Hello from down under!! :-)

[harriettasmania]

Hi, as my username suggests, I am Harriet from the island state of Australia, Tasmania.

It is nice to meet you all! I've been reading for awhile and decided to join today.

I have 2 Hy Line Brown hens - my beautiful layers who give 2 eggs a day without fail! One old broody - who has just hatched 5 gorgeous babies!!! So cute. I couldn't break her from being broody before Xmas so I arranged 6 fertile eggs and God love her, she successfully hatched 5 (mixed breeds) but 2 beautiful black Araucanas included! They are 2 weeks on Wednesday. So proud of her as she got so pale in the last week of sitting and I worried she wouldn't make it but I fed her silverbeet from the garden everyday and now she is going from strength to strength. The most amazing mother! Watched her today picking the chick crumble out of the food bin and dropping it to the babies and calling them as she did it!

We also have 2 baby ducklings. Mallard/Kakhi Campbell cross. The babies are 2 weeks tomorrow and I feel really bad as up until today (so for one week) I had them on the medicated chick crumble - and then read here what a no no it is. I feel awful :-(((. I replaced the crumble today to non medicated and will add Brewers yeast - can anyone please recommend how much???? I also got some meal worms as a treat. I've been giving them finely chopped greens everyday and they look very bright and healthy. I just hope to god I haven't damaged them?

Anyway - hi everyone!

Harriet

 

[sourland]

Hello, Harriet, welcome to BYC.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi Harriet

Glad you could join us here! Congrats on your new babies Your broody hen sounds like she is doing a fantastic job. As for your duckling question I'm afraid I'm not a duck keeper but I'm sure of you pop over to the duck section the keepers there will be able to help you. Here is the link ~https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks

Wishing you the very best of luck and enjoy BYC

 

[Birdrain92]

Hi, as my username suggests, I am Harriet from the island state of Australia, Tasmania.

It is nice to meet you all! I've been reading for awhile and decided to join today.

I have 2 Hy Line Brown hens - my beautiful layers who give 2 eggs a day without fail! One old broody - who has just hatched 5 gorgeous babies!!! So cute. I couldn't break her from being broody before Xmas so I arranged 6 fertile eggs and God love her, she successfully hatched 5 (mixed breeds) but 2 beautiful black Araucanas included! They are 2 weeks on Wednesday. So proud of her as she got so pale in the last week of sitting and I worried she wouldn't make it but I fed her silverbeet from the garden everyday and now she is going from strength to strength. The most amazing mother! Watched her today picking the chick crumble out of the food bin and dropping it to the babies and calling them as she did it!

We also have 2 baby ducklings. Mallard/Kakhi Campbell cross. The babies are 2 weeks tomorrow and I feel really bad as up until today (so for one week) I had them on the medicated chick crumble - and then read here what a no no it is. I feel awful :-(((. I replaced the crumble today to non medicated and will add Brewers yeast - can anyone please recommend how much???? I also got some meal worms as a treat. I've been giving them finely chopped greens everyday and they look very bright and healthy. I just hope to god I haven't damaged them?

Anyway - hi everyone!

Harriet

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined the flock! Do you know why they said no on medicated chick feed? I've always had ducklings with a medicated chick feed and my ducks seem like some of the healthiest ducks in the world in my opinion. Now they are on a laying hen crumble diet with small amount of cracked corn, and they can forage around the yard during the day. My ducks get a pan that is filled with feed that lasts them a week.

 

[NickyKnack]

Hello Harriet!

Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to joined the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around BYC.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens, Harriet, nice to meet you. BYC has a large Aussie community - the more the merrier. And "Australia, six states and one funny little island," thread.

 

[harriettasmania]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined the flock! Do you know why they said no on medicated chick feed? I've always had ducklings with a medicated chick feed and my ducks seem like some of the healthiest ducks in the world in my opinion. Now they are on a laying hen crumble diet with small amount of cracked corn, and they can forage around the yard during the day. My ducks get a pan that is filled with feed that lasts them a week.

Hi there! Thanks for the welcome! I just read on this forum and other duck related sites that ducklings can die if fed medicated chick crumble. In Australia it is Avatec - which is Lasalocid. I felt super anxious when I discovered this so I immediately swapped to non medicated ... Which ironically my babies don't seem to like or eat anywhere near as much ??? But yes they do atleast look bright and super healthy. They LOVE the meal worms!!! From my limited understanding I don't think ducklings suffer as badly from coccidiosis as hens and they cannot break down the medication like chooks can ..... But I'm no expert. Again, thank you EVERYONE for such a warm welcome. Harriet

 

[Birdrain92]

Hi there! Thanks for the welcome!
I just read on this forum and other duck related sites that ducklings can die if fed medicated chick crumble. In Australia it is Avatec - which is Lasalocid. I felt super anxious when I discovered this so I immediately swapped to non medicated ... Which ironically my babies don't seem to like or eat anywhere near as much ??? But yes they do atleast look bright and super healthy. They LOVE the meal worms!!!
From my limited understanding I don't think ducklings suffer as badly from coccidiosis as hens and they cannot break down the medication like chooks can ..... But I'm no expert.

Again, thank you EVERYONE for such a warm welcome.

Harriet

Oh that's a different chemical I think. For medicated chick feed I buy it's usually a 18% or 20% protein and it has Amprolium to help prevent coccidiosis. Even my game bird starter feed as Amprolium but is a 28% protein. Thank you. Ducks are more resistant to diseases than chickens.

 

[harriettasmania]

Oh that's a different chemical I think. For medicated chick feed I buy it's usually a 18% or 20% protein and it has Amprolium to help prevent coccidiosis. Even my game bird starter feed as Amprolium but is a 28% protein. Thank you. Ducks are more resistant to diseases than chickens.
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I am so pleased to read that your food is ok! I was totally freaked when I found out! I wish all our feathered family nothing but the best of health!!!

H x