Animal farm
The great chick die-off of 2008 appears to be at an end, thank goodness. We’re left with 13 chicks, out of 27 we were supposed to have. As it became evident that the hatchery was sending out diseased chicks, theories ran rampant. For a while, many of us believed that the chicks got a “hot” load of Marek’s vaccine, one that gave them the disease instead of helping prevent it.
Finally, though, people started sending off their chicks to be necropsied, and when the results came back, it turned out the chicks had avian encephalomyelitis. The hatchery, who had been very good about refunding the cost of the dying / dead chicks, released the following statement:
Avian Encephalomyelitis (AE) is passed from the infected hen (the only symptom being a drop in egg production) through the egg into the chick. Chicks from infected hens display AE symptoms within two to three weeks of age. Those chicks are infectious and should be quarantined until well after symptoms are no longer displayed. All equipment and housing should be disinfected and litter disposed of properly. Surviving chicks will be immune to AE in the future, will not shed the virus, and will pass this immunity on to their offspring.
In February one of our larger breeder flocks had a well water quality problem. We took corrective action and treated the well water. There was also a reduction in egg production as well as poor hatchability at that time. We falsely diagnosed the egg production problem as being water related. A few weeks ago we had reports of mortality in some birds and recently we have had a confirmed report of AE, for which our flocks had been vaccinated. As you can imagine this left us in a quandary as to how this could have happened.
By consulting with veterinarians we confirmed that AE runs it course in adult birds for 1 to 2 weeks and the surviving birds are immune. That period of time has elapsed; eggs and chicks from our now immune breeding flocks will not be infected.
We are sorry for any inconvenience and problems caused and thank you so very much for your patience and understanding of this most trying time for McMurray Hatchery. Just as we done for the last 90 years you can again expect the same high quality chicks in all future orders.
The part that strikes my funny bone is where after all of us have been dealing with dying chicks that stumble around, getting weaker and more uncoordinated until they’re trampled to death…the hatchery thanks us for being understanding during their trying time.
Speaking of trying times, I put six of those chicks down myself, using ether and a small container. It pained me to do it, but a large part of being responsible for the lives of animals means doing what’s best for them, even if it means killing them. Though it’s possible for chicks to survive AE, as the hatchery statement says, surviving chicks aren’t productive (egg-wise) and stay small and runty.
The wildlife rehabber was right. They just go to sleep.
I’ve been thinking more and more about hatching some of the fertile eggs we’ve been eating. It would be a lot of fun seeing what McLovin and the girls produced, plus it would be pretty cool to raise a chicken from egg to dinner plate.
After the avian encephalomyelitis thing, and watching this segment of How It’s Made -
- I’m kind of turned off to the idea of getting more hatchery chicks right now.
If you couple that with the video below, which covers the life of a grocery store chicken -
Warning: very disturbing
- I think you’ll agree that, as icky as it might sound to talk about raising chickens from egg to plate, it’s the best alternative.
I’ve also about decided to try and build my own incubator…and set up an egg-cam with the money saved. 
In other Crooked Acres news:
- I planted a pear tree this weekend.
- I’ve started building a couple of wood things for Robyn, which I can’t talk about yet.
- Onions and potatoes are in the garden, and we have over 100 tomato plants growing in flats in the garage (from seed!)
- Having running water out by the pigs and in with the chickens is a godsend.
- I cut the entire property Saturday, using only the riding mower. It took most of the day. Once again I’m thankful I have a tractor, which I didn’t use because I was too lazy to swap the tiller for the mower, since I’ll need the tiller in a couple of weeks when I plant the garden.
- Speaking of planting, Nance’s husband Rick and I planted two muscadine vines a couple of weeks ago when they were visiting, but they’re still dormant. The vines, not Nance and Rick.
- Speaking of a couple of weeks, THANK GOD I’LL BE PLANTING THE GARDEN in two weeks. I’m going crazy with the wait.
And now, after those depressing videos, let’s see some happy.
The crested chicks are really starting to, um, crest.
Behold a white-crested black polish, aka a “Don King”
Rhode Island reds
A mix
The golden buff polish, aka Ivana.
A Flappy McGee lookalike (Ameraucana)
Another group shot
This was the free rare chick, which I think is a Dominique
If I’m right, it should look like our Plymouth barred rocks (the speckles)
A Delaware, whom we call George, short for Curious George.
She’s VERY reminiscent of Frick in this regard.
Don King
Ivana
Yes, I’m enamored of the crested chickies.
And the big ‘uns:
McLovin, my mighty cock
This is more or less what the Dominique will look like (if it’s a Dominique)
Quite the look, no?
My girlfriend, Frick
Rick and I built a bridge over the ditch while they visited.
I believe in putting the guests to work.
Finally, the pigs:
Holy crap, they eat a lot.
If you scratch his side, the big one will flop over like a dog for a belly rub.
Excuse me, you has the food?
Food for a cute little piggie?
This picture slays me.
JAZZ HOOVES!
Every time I see McLovin I think to myself “Damn! But that is a beautiful ass rooster.”
Jesus, how could anyone work in one of those processing plants? It would be a fine day in hell before I’d be throwing chicks down a chute!
