26. Blunted affect, CAE, homo sapiens?

Do chickens cry?  Do they get emotional attachments’ to each other and or people or do they just show a sort of like a blunted affect (scientific term describing lack of emotional reactivity)?  I've actually never seen a chicken act upset really. I love studying their behavior. It's so neat. So, I think they just show a bunted effect, but if I witness something that changes my thoughts on it, I'll let you know.

So I am learning about CAE on your projects page.  I woke up this morning wondering if you had a goat that was pregnant and discovered that she had CAE.  When she had the kid, is there some form of treatment or something that you can do to essentially kill the virus that is in the body fluid and colostrum so the kid could still get the essential colostrum from it mother and not become infected? No, that's never happened to me. You could pasteurize the colostrum, but that would defeat the purpose of it since it would destroy the helpful bacteria and stuff. You would have to just give the kid a substitute or maybe colostrum from another milking doe.

How easily can the virus be killed once it is actually outside the goat if it can at all? I'm not sure what you mean. Could you elaborate? It doesn't get outside of the goat. Once a goat is infected it always has the disease since it is currently incurable. It spreads through bodily fluids.
 

I know that people drink goats’ milk and make goats’ milk cheese etc.  If a goat has CAE but it is dormant and you do not know the goat is carrying the virus because it has shown no symptoms, are there any effects that humans can have from that?  It would be in the fluids from the goat right? So I know that this is not anything a human can get but can we as Homo sapiens be effected negatively from CAE at all? So far there have been no reports of humans being affected at all by CAE.

*fun fact:  Uncle Sam is said to have originated from a man named Sam Wilson during the war of 1812. Sam Wilson was a meat packer from New York. 

I like this quote by Albert Einstein.  “A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.”

kk

25. Feeding, hamsters, showing?

Thank you for the compliment.  As you get older you are going to find out/realize  that you are, and are going to be and have the potential to be much smarter then I.   I love you and this blog is just wonderful.

 Here is a weird question but how often do the chickens and goats need to be fed? They eat all day long actually, but we just give them food in the morning and the evening.

 

Ok, so I asked Lauren this morning if she has any question she wanted to ask you.  She asks, are snakes harmful to hamsters?  And would a hamster be safe in a running ball on your ranch?  Haha, love her!!! Haha! Yes, snakes are very harmful to hamsters. Garter snakes aren't but Bull snakes definitely are. A hamster would probably be safe in a running ball, as long as it didn't roll into a pond or something.

 

I want to know more about showing the chickens.  What does it really mean to win first for showing a chicken? Chickens: Winning first or champion would mean that it was the best representative of it's breed. So, say you were showing a silkie. To win first it would have to have the correct toe spacing, the right coloring/variety and pattern of feathers(so a blue would have to be very fluffy and plain blue without any other color spots or something), a good crest(the feathers on it's head), etc. Goats: For goats it's basically the same. However, at our fair all the breeds are judged together. So, the judge can't pick the best Nubian, the best Alpine, etc. They will pick the goat that looks as though it would be the best milker or breeding animal. This is determined by their health, condition, and body shape.

 Does that make your chickens and their products more valuable?  Chickens: Yes, in a way. The chicken would sell for more and one of the things they are judged on is their body shape and health. A healthy chicken will be a better layer than a sickly one. Goats: Yes, because when buying a goat you try to get a good milker most likely.

What exactly do you do to show a chicken?  i.e.  How do you show a chicken?  I have those questions about showing animals about the goats as well. Chickens: To show a chicken we first prepare it. That means bathing and cleaning it. Then we take it to fair and it stays in a crate while being judged. The judge walks by and examines the chicken and sometimes will take it out to look more closely. Showmanship is different. That is when one holds the chicken and shows it to the judge. It is based more on how you show it than what the chicken looks like. Goats: Showing a goat is way different than chickens. You have to walk it around a ring, stopping it when the judge says to do so and then positioning it(more on this in my video). Also, you do basically the same stuff during showmanship, but you're being judged, not the goat.

 

·         Happy that you like my fun facts. Henry IV said “I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday” 

·      In 1928 the republican party campaign slogan was "A chicken in every pot" Haha! Woah!

kk

24. Rain, names, sicknesses

Oh man so I guess I have to be patient.   I am going to love reading it.  I love reading research and such on subject that I know nothing about.  I think it’s exciting and mentally stimulating to read about a new subject.

So off that subject since I am going to wait to read it.  How often does it rain there on the ranch?  Just asking because since school ended up here we have had rain almost non-stop.  We even had a day when the sun did not come out all day it was so dark and depressing.  So that got me thinking about the difference in rainfall.  What is the average rainfall around there?  Does it rain a lot, or a little?  Just curious. It's usually pretty dry here. Like last year, it was so dry we had all of those fires. It almost rained today, but didn't. So sad! I love the rain. Not sure what the average rainfall is, but definitely lower than there, I'm sure.

So cool about finding out the genders and information on your own chickens from the chicken man.  Are you going to change their names? Blue, Green, and Pink will keep their names, but I think my sister is going to change Veratess' name since it's a girl name.

What kinds of illness and sickness do you watch out for with the chickens?  I know that when they get bugs, it is highly curable if you catch it but highly deadly if you do not.  (Learned that on this blog) Haha! So, glad you're learning things from me. It's so fun, because to me, I always thought you were just too smart for me to teach you anything. Haha! I know better now though. Um, we just watch out for any nutrients or things they might be lacking. Like, if their egg shells are too thin they need calcium, stuff like that.

Hey, and do the goats and chickens get colds or little illnesses?  You know how we as Homo sapiens get the common cold, do they?  I don't think so. I know goats can get pneumonia and stuff like that, but I've never heard of them getting a common cold.

