Good Morning.
For the second year in a row, I have began duck hatching season with an inordinate number of deaths. Ducklings started pipping yesterday afternoon, so I expected to find a tray full of babies this morning. Instead I found 12 eggs with open pip holes, but 10 dead ducklings. I pulled...
Good Morning, Turkey Folks.
I've noticed many threads over the last few years asking about blackhead disease when raising turkeys with other poultry, but I don't recall seeing any photos to help folks know the signs. Most folks include pictures of turkey poults with dark spots on their...
Ok, Crazy question, but it's worth asking just to get a few responses. I ran to the poultry yard this evening because a duck was pitching a fit like one of my dogs had pinned it. When I got there, sure enough a Cayuga duck was pinned in a corner, but not by a dog....by two young, amorous...
Blount County 4-H will hold its annual chicken show and auction on Saturday, August 23rd at Heritage High School in Maryville, TN. There will be (4) breeds shown and auctioned, all pullets hatched the last week of March, 2014. The breeds are Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, Red sex-link and Black...
The Blount County 4-H Poultry Project will host its annual Chicken Show and Auction on Saturday, August 23rd at Heritage High School in Maryville, TN. The judging will begin at 11:15 with the auction to follow at approximately 12:00 noon. There will (4) breeds available, Rhode Island Red, Barred...
I've just come through a serious outbreak of cocciodosis (I hope) because the silly things (4-H chicks, 12-14 weeks old) refuse to sleep anywhere but in a damp corner. Is there an effective way to get them to sleep in an elevated position?
In the last two days I have lost (6) chicks. They are 14-week-old BR and RIR pullets. They are hatchery birds that we got through 4-H; all received Marek's vaccine at the hatchery. They have died onesy-twosey, but all with the same pattern. When I went out to feed, they were laying on one side...
This is actually a turkey question, but I believe this is the best place to ask.
I have struggled with hatching turkey poults this year, having to assist with nearly every one because the babies are able to pip, but then can't make any headway through the shell and outer membrane. The shells...
This is the second season I have hatched out Narragansett turkeys. In two years, I have yet to have a single poult that could hatch on its own. I use the same cabinet incubator for both chickens and turkeys with a temp setting of 100.4 and humidity 60-70%. Chickens have never had a problem...
We found a 1 yo Aussie hen dead just outside the nest box this afternoon. Her lower abdomen was extremely swollen but soft. I assumed something had backed up in her reproductive system, but when we cut her open, her intestines were coated in liver tissue. See below.
There were no other...
I have a menagerie of breeds and ages- Aussies, Easter Eggers, RIR, BR, BSL, RSL, and mutts ranging in age from 9 months to two years. There are 27 hens/pullets. About a month ago, egg production bottomed out. I had been free-ranging with only minimal feed in the evening, so my first thought was...
Have you ever wondered why the wild turkey brooding season is so short? They could easily lay into the early summer and have better temperature and enough time to rear their brood before cool autumn rolls back around. Sadly, my Narragansett hens have taught me a valuable lesson about late season...
Well Easter has come and gone and as may be the case with hundreds of people across the country, my mother-in-law strikes again!!!! She came by on Sunday to give each of my four children an Easter basket including a new duckling from the local Tractor Supply. I have no idea what breed they are...
Good evening. Our county extension officer has asked me to be the parent volunteer leading up our county 4-H poultry project this year. Our first meeting will be on 2/26/13 and most of the 38 families are brand new to chickens. I want to set up a profile page or something similar through BYC to...
I have six year-old Narragansett hens. Do I need put a couple of wiffle balls or something similar in their nest boxes to stimulate laying? Based on temp and length of day, I don't expect any activity for a month or so, but I'm trying to get everything ready.
thanks
Which field on the profile page to I use to add text below each of my posts? You know, where everyone gives a rundown of the flock and family. I used to have text there, but haven't been on in a while and can't remember how to update this info.
thanks,
Hey folks,
Hope tonight's meeting was informative for everyone. This is just a chance for everyone to really introduce themselves and give a little background on your chicken experience. My name is Justin Davis, I have two kids participating in the Chick Chain this year, Michael (7th grade...
Ok, I've researching this for a couple of days and haven't found what I'm looking for.
I have a bout of respiratory infection going through my flock of nine hens and two roosters. I've seen several posts about these conditions, but here's the kicker....these aren't new birds. I've had everyone...
I lady nearby just gave me a couple of RIR Roosters that she can't manage. I already have one young cockrel, but these look very different. They are a dark brick red and are heavy on dark irridescent feathers on their saddles, wings, and feathers. Are these a fault in RIR?