Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[DMRippy]

Is there anyone who can help the guy with the sick chicken? Anyone have any ideas?

Never seen it before or even heard of anyone with that problem. Strange.

 

[KsKingBee]

I agree if it was botulism i'm thinking you would have a lot of dead-dead birds ......... i would also be looking at their food ... what they have access to in the yard .... check the water .... also have you wormed them ?
I've seen this in goats and it was found to be the feed they were eating .

Have you taken one to your state diagnostic lab (no charge) - free accurate service for us all .... until one of the "cut ever thing" congress person gets a hold of it .
But any how it is a great service that answers many of our problems at NO cost (i've used them many times) .

My first thought was the fermented feed, (can't say that too loud around the DW)... They are fed chick starter, 23% and FF made with same starter and add a little calf manna, she may also add a little scratch grain now. None of these birds had ever been outside the brooder when they came down with it. The water is well water, the same as we drink. And all except the first bird had been wormed. Do you think that scratch grain and no grit could have packed the crop and it took time for the crop to clear? I don't know, just throwing things out there... I did not feel a full crop so I kind of doubt that. This is frustrating.

I will look for a state lab, hopefully they are close or the problem never happens again.

Thanks for the input!

 

[upthecreek]

Quote:
Yea i kinda cringed when you said fermented feed especially to young chicks/birds . I use soaked oats (3-4 days soaked) with my grown birds. Fermented food with just the slightest problem could easily cause a problem in young birds (their ability to handle certain things has just not completely developed yet .
(fermenting is rather delicate process) i would not feed it to young birds at all . I'd rather err to withhold than err using it .

Yes i think it would be evident if it was crop/craw-bound .

What kind of wormer did you use , what was your process and how did you administer it ?

You can probably find the State Diagnostic Lab listed in your telephone book (yellow pages or etc... under state) that is the first thing i would do tomorrow AM . Take one that is sick with this what-ever , if you got two take both .
You can (it's best to) call them ahead and tell them your situation and they will tell you what to bring .

Good Luck

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: Not sure what is going on but did you see this sort of information yet? I see you fed Vit E.
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/218/vitamin-e-deficiency

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Opinions about this May pullet? Is this what is referred to as "mossiness," where the copper is all over the place? I am new to Marans. Photos taken with a phone. I will post photos of a cockerel separately.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Opinions on this early June (I think) cockerel? A couple of people have called him a splash (from early AM photo in the fog) and I am wondering why? The splash I have seen have a base color of near white or very very light ash gray, whereas this guy is blue base. He is very skittish (I have had him only one month), so he is difficult to photograph. He is just starting to get copper on his shoulders and it is a darker copper than his hackles. Is this common with the blue coppers? The first photo is with a pullet of the same age he came with who may be an OE. Her comb leads me to believe this is the case...it doesn't look at all like my other pullets' single combs.

 

[maryhysong]

I know it makes no sense. But that was based on a study on Black Wyandottes I believe. From what I have read melanizers that cause black plumage are too many to fully understand. I will try to find the reference for you. I do not believe this is the problem in the BC, I believe it is the same genes causing "mossy" pullets, which is e or brown. The mossy pullets and the roos with the red in the breast are just lacking the melanizers that their siblings have to cover the brown. When you cull for darker males you breed those melanizers in and come up with white in the hackles of the roos once they reach sexual maturity.

I have a Blue Copper roo that molted late last year. Then we had a unusually cold September and his feathers rushed in. His tail had so much white in it that it was just nuts. When he molted this year it stayed warm and his feathers took a normal amount of time. He has no white in his tail this year. So my point is the white is just going to remain a mystery. Wynette and Don are right to cull away from it but also be aware that unless you change your breeding strategies you will just keep making more.

OK, I have not so far had any white in the hackle. I had roo that did not molt out two white wing feathers when he got his adult plumage, in fact those two white feathers were heavier and thicker than his black ones. I have a male now that had NO white wing feathers as a chick but now has a partial white one as an adult. His hatchmate is over melanized, mahogany hackles and black saddle. But he has white toe feathers.

I have an old Welsummer, about 6 years old and what I have see with him is that the black fades in and out on some of his wing and tail feathers. It's like at times a pure black feather will gradually turn white, like it's losing it's pigment for some reason. I have wondered in that case if it isn't caused by stress or a nutrient deficiency.

 

[Wynette]

Maybe YOUR broodies are easy to break Wynette! I have had to put hens in "chicken jail" rabbit cages up on bricks for up to 10 days. I usually start with 2 days. If I find them in the nest boxes that night back in jail they go for 5 days this time. The real stubborn ones are there over a week. It's frustrating in a layer flock.

A+ for persistency?

I put mine in a pen with a young cockeral. Most get over it pretty fast!

Yep, I've done similarly, sometimes I just pop them into a whole different pen if they are tough to break. Only issue with that is that (of course) you can't hatch off them when they're back in their own pen for a min. of 3 weeks.

 

[Runawaylobster]

OK, I have not so far had any white in the hackle. I had roo that did not molt out two white wing feathers when he got his adult plumage, in fact those two white feathers were heavier and thicker than his black ones. I have a male now that had NO white wing feathers as a chick but now has a partial white one as an adult. His hatchmate is over melanized, mahogany hackles and black saddle. But he has white toe feathers.

I have an old Welsummer, about 6 years old and what I have see with him is that the black fades in and out on some of his wing and tail feathers. It's like at times a pure black feather will gradually turn white, like it's losing it's pigment for some reason. I have wondered in that case if it isn't caused by stress or a nutrient deficiency.

I think that there is definiately a moulting or nutrition component because about 2 months ago i was horrified to see a white tail feather appear on my main breeding cock.. and then there was another.... and then they both fell out... along with most of his long tail feathers. He was going through a tough moult, even now he has not grown back his hackle and tail..

 

[Wynette]

I think that there is definiately a moulting or nutrition component because about 2 months ago i was horrified to see a white tail feather appear on my main breeding cock.. and then there was another.... and then they both fell out... along with most of his long tail feathers. He was going through a tough moult, even now he has not grown back his hackle and tail..

That's interesting - I've not seen one with a white tail feather molt it out; it makes sense that it could be caused by a nutrition issue during the molt, though. I have heard some folks pondering on the protein percentage fed adding to this issue, as well. I'm not sure that it could happen, but I guess if we all knew everything about genetics, we'd all have perfect fowl.