[Prod]

Haven't been on the site for a few months as all I seemed to have was bad news to tell. If anyone remembers I had an outbreak of Histomonas (Blackhead) usually found in turkeys which decimated my flock. I lost virtually all my hens from chicks to POL, in fact POL was when they seemed to die, but weirdly not any cockerels.

I sectioned off part of my field and spread hydro lime & Stalosan for weeks and then moved the remaining birds to that, disinfecting the coops daily. Then I did the same with the remaining pens and field. I neither bought nor sold any birds hoping to keep it contained and lost just a couple more POL but all my lovely little Nankins succumbed as well. I am now down to 7 hens and 2 cockerels, three of the hens are the original ones I bought 3 years ago so maybe they had immunity. Buffy, my broody Buff Orpington x Cream Legbar, survived and the good news is she hatched 3 pure BO hen chicks in the summer (2 survived) and 10 weeks ago (late I know) hatched 4 more. Two were cockerels so had to go but touch wood the 2 little hens are doing well.  I decided to leave the chicks with Buffy in her own coop and run until they were 6 weeks old an then let them out onto the field on the basis 'what will be, will be'.  The two hatched in the summer are coming up to POL so that will be the tester  but, having fewer hens, it has been easier to check them every day, weight loss and runny droppings are the first sign and if infected they go within 24 - 36 hours.

My 'field' is a smaller section of my farmer neighbour's larger field and he has, unbelievably, offered to give me another section alongside (I helped him with a problem neighbour and a right of way and he thinks he owes me) but for now I want to keep the status quo and see how the situation is over winter. The real downside at the moment is I am only getting 2 eggs a week!!!!

[grinling]

I'm glad it is going well and I hope it has stopped. Advice would be to not have food on the bare ground, only in containers, just in case worms are around, though if they had brains they would have buggered off.

[Prod]

Thanks for the advice I use a Grandpa's feeder for 1 group and a spring hopper for the other.  I did have good news this week though as one of my Buff Orpingtons reached POL and delivered an egg yesterday!!   It is good news because the disease usually kills at POL.  I had better not count my................