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Messages - Paul

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796
Ameraucana Marketplace / Medical condition
« on: September 10, 2007, 10:30:42 AM »
Mike,
  You are in our prayers.

797
Ameraucana Marketplace / A new predator for us to fight!
« on: September 10, 2007, 10:29:26 AM »
  In the past thirteen years of breeding and raising poultry we have had experiences with predators like coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, opossums, skunks, dogs, hawks, owls and snakes.  A well trained Great Pyrenese guard dog will do a great job of keeping the furry and feathered predators away, but the snakes has his way of slithering into the brooder houses while the dogs are away.  Presently we have lost 29 head of our last two hatches of 2007 to a predator that has managed to out do both the dogs and us.
  The birds were just vanishing without a trace of feathers, tracks or any kind of clue as to what was taking them.  Labor Day, while off work I happened to be walking by our pond just at the right time to see where the birds were disappearing.  The pond was constructed in the fall of 1994, to be used to irrigate the vegetable garden.  It did have, some water snakes, several years ago, that managed to find their way into the brooder houses of chicks under two weeks of age.  This is the first time that it has harbored large chicken thieves!  A very nice wheaten pullet that I had been admiring and considering caging for our district show in Shawnee was being dragged on top of the shallow water into the deeper water.  Immediately I grabbed the dip net (used for catching chickens) and dipped her out but missed the snapping turtle that had torn her neck half off and drown her.
  Later That day Angela returned home and we seined three snapping turtles out of the reservoir.  One was huge and the other two were small.  I thought we had won the battle until 2 days later three more small snapping turtles appeared in the reservoir.  I set some throw lines in an attempt to catch them.  Saturday evening the 29th bird was floating in the shallow water.  I dipped him out to find his entire head eaten off his body.  We seined the pond again Sunday morning before church, but caught none.  We purchased 2 more 10 feet seins, tied them all together to have a sein long enough to reach across what water was still in the reservoir, since it has been pumped so low, watering the fall vegetables.  Three more trips across the reservoir but no snapping turtles were captured.  Apparently they all left during the night.  I feel that the excessive frequent rains in late spring and early summer caused the snapping turtles to move into our reservoir.  Our place in near Indian Creek and the back water of Lake Kiowa, which has 500 acres under water.  We will keep a close watch on the reservoir and lines set in it.  I hope this info, helps others whose chickens have access to ground water, to be on the alert for snapping turtles.  It has been another learning experience for us.  Presently there are still 117 head in our fourth and fifth hatches,  even though the turtles consumed almost 20% of them.  

798
Ameraucana Marketplace / Shows interested in Hosting a Meet
« on: June 27, 2007, 08:48:35 PM »
  Angela and I have shown at the COPA several times in the past.  It is a nice one day show, but we haven\'t been able to spark any interest in Ameraucanas there.  I\'ve found that the SMPC show in Springfield, MO.-now moved to Sedalia is a lot better for showing Ameraucanas.  These two shows are usually on the same Saturday.  I sent the COPA a show report form last year with the request to have it a state meet.  I set Shawnee as our Ameraucana OKLA. state meet this year.

799
Ameraucana Marketplace / Newbie Question
« on: June 27, 2007, 08:44:57 PM »
  The earliest we have had is 4 1/2 months.  Usually 6-7 months.  One summer when we had numerous days over 100ºF, they didn\'t start until 10 months.  I\'ve come to the conclusion it depends on how well they grow.

800
Ameraucana Marketplace / Help, disease or infection from injury????
« on: June 15, 2007, 09:16:31 AM »
  Now, that I have some more time to share more about LT or Laryngotracheitis.  The bubbling eyes are the first sign.  Next the infected birds will gasp for their breath.  They will stretch their neck forward & upward with each breath as their larynx and trachea inter lining cells die and slough off.  They may pass blood through their nose and mouth in advanced stages.  Their eye socket may contain a hard white growth.  A large percentage will die.
  I highly recommend  vaccinating with the \"LT-IVAX\" vaccine.  It is intended to be dropped in the chicks eye at four and again at 10 weeks of age, but it is best dropped into the nostril, because in the eye, will cause some chicks to get an eye infection.  The mature flock needs to be revaccinated every year with two vaccinations 6 weeks apart.  All birds need to be vaccinated at least 35 days before going to a show or being around unvaccinated birds.
  Unfortunately there is usually some LT at the shows and it is highly contagious to unvaccinated birds.  There is a type of LT vaccine called CEO (chick embryo orgin)- it should not be used in any breeding show flock.  It is designed for commercial flocks where they are all in then all out and never around any other birds.
  I hope this info helps many poultry breeders to get on an LT vaccination program.