 *fun fact for you, homo is the genus of the human species and of course means man, sapiens is the Latin word for wise.  Homo-sapiens is a species of the primate family Hominidae. (I am a creationist not an evolutionist)  So homo-sapiens is considered to be the wise one.  Weird huh? I love your interesting little facts!

kk

23. Caprine Arthritic Encephalitis (CAE)?

Sorry I have not been on in a while.  We have been very busy here with the end of school and medical issues.  That's alright!

 

I love your project that you are working on.  Are you going to be doing a research paper on that or just the research?  Thanks! Yes, I'll be writing a paper. In fact I'm writing it today. I haven't been able to post the progress because it's just been source cards, outlines, and such.

 

 

Do you think that the disease that you are researching Caprine Arthritic Encephalitis is an issue with a lot of goats?  What is the percentage of goat that have that in the United States? This was my first question too. I'd never heard of the disease before so I assumed it couldn't be that common. When the disease was first heard of it was just a rumor. Then once it was proved, it was believed that about 80% of goats had it. More tests continued and the number was decreased to about 33%. That's all I'll say for now though. You'll just have to wait for the paper. :) 

Have you ever seen or known personally sick goats that have that? Nope.

And since it was discovered 20 years ago, have the rates of the known disease increased, decreased or is it something that has not changed after they discovered what it was? I think it's basically stayed the same, but I'm not positive. 

 

And I am interested in hearing what your take on that whole debate is?  Are you more prone to be preventative or just precautious about Caprine Arthritic Encephalitis with your goats?  In other words, do you believe this is something that should be tested and found out whether they have it or not with your goats or are you more liable to wait and see? i.e. if they get it, then treat it.  This is what my report is going to be on. So, again, you'll just have to wait. ;)

Love you!
kk

22. Showing qualities in goats and chickens?

Hello, and good morning.  I hope you are having a fabulous day.

What makes a goat good for showing? All breeds have a breed standard, or a certain way they have to look. Then they must be healthy, no limps or sickness. Also, they should have a good body shape and no abnormalities, therefore they should have, strong bodies, a feminine build(if it's a female), no extra teats, etc. So, a goat must conform to their breed standard, be free of illness, and have a nice body and shape.

What makes a chicken good for showing? It's basically the same as the goats. They have breed standards as well, and therefore should be a good representative of their breed. Combs, wattles, and other body parts should be well formed and look the way that they are supposed to. Health is also important.

What do you look for in the chickens and goats that make you think that they would be good for show? What I said above.

What traits/characteristics do the judges look for in the chickens and goat that would get them to award the chicken or goat with a first place ribbon? The animal that is as close to a perfect specimen of that breed would take first place most likely, unless it is very malnourished or ill.

What do you look for to determine which one would be good to show? There are books you can get that tell you exactly how they should look. In picking which chickens will go, since we can't take them all, we look for all of the traits that the book calls for and as I said before, they must be healthy.

kk

21. Instincts, competition, goat toys?

Good morning.  I hope you are having a marvelous day. 

When chicks hatch do they instinctively know who their mother is and focus on her or will any hen do? Well, usually when chicks hatch their mom is on them, so they know. If their mother wasn't sitting on them they would most likely die, since it would be too cold. Therefore, they wouldn't have the chance to just find any hen.

Do chicks show competitive behavior? What do you mean exactly? 

Do your goats need to stay in their yard all the time?  That is to say, if they got away, would they just keep going or would they come home?  And do goats like toys, the way a dog will love a toy or ball? If they did get out, they would most likely just graze or if they saw or heard us, they would probably try to come find us. The only reason they ever try to get out is to follow us usually. They don't really play with toys, they love just running and playing with other creatures(us, the dogs, or another goat). I have seen them play with an empty water bucket though.

kk

20. Natural vs. artifical incubation, imprinting?

Good Morning, I hope you had a fabulous weekend.  Have a wonderful day! ww
I did. Everything at the barn was good. It got really wet though after our water fight with a couple friends last night. Haha!
 

Okay, so what came first, the chicken or the egg? Haha this question.... Well the answer to this would be more of an opinion. I think it was the chicken, because God created Adam and Eve as adults so wouldn't the animals be adult too? What do you think?  I agree with you 100%

 

So which is better, natural or artificial incubation?  Neither is really better than the other. With the incubator, you have to keep the temperature and humidity controlled and rotate the eggs. Natural, you don't have to do much, but if the hen gets lazy they'll die. So it's really just what you prefer. I however have no preference.

 
Do baby chicks imprint the way ducks can?
I don't really know anything about ducks. So what do you mean?

Imprinting:
Definition:
1. n. The tendency of young animals to follow the first moving thing they see. In the wild, this is usually the mother, but in captivity, where the mother may not be the first thing they see, they might follow a human being or any moving object. Source: Durrell, G. and L. Durrell. 'A Practical Guide for the Amateur Naturalist'. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1989. 2. n. A kind of associative learning in which an animal rapidly learns during a particular critical period to recognize an object, individual, or location in the absense of overt reward; distinguished from most other associative learning in that it is retained indefinitely, being difficult or impossible to reverse. Source: Keeton, W.T. and J.L. Gould. 'Biological Science (4th Edition)'. W.W. Norton & Co Ltd. New York. 1986.

Imprinting is best known in which a young animal gets lots of its behavioral characteristic from the parent.  The babies are born and imprint on their parents and then follow them around.  Have you ever seen the movie (Fly Away Home) with the Canadian geese?  That whole movie is about the Imprinting of goslings with humans.  So I was wondering if chickens imprint on their parents or the first things they see when hatched like some other birds? I thought that might be what it meant, but wasn't sure. No they don't. That would be adorable. They do follow their mom around, but they can tell that a human is not their mom. Chicks are mostly scared of people.

kk