At present I have 20 laying hens and two roosters. I say at present because you never know when something will happen to one of them. You see, I let them free range the barn pasture and the yard putting them at risk to such predators as hawks, racoons and coyotes. The risk is real, but the advantage to letting them run all day in the sunshine and fresh air is generally worth it. They are loving this mild weather we are having. Most of the winter they didn't venture out of the chicken house as they hate walking in snow.
I lost my dog Katie this fall. She was a very smart and brave Border Collie whose main job was to keep the chickens out of the yard. She was passionate about catching rats and mice in the chicken house as well, which lead to her death from complications of hystoplasmosis. This fungal disease found in chicken houses and other places and prevelant in the Ohio Valley is not normally fatal. But in Katie's case some underlying weakness in her system allowed the disease to get into her blood and kill her. I was devasted and miss her terribly.
It will soon be time to clean the chicken house. The chickens made a huge mess of it this winter. We had so much snow cover from December until the present that they almost never left the house. The chicken manure is wonderful for the garden, but cleaning the house is putting me at risk for hystoplasmosis. I will wear a face mask ( I use TB masks but regular masks that you buy at the hardware store are fine), and I will cover my hair, wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt. When I am finished I shake out all my clothes, throw them in the washer, and take a shower. I've always followed this routine, but with Katie's death I will be doubly vigilant.
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