Your chickens are so pretty (and handsome!), though your chicks are looking a little rough, lol How long until they fill out with ‘real’ feathers?
Damn…I feel ill…. I think I’ll be eating beans for the rest of my life….
Hi Fred. If you get the chance, could you enlighten us readers about your method of growing tomatoes? I’m going to grow some in my garden for the first time in years, and I’ve read so many different ways of doing it that I’d love for someone to cut through all the bull and tell it to me like it is- like how far apart to plant them, when to plant them, which varieties are good, how deep to dig the hole, what you use to support the vines, how you keep the animals from eating all the fruit etc…. I like to hear tried and true methods from people- it’s very helpful!
Jazz hooves!! Hahahahaha!
Sorry to hear about your trouble with the chicks. The survivors are cute even when they go through their awkward adolescent stages. The original girlz are looking great and McLovin’ is such a beautiful rooster! Can’t wait to see what kind of beautiful offspring they will produce!
Those piggies have no idea how fortunate they were to be chosen to live at chez And3erson!
I look forward to reading about how your research and experience will play out with the gardening this year.
Is your foot still improving? Rest up while you can (Heh, your resting time exhausts me!), the busy season is almost here! We ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
When I was young, we used to let some of our hens sit on their own eggs, and if I remember correctly, it’s pretty easy. They kinda ‘tell’ you when they’re ready to do it. It does waste a few eggs, though, because you have to not gather eggs for a couple of days, then see which hen will lay several eggs in the same box and begin sitting on them. Once she starts sitting, she’ll get really pissy if you try to take the eggs out from under her. In fact, I remember there were times we didn’t want the chickens to sit on the eggs and we had to steal them from under them. My mom taught me the trick that if you squeeze hand into a fist really hard the skin on the back of your hand is so tight they can’t get hold of it when they peck you!
Also, jazz hooves cracked me up.
I read a mag blurb where the lady of the manor named her hens after former First Ladies. She used the FULL name…Nancy Reagan,etc…
It’s also really cool to watch the momma hen raise her chicks.
I could just barely watch the first one and totally skipped the second one; cheese-louise those poor chicks and how you can work there chucking chicks is beyond me. Here in Greenacres (for realz), I’m lucky to now know someone who keeps chickens, so I can get me some clear conscience eggs from her and hope that the Murray’s chicken (family farmed!certified humane!….my exclamations) I buy is at least somewhat more humane than factory chicken. Thanks for making us all more aware and I think it’s too cool to “grow your own”, as it were. McLovin’ will die a happy cock. Our two kids have planted tomatoes and onions in our little patch recently, so I forsee salsa for days here in Florida; a few months ago it was carrots for days (cake, cookies, woo-hoo!) and yummy, yummy okra. I’m glad you can plant on a bigger scale and you do inspire us to grow more things for ourselves. Thanks, Fred, you RAWK!
Fred, I’ve been going through a major conscious overhaul with what kind of meat, eggs, dairy to buy for my family since seeing the CNN clip on the slaughterhouse closed up in Calif. The very same one that supplies beef to our kids at school!
I came across this helpful site you might want to pass on to your readers, on where to buy humane food products in their own home towns (you might have to drive a ways, but it is worth it, I think)!!
http://www.certifiedhumane.com/where.asp
Your pig is featured on icanhascheezburger.com:
Here is your pig!
THANKS for the link to the Bachman song - us Canucks LURVE him (and his one-time partner Burton Cummings).
Cool song, eh
M
Let some of the eggs come to fruition! Lovely experience waiting for them to hatch and then seeing them as chicklets following their moms around the yard. And win-win as you are not paying some mass producer of chicks. And too fun for you and Robyn to see what your big Cock and Hens can do
Watched the very sad and sickly UTube video you posted and am sad to say that on two evenings of my life I was a ‘chicken catcher’. I was all of about 12 years old and staying at a friends house, her dad a chicken farmer.
What I remember most is the stench of the barn, acidic and the fact that on a few ‘grabs’ I accidentally broke the bones of the chicken. Mortified actually. Was casually told not to worry, that bird would be sold in pieces. Ugh.
I also remember the dead remains of the birds lying around. Decomposing and no doubt pecked by the living birds. Apparently too much effort for the farmer to pick up and dispose of.
Since there is no way in heck my husband and I can become ‘green’ eating meat in our current abode I am seriously thinking of going vegan.
Thanks for opening up the mind.. And I mean that truly.
came across your blog looking to see who else was affected by MMH outbreak of AE. would you believe from Texas all the way up to Canada?
i will come back by for better gardening news. also, we hatched our own chicks this year in incubators, SO worth all the work [and heartache!], and now our broody hens have taken in a batch from the incubator. we are loving watching them raise a brood!
btw, i don’t believe that the letter from MMH you posted is authentic. i know the first person who was affected and suffered great losses, she never got an apology, explanation, or phone call, much less an email. and THEY had a trying time, and were the first to get a positive test back, which lead to helping others know what to test for…
please don’t breed any of the ones you rec’d. stick with your McLovin and those beuatiful adult hens you got. and take the time to find a breeder who hatches and ships chicks, they often have web pages, just takes longer to find them than a hatchery…
all the best,tf