801
Ameraucana Marketplace / Who knew chickens had belly buttons!?!
« on: June 14, 2007, 02:29:50 PM »
Jennifer,
  It sounds like your incubator is too hot since they hatched 3 days too early!  Purchase another digital outdoor/indoor thermometer.  Place the probe inside the incubator near the thermometer that you are currently using.  I\'m betting it\'s almost 2º F too high.  We ruined 2 incubators one with over 22 dozen before I caught the error.  Wal-Mart should have them for about $8.00.

802
Ameraucana Marketplace / xanthrophyll
« on: June 14, 2007, 02:25:28 PM »
  I see a day old black, blue or splash chick with a yellow foot bottom which turns snow white by four weeks of age as no different from a wheaten, blue wheaten or splash wheaten day old chick with white shanks which turn slate by three months of age; especially if there is a possiblility that the temporary yellow was caused by the hen\'s diet, which laid the egg that produced the black, blue or splash chick with the temporary yellow foot bottoms.

803
Ameraucana Marketplace / Help, disease or infection from injury????
« on: June 14, 2007, 02:20:23 PM »
 Jean,
  It sounds like LT to me.  The bubbling eyes are one of the first warning signs.  The virus gets stronger as it passes from flock to flock.  The top illness causing bleeding from the mouth.  First State Vet Supply has the correct LT vaccine to use.  It is an eye drop which should be used in the nostril at 4 weeks and again at 10 weeks of age.

804
Ameraucana Marketplace / Hatching eggs available
« on: March 29, 2007, 09:55:16 PM »
  We have sent hatching eggs every direction except South.  We are still getting plenty, if anyone wants to hatch some.  We have black only; blue only; blue, black, and splash; wheaten only; blue wheaten, wheaten and splash wheaten.  Our third incubator has just started it\'s second week.  The spring weather should have the eggs in their peak hatching performance now.
  Fade or wash-out has effected the egg shell color now, that the females have been laying for several months, but their daughters will lay blue eggs, at least for a while.  Anyone who wants some may contact us at sw_psmith@swmail.net, we only raise large fowl be sure to send your zip code when inquiring.
  I\'m healing rapidly and started back on the house now.

805
Ameraucana Marketplace / Hatching eggs available
« on: March 15, 2007, 11:56:58 PM »
  We are getting a lot more hatching eggs than we need.  We hadn\'t planned on offering day old chicks this spring \'07 hatching season due to building a new house and the time the chicks require.
  I got home from the hospital just in time to tend to a hatch.  The black, blue, splash hatched very well.  The wheaten, blue wheaten and splash wheaten hatched fair and the buff didn\'t hatch any.  The closer it gets to spring the better they will hatch.  We are going to set another incubator soon so we can have some birds to show this fall.  The BV buff large fowl at the 2007 national wins the Arne Schmidtzs memorial traveling award.
  The by-pass surgery went well.  I had four totally blocked arteries that had attempted to grow their own by-passes.  I had one of the best heart surgeons in the area.  He did a very good job, and the Lord is doing the healing.  I\'m doing better each day, anxious to get back to normal.  It\'s planting time, chick hatching time and time to get the house going full speed again.
  We have several orders but can supply many more.  Presently we have black only; blue, black and splash; wheaten; blue wheaten; and splash wheaten; and soon blue only as we are changing places with two males.  The buffs are going to have to start hatching before we let anymore of them out.  We ship all our hatching eggs in customized hatching boxes which have a reversable top with labels and stamps on it for it\'s return trip.  Each egg is disinfected wrapped in newspaper and packed in a cell inside the box.  We have boxes which hold 1, 2, 3 1/2, 4 and 6 dozen.  They are shipped by priority mail which goes by both distance and weight-so we MUST HAVE YOUR ZIP CODE when requiring about egg prices as the postage plays a large part in what they cost.  Anyone can e-mail us at: sw_psmith@swmail.net

806
Ameraucana Marketplace / Got my Bulletin today
« on: March 07, 2007, 04:47:29 PM »
The bulletin is very nice :D

807
Ameraucana Marketplace / Merry Christmas
« on: December 25, 2006, 11:13:24 AM »
Merry CHRISTmas

808
Ameraucana Marketplace / Happy Birthday Mike G.
« on: November 22, 2006, 09:00:32 AM »
Have a happy birthday and Thanksgiving!

809
Ameraucana Marketplace / Back from Indy
« on: November 20, 2006, 08:29:31 AM »
Congratulations to all the winners.  Sounds like it was a fun show.

810
Ameraucana Marketplace / Mike G.: prayers and good thoughts
« on: November 20, 2006, 08:26:25 AM »
We are praying for you.

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