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I have been doing some extensive research online, trying to learn everything I can about chicks, hens and roosters.
Members here, as well as on other sites, have offered some good information, links, and other data to help me out. I will start listing some of that in this thread, for those interested. This list will be a rolling list. I will add additional useful resources, as I find them.
Online Forums / Groups:
Chicken Forum / Site Backyard Chickens Forum / Site
Informational eBooks:
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Improving Village Chicken Production Part 1 (PDF) Improving Village Chicken Production Part 2 (PDF) Improving Village Chicken Production Part 3 (PDF) Improving Village Chicken Production Part 4 (PDF)
The Chicken Health Handbook (PDF) Small Scale Chicken Production (PDF) The Joy of Keeping Chickens (PDF) Choosing and Keeping Chickens (PDF) Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens (PDF)
Water Requirements for Poultry (PDF)
Chicken Coop / Brooder / Tractor Plans:
Laying Nests (PDF) Chicken Tractor (PDF) 300 Hen Laying House (Part 1) (PDF) 300 Hen Laying House (Part 2) (PDF)
Anatomy / Incubation Period Images:
Chicken Anatomy (RAR) - 5 files Chicken Incubation / Gestation Period Calendar (Image)
Medical Information:
Wry Neck Chickens - Image results for comparison
All files are hosted on a cloud account. But, I have them stored locally as well. If, for any reason, you are unable to download any of the above listed files, please click the "Report" button under this post, and let me know which file(s) you are having problems with.
The above quote couldn't have been posted at a more appropriate time.
You recall we had one chick sent to the farm to be watched, and isolated from the other birds? Keep that in mind a few minutes, please.
So, this morning, up before first light and the chickens.
We planned on taking the chicks to the farm this morning, and wanted to do so before it got too hot. A bit late starting out, as we had to stop by a supply store and pick up a couple of rolls of chicken wire to finish off the new digs at the farm.
Got 'em all boxed up, meds and vitamins packed, food packed, larger water and food dispensers packed and ready to go.
Off we went down the road.
Arrived before the sun was too high in the morning sky. We unloaded the birds, took the boxes into the new (walk in) chicken house, and opened 'em up. Three boxes, three Khmers, unloading and counting. 60 birds? Check, 60 birds present. (One in seclusion, isolated, if you recall above.)
Man, were they happy! Diggin' around in the cool dirt to have a bath in.
Not nearly as hot there, as it is here. Even had a nice breeze blowing there. So, those chicks are going to be quite happy.
Anyway, we (READ: I) noticed one of the large water dispensers (that you hang from the ceiling) was cracked and definitely would leak. So, off the boss and I went to get another one to replace it with.
Got back, filled the water with pretty fresh rain water from the storage tanks, and I put it in the chicken house. Sitting there, watching the flock, I started to feel a bit bad, because I had not even checked on the little guy who had Wrye Neck, a few nights before. So, I asked Chan if the isolated chick had any water and food.
She, in turn, asked the family, rather than going and looking.
The next news I got, chilled me to the bone, and pissed me off beyond belief. Yep. Sure enough.
"Paul, he put the chick in with the others after we left to get the water dispenser."
After throwing everything from my hands, picking up and throwing a chair, and raising my voice enough so they could hear it in Phnom Penh, I asked her why in hell he would have done such a stupid thing? She said she didn't know he would do it. He didn't know the chick was supposed to be isolated.
So, you come home from the land (they were planting crops before this morning when he returned home), see this one chick off by himself, and say, "Boy, wouldn't he like to be in with his friends?!" That, is, rather than querying yourself, and then others, as to why a chick would be in isolation away from the rest of the flock.
Either way, he came over, walked inside the chicken house, looks at the birds, and picks one from the 61 birds walking and laying around their new digs.
Ya know, I am curious here. I wonder how in hell he would have a clue as to which, specific bird was the one with wrye neck, especially since the bird had shown NO symptoms in over two days.
In my mind, I feel that we just played the lotto - or would that be Russian Roulette? And, we will not know if we won, or splattered our brains all over the floor, very soon.
I tell ya, I begin to think they are ready for the next step, and then they prove what an idiot I am for thinking such a stupid thing in the first place. They simply, without a doubt, without a second thought, have no clue as to what they need to do, in order to properly provide for the chickens. Of course, if they lose them all, why should they care? They have zero dollars invested. I am the rich foreigner who can afford to start this all over again. Yeah, right.
I have a headache. I just walked over to the motorbike, started it up, and drove off toward home. I am here now, and need some rest to cope with this.
Okay. So, I finally got hold of the vaccination for the birds I am now raising. But, first, we did drop by one place, and rang the other supplier, to ask if they had in fact vaccinated the birds prior to us receiving them. Both said they did. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't - I don't know for sure. However, there is NO doubt, I am talking zero doubt here, that they have not been vaccinated now. I know, because we did it today, for sure.
The stuff comes in two bottles, kept refrigerated until mixed. Here is what you get when you buy the "Var'ceen (វ៉ាក់សាំង) or VARK'SUNG":
One bottle is pure liquid. The other is some sort of crystals. Take a needle and plunger, stick it in the liquid bottle and fill the plunger. Take it out, inject it into the bottle of crystals and fill that bottle mostly full. Shake it until well mixed. Fill the plunger with the mixture, remove it from that bottle and inject, and fill the previous bottle (the one with all the liquid). Repeat until all the crystals have dissolved and have been mixed with the liquid, and have been transferred to the larger bottle with the liquid in it. Shake.
Insert the little injector / dispenser thingy (the third item in the photo above). Grab one chick and hold it so it's head is turned with its eye facing you. Gently squeeze one drop into the bird's eye.
Turn the bird's head (or its entire body) over and repeat.
Total cost for both items and the injector / dispenser thingy was 7,500r or just under $2.00 USD. This mixture will treat up to 100 birds to prevent Newcastle disease from being spread to them.