Bird Health

Bird health is such a huge area to cover.  I am going to start with a few things and ad to it as I can.

General health issues
Here is a good site for some things like broodiness, coxi,  mareks, bugs, worms, moulting etc.;
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/general-health-and-common-diseases/information-cards/index.aspx
I will warn you that they try to sell you their products, but you can decide if that is right for you.
Here is another one with lots of info.;  http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/chicken-disease-prevention-basics.aspx?cm_mmc=5230086

Here is a good article on preventative healthy measures;
 http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/01/holistic-trinity-acv-garlic-and-de.html

Hen Aprons
When you have a hen that has a bare back because your rooster is too amorous, then you need a chicken apron.  Here is a site with a pattern to make your own;  http://backtobasicliving.com/blog/make-a-chicken-saddle/
Or, if you don't have time to make one, here is a site that only charge $5 each with free shipping!
 http://www.louisescountrycloset.com/red-bandana/

Chicken Pooh
Here is an informative post on chicken pooh!  It shows what healthy pooh looks like and some unhealthy pooh too.
 http://eggcartonlabels.blogspot.com/search/label/droppings%20poop%20scat%20worms%20cecal%20coccidiosis

Vaccines
Here is some info on vaccines; http://eggcartonlabels.blogspot.com/search/label/vaccinations-The%20Chicken%20Vet
How to vaccinate for Marek's:  http://poultryone.com/articles/mareks.html

Worming and Bugs
Here is info on worming your chickens;  http://eggcartonlabels.blogspot.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-worming.html
Here is a site with deworming and debugging info;  http://www.swpoultry.com/CindySite/Poultry_health_issues.html

Chicks are coming out of my ears!

I currently have 61 chicks in my house!  Thankfully many are going to their new homes today.  I am taking 10 to the Agnew store to be sold, 12 buckeyes and 3 silkies are getting picked up today, a woman from Joyce wants 10 buckeyes, a man from Wenatchee is coming for 4 chicks on Saturday and hopefully more will sell as well.  They are going out almost as fast as they are hatching.  All in time for the next batch of chicks to hatch next weekend!  Whew!  It is a busy time of year.  I am putting in duck eggs to be hatched in time for Easter.  I also have 6 goose eggs in the bator.  That is exciting!

Here are a couple of cutie pie muscovy ducklings in the mix.

 Fluffy butt shot!

Here are one of the brooders.  Ducklings, silkies, buckeyes, buff brahmas and cuckoo marans.  When some of the chicks are picked up then I can spread them out more.  They are pretty crowded now, even though everybirdy is playing nice. =}

The Chicks are Here!

Well this winter was the first time I didn't hatch chicks.  It was tough to support my bird's feed bill this way. Usually the chicks bring in  some income to cover the food.  Anyway, it is the beginning of the year and I have started hatching again!  I have had 2 batches of chicks hatch already and the third is hatching as I type.  They are so cute and I forget how small!  Angew grocery, near my house has been selling my chicks for the last 2 weeks.  It is so cool!

Here are some chicks I have left over from the second hatch.  They are for sale. =}

 Here are a couple of partridge silkies from my flock.

And here are some big, fluffy buff brahmas.

Winter Sucks Sometimes!

Well winter was very mild this year until the end of January!  Then we got over a foot of snow, which is unusual for our area.  It ripped down all my bird's netting, which in turn ripped down some fencing and in one case, even pulled the siding away from one of my coops!  I had to pull the rest down and cut the guide wires holding them all up because we were just going to get more snow.

Here is my son, David and his snowman.  This was just the beginning of the snow. 

The unfortunate part was the timing.  February is eagle season!  They are trying to feed their offspring and that is when they are the worst predators to my birds.  So here all my netting was knocked down and the eagles were hunting!  I lost one hen before we were able to repair some and hang new netting.  We rushed and got them all repaired though.  Thank goodness that job is done! 

The snow was very pretty, but it makes caring for animals much more difficult.  We were carrying buckets of water to everybirdy because the hose was frozen and buried in snow.  We couldn't even use the wheelbarrow to carry the buckets because the snow would build up on the tires and stop it.  We did have some good snowball wars though!  I hope you all had fun in the snow this winter.

Muscovy Ducks

 

Only a face a mother could love right?  Well at first I thought they were really ugly, but they grow on you!  The white one in the background is "DUCK".    He is the main man in our muscovy flock.  There are several other teen boys, but they are headed for the freezer soon.  Muscovy ducks get very large and are mainly raised for meat birds.  The last one I butchered and boned out was 5 lbs of meat!  Duck sausage-YUM!

 Here is Duck.

 Here is Duck, showing off. =}

 Here is a blue hen. They lay huge eggs and are great mamas!

 Here is a brown and white hen.

Here is a really pretty black and white hen.

Here is a nest under my chicken coop that my scovies laid and a hen is setting on them.

Here is a mama that raised 27 ducklings last year!!

