A bad day...

foxy

foxy

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Really awful situation,I am absolutely gutted. I had last night arranged a wonderful home for Houdini and two of his beautiful ladies. Houdini did me proud at the Federation last December and came second. This morning found him dead, no marks, no illness, nothing...I am absolutely gutted, I still haven't told the new owner.. :( :(

He was a gorgeous boy, with a super nature. So very sad. I now only have his brother, horrifically went to check him over and for some reason he really freaked out, went blue and collapsed, thought I had lost him too! Anyway he is fine now but really scared me, specially as he has been to the Fed and got a First so is not normally so nervous, really odd.

If anyone is seriously interested in breeding ermines, please let me know, there are not that many around and I would be happy to let hatching eggs go.

Here is Houdini, rest in peace..a truly lovely boy :( :(
 

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Very sad. some breeds are prone to heart problems. I used to own a strain of buff columbian Brahma Large fowl, where otherwise apparently healthy birds would simply drop dead! Most notably, a ranging POL pullet that came lolloping towards me expecting her usual treat, only to fall dead at my feet, and a handsome, lusty Male, penned one morning in readiness for his first show, only to be found dead in a crumpled heap on my return from work.
It can be so upsetting, good luck with your remaining Ermines foxy.
 
So sorry Foxy ,its always our special ones that do it. A lovely picture of a beautiful bird. RoS
 
im so sorry you lost him that sux :(
btw i'd love to buy some hatching eggs from you tho ( i never asked be4 as you state on your website that you don't )
 
Fixy- Its bad enough it happening at all, nevermind his brother then collapsing and to top it off telling the new buyers. What a truly awful siuation. I am so sorry, he really does look a healthy chap in the photo.

how are his bereft ladies doing? Such a shame........ :(
 
Thank you al! I have told his prospective owner and she was lovely about it. I have put the girl he was with in quarantine, just in case and checked his ark over with a fine tooth comb, I just think it was bad luck and his time. Poor fella, his young lady laid an egg today, so I am hoping its fertile and a boy, will pop it in the incubator this weekend.

Girlracer... you are right, I don't sell hatching eggs, in this case I am hoping to spread the strain around about, there aren't many ermines and I think they are beautiful. It has been a lot of work making this strain, and this year they should be really good, however, I only have one boy left.... :( I have to be honest though, there may be something genetic that caused Houdinis sudden death.
 
Hi Foxy,

Firstly, I'm very sorry to read about your poor boy.

You might consider sending him for a PM. I would suspect Accute Death Syndrome (heart attack) and they can usually tell you if this is the case. If a cockerel drops dead for no apparent reason, with no previous ill health this is what I have been told is the most likely problem.

It has happened to me to 2 Buff Orpington lads I had - one moment fine, the next minute, dead.

It is apparently more common in large fowl cockerels or broiler type birds that are gaining weight too quickly. The neck is usually stretched out, bird is often found on its back.

During the heart attack, legs usually kick, and he may roll over wings stretched, gasping and with eyelids closed and the bird is dead within a minute or so.

I used to give birds away to local people on the condition that if something went wrong, they would be prepared to loan their cock bird back or let me have a couple of hatching eggs so I can get the bloodline back. I dropped some ducks in to Davidd on my way on holiday last year for this reason too. A kind of 'if all else fails' because years of work can be destroyed in minutes with Mr Fox... :(

Thinking of you and again so sorry to read the bad news :cry:
 
I think you may be right, it was very sudden and he looked like he had a sudden fit. I did consider a pm, but thought it might be a bit late. Ironically I was just talking that day to St Davids vets.

I guess thats the problem with poultry, you do get sudden inexplicable losses. Still hard when it happens though. :(
 
it is hard, we lost 2 light sussex cockerels in inexpliably last year, :( i will have a think on the eggs, are they large fowl or bantams ?
i remember reading on your site that you have both.
hope your lady tha was with him lays lots of eggs in the next week or so and that they are fertile,
We lost our salmons to a fox last year and i have luckily a son and daughter from them from them.
 
After just reading Elmwoods terrible news, now another sad happening. I'm very sad to hear your news Foxy;
Houdini was truly a beautiful boy. The ermine faverolles are really stunning.
 
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