperately begged for and received small tidbits of : watermelon, popcorn, pizza crust, celery and a sweet pickle. All of which she consumed with gusto, a look of doggie bliss on her face.
This probably contributed to a bit of a gas problem she now has.
Amazing that such a small creature could produce gas that smells that bad! When she has a gas episode, she looks at her rear with a confused expression and then attempts to escape the stench she has produced by relocating to another room. She seems to not understand how that awful smell is following her! This morning, after a particularly bad and loud gas explosion, she barked fiercely at her butt. Since that didn't seem to help, she tucked her tail and hid under the table, I guess she was hoping the smell wouldn't find her there!
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Well, off to clean out the chicken coop again.
Wish me luck!
Sorry, Lamb. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteGeez, I'm sorry to hear your rooster died. Maybe you can get Roy to remove the doves and game hens to see if the problem stops.
ReplyDeleteYour poor puppy, lol.....
When you explain how she falls asleep and then begs for human food, I couldn't stop laughing. You've described our chihauhau to a tee, lol......
But instead of looking at his back side, he takes off like a bat out of hell because those darn spiders are noisey and stinky (aka: barking spiders, lol).
Logic would require Roy to keep any fowl in his walkin closet until he is sure that they are not sick or infested. I am happy to see you posting again. Also any Birds that you get in the future should be in a "Quarantine pen"(At the opposite side of the property) for at least a month. I know that you probably know this.
ReplyDeleteThis is of course one of the pricetags of being a kind and generous person. You seem to have found a like minded man to spend your life with. How Lucky are you!
I would LOVE to have a quarantine pen! Problem is, getting the help to build it! The Darlin' Man rarely has any free time, my son is hopeless at construction, the Girl is semi=hopeless and the Boy has flat refused to do ANYTHING with the animals. Roy will be over tomorrow afternoon and we are going to give it a go, though.
Deletehttp://thecitychicken.com/pictorialhistory.html
DeleteAlot of ideas most with reclaimed wood.
Also http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage. Not that I think you need more, just a fun site if you find any free time.
OMG the preggo-dog-farty story is soooo funny!
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the poultry depopulation, I'm so sorry. I wonder if cleaning will do much help if the source of the sickness is still on the property?
There is a medication named Sulmet that I get at the feed store. I think it's a sulfa drug. It's for chickens and turkeys, but I don't know how long until the eggs would be safe to eat.
ReplyDeleteIn case you find a perfect property in Vermont, but it doesn't have a stream or creek...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amphydro.com/ another option.