Recent content by ChickenLittle5

update...none of the eggs hatched. I let the girls sit for a few more days and things started to smell funky again. Around that time, I also noticed lice & mites. We ditched ALL the eggs, cleaned and sprayed. I'm going to try to break the broodiness for now. And if I do decide to let them...

Thank you all for the advice. We cleaned, burned all the old bedding, and sprayed with permethrin. I plan to retreat again with the permethrin in a couple of weeks (I'll double-check the bottle for the exact time). When I do the 2nd & 3rd treatments, do I need to remove all the bedding again...

Hmmm. I suppose these could be red, but I think they're black or brown. They're so tiny I'm not sure. Had I not seen them crawling on the eggs, I wouldn't have realized they were insects. I've read that Elector PSP doesn't require weekly treatment for mites. Since mites seem to be the...

Thank you all for the advice. We've had rainy weather all week, so I haven't treated for the lice yet. On the bright side that has given me an opportunity to check some other hens. I think we have mites, too!?! How big are mites? The bugs I see are about the size of ground black pepper...

Thanks. No, I don’t have any sprays. I’m going to Tractor Supply tomorrow and want to make sure I buy the right thing. Is permethrin safe around the eggs? Unfortunately the new bedding won’t be here until Friday, so I’m not going to treat them until I can do everything! I’m also going to...

Is this chicken lice around the hen's eyes? I want to make sure I'm treating for the correct pests before I clean the coop and spray all the birds.

Well, it seems the eggs I tossed the night before—the ones that were cracked or otherwise obviously bad even to a novice—were definitely the source of the funky smell. The coop didn’t stink last night! I canceled again and tossed about 6 eggs that while not necessarily bad, were much farther...

Thanks. There are several other eggs that I couldn't see anything. I'm hoping those have fully developed chicks, but it could also be that it just wasn't dark enough outside to candle the eggs?? I have been using that thread, but since I don't really know how old the eggs are, I don't know if...

I tried to candle the eggs this evening will little success. It wasn't quite dark enough for some eggs, so I'll try again tomorrow when I have more time. I found 1 egg that was definitely rotten. Once I got it out of the nest I could see a crack in the shell. I didn't really know what I was...

Exploding eggs is my fear! I thought they should be hatching soon, but everything I've read about hatch times is for using an incubator. I wasn't sure if it varied with a hen. :) If I candle them, what should I see at 2.5 weeks? I plan to clean the coop and add PDZ this weekend. Between...

I have a couple of broody hens. We chased her off and took the eggs for a few weeks. After a few weeks of her not giving up, I did! I decided to let her hatch a few chicks. It has been about 2.5-3 weeks and I'm noticing a foul smell. I'm not sure if the eggs she is sitting on are starting...

I'll have to get the kids to help me with the photos of the bottom of her foot. She is easy to catch, but not so easy to hold in a position while I take a photo. :) I'll try to get some this week. As for the nails, I had no idea chickens needed their nails clipped! Fortunately, I have the...

Thank you for the link. That thread is long, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to read it, but I'll definitely look through it. Do the vitamins you use need to be mixed with water? I'd love to find some in treat form to give her. With the water, I never know how much she gets. Yes, I...

My chicken is limping again. I'm posting some photos. Can anyone see anything that might be the cause? I checked for bumblefoot, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The other night my husband declared "something seriously wrong with the way that leg looks", but I don't see it. It looks...

Sadly the chicks were delayed in the mail 2 extra days and I'm told were either DOA or very ill. The 4H lady is going to drive 8 hours on Monday to pick up the replacements so they don't suffer the same fate. I hope this is the exception and not the norm for chick delivery this year!