I often sell hatching egg and ducklings from this flock.  I have 20 muscovies and 2 drakes.

Crele Polish

This is my crele polish rooster.  He is gorgeous!

 There are 3 crele hens in with him and 2 EE hens just to keep the breeding pressure off of the polish hens.  I keep the EE eggs separate.

Here is what their babies look like.

Shipping Live Birds

Shipping Live Birds

1. NEVER ship any bird(s) that show any signs of being sick
2. Use the proper box for the bird(s) you are shipping. Bigger is not always better as they can be tossed about inside. The same goes for being aware of the boxes weight limit.
3. NEVER ship late in the week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday are the best days for shipping out live birds.
4. Be aware the scans may not always be up to date and accurate. The online system updates when the scan guns are plugged back into their cradles at the post office/hub
5. The USPS is only responsible for losses or damage to your bird(s) during shipping. They are not responsible for death(s) of your bird(s) if the shipping box was not damaged during transit.
6. When you ship via Express mail the PO will give you a "guaranteed" arrive by date/time. This CAN change once the box is in route due to weather conditions, dry ice cargo (deadly to birds) or unpressurised cargo plane. All of these things can cause a delay in arrival and are NOT grounds for a refund of shipping fees.
7. USPS has aps for smart phones. The one for iPhones allows you to scan the shipping bar code (or enter the DC/Tracking number) and track the box right from your phone.
8. Using USPS CLICK & SHIP (online shipping payment and label printing from home) will save you roughly 15% per box you ship. Customers appreciate this savings.

Preparing the container:

Put your box together the night before you plan to ship so you aren't rushing to do so to make it to the PO before they close.

 

We recommend taping the ENTIRE underside of the box using clear packing tape. This creates a barrier so the cardboard isn't in direct contact with elements.

 

Pine shavings are the best choice for box bedding. It is absorbent, weighs less (than hay) and does not pose a risk of a bird being poked during transit causing an injury.

(stiff hay stalks can poke birds in the face/eyes and create issues for the new owner)

 

MORE is better when it comes to securing the box with zip ties. double up and make sure the box can not be "peeked" inside of along the way.

• Feed and water the birds to be shipped PRIOR to boxing them up
• Send a text/email/ect to buyer with expected delivery date
• Check with YOUR local PO for the express mail schedule in your area. This keeps your birds from having to be in a box at 8:00 am when the express pick up isn't until 3:00 pm.
• Write the ship to address ON the box using sharpie (or similar marker) incase the label comes off 
• Be sure the buyers PHONE NUMBER is written clearly on the box, shipping label so they can be notified as soon as the birds arrive at the local PO.

Food & Water:

NO water in the boxes ever for any reason (cardboard + water = mess)

 

New hatchlings do best with GroGel mixed and placed in a container secured to the wall of the shipping box.

 

Juvenile and Adult birds honestly don't need anything in the box except bedding material.

If you do chose to include something avoid melons (again high moisture content with cardboard equals a mess)

apples, oranges, shredded carrots, even shredded lettuce are better choices.

Weather/Temps:

Temperatures need to be check on BOTH the sending and receiving locations for birds.

 

nothing UNDER 35*f

nothing OVER 85*f

 

*on a personal note I do not recommend shipping adult or juvenile waterfowl with temperatures over 75 because of their dense down coats

 

Be aware of ANY weather related delays that could effect your shipment. Always error on the side of caution and do not ship if there is a chance of weather related major delays.

• Do not over crowd the box, this can make the internal temp of the box rise and be fatal to your birds.
• Avoid weekends and holidays so birds are not stranded anywhere along the trip

Shipping options:

USPS Priority mail -- ONLY used for day old hatchlings

 

USPS Express mail -- Use for all other ages of birds (CAN take as long as 3 days to arrive)

 

Air Cargo - Delta Dash

State Regulations:

It is the shippers responsibility to know and follow all state regulations for shipping both LIVE birds and hatching eggs into each state.

 

Do NOT rely on your local USPS office to know anything concerning the laws for an individual state.

 

Many states require you as the sender to be:  A.) be NPIP certified yearly   or   B.) obtain Health certificates and blood testing for each bird being shipped

 

you can NOT ship to Hawaii via USPS ............ you must use Air Cargo services and you must complete permitting paperwork prior to ever shipping

Shipping Containers:

 

Boxes For Birds: http://www.boxesforbirds.com/

 

Horizon Shipping Boxes: http://www.hm-e.net/

 

Please read everything available from the links below.

The USPS doesn't have to allow us to ship live birds, and it is up to us to understand the rules completely so we do not put our birds at risk.

DO NOT count on your local USPS office to know the rules for shipping, 9 times out of 10 they dont have a clue.

References: 

USPS:

 

Mailable live Animals: http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_007.htm

 

526.4 Adult fowl: http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_007.htm#ep184002

 

526.33 day old fowl: http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c5_007.htm#ep204910