INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[BantyChooks]

That bad, huh?

 

[Chaos18]

That bad, huh?

I think your nose grew about 3ft and your pants are starting to smoke.

 

[BantyChooks]

I think your nose grew about 3ft and your pants are starting to smoke.

I kin do it, I got the feed bill & the electricity bill to motivate me.....

 

[Pensmaster]

I kin do it, I got the feed bill & the electricity bill to motivate me.....

X2. The incubator is airing out now. Unplugged

 

[DuckGirl77]

Mike already showed the icelandic babies from his flock, but those are what hatched yesterday.





















spoiled, gooserz and ducks, nope cant eat them nope nope nope lol

Wow! Some of the chicks from Sally look tasty!

I have done that.

Not much.

Thanks for the hug. I miss her, but it's becoming the new normal. I hate it though, I do hate it! "New normal" nothing! Ah, well, nothing I can do now.
Seeing other people's burds helps somehow, so I come on here.

Oh I LOVE your Burds!! MAJOR SQUEEEEEEEE!!!

You're gonna make me get mor ducks, aintcha.... I'm very tempted, considering duck eggs go for $2+ more than chicken eggs at markets and stuff!!

I'm so glad you can't eat them. That way I get to look at adorable pictures.

Do it! Do it!

Botulism Type C spores exist in lake and pond bottoms and thrive when air temperatures rise and water and oxygen levels drop. A hot dry summer increases the probability of outbreaks. As water levels drop, the bacteria are exposed. The ducks will ingest the bacteria when they feed. They also contract botulism by feeding on invertebrate carcasses that harbor the toxin. The toxin also exists in the live maggots that feed on carcasses. By consuming these maggots, the toxin in turn, poisons the ducks.


What is your location and do they have access to a pond? or do you have a baby pool that you refresh? I think its more common in wild birds than like I have, also more in the west than the east

I am in the northeast (U.S.) and yes, I have a kiddie pool for them. I change the water every few days. Not every day because the well water will go low.

Merck Manual Overview of Botulism in Poultry

(Limberneck, Western duck sickness)

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/poultry/botulism/overview_of_botulism_in_poultry.html

Thanks

Question- How long does sav-a chick mixture last? I mixed up a gallon, but didn't need that much. I don't want to waste it. Can I refrigerate it and keep it for a few weeks?

I keep my sav-a-chic solution for a little while, but I believe the last time I didn't use it right away it turned clearish. Usually, I just give them the rest right away.

Question... do any of you have "ovation goals"? What I mean is do you set targets for reaching a certain number or anything like that, and does the ovation system motivate you to post posts that are worthy of ovations? Just curious...

-Kathy

Sorta .... When I look at it I think "Oooh I'll try to get to that #", but I don't think about it often. I try to be helpful whether or not I get ovation, though; ovation is just a bonus.

Hey, all!!!! I've been super busy at work (very busy time of year) and traveling, but all is generally well. I am over 9200 posts behind so, no, read back WON'T be happening.

I have a question, hoping you guys have some ideas. I just realized that Lissa (one of the Cream Legbars) has scabby loss of feathers all along the front of her neck as well as at the base of her tail. Their paddock has high brush, and she's a bit shy, so I hadn't noticed until now, though in retrospect, I noticed it on her neck a while ago (thought it was feathers broken by the brush or something.) They dust bathe in their bedding (they have a dust bath of sand and peat, but consistently fill it with bedding by kicking, so it's hard to keep clear). She picks at the feathers (but I didn't know if that was because it was irritated, or the cause).

I managed to get her out of the coop and into my brooder/chicken infirmary and got some photos (easier to get back than neck). She is dirty, but I didn't see any critters (I tried to look at any black spot/speck, they didn't seem like bugs, but maybe my vision sucks). Vent looks fine.








Ideas? Anyone seen something like this before? There is scabbing or redness in some areas - I'm starting by spraying Vetericyn for that aspect.

(I will also search around on BYC, but thought it couldn't hurt to ask here.)

- Ant Farm

Hi!

Glad to see you back!
Yes, on hens bothered by a roo. I thought it was mites, but turns out Mr. Rooster was the problem!

Incubator is unplugged, cleaned, and everything is put away for the last time until next year. I think I'm having withdrawl.

Oh, I think I missed your hatch! How did it go?
I'm feeling the same thing - and hearing people say "lockdown today" or "I'm going to candle tomorrow" makes it really bad.

 

[DuckGirl77]

I kin do it, I got the feed bill & the electricity bill to motivate me.....

I know! You can get a mouse, and use the energy from the wheel he runs on the power your incubator!

 

[BantyChooks]

Thanks for the hug. I miss her, but it's becoming the new normal. I hate it though, I do hate it! "New normal" nothing! Ah, well, nothing I can do now.
Seeing other people's burds helps somehow, so I come on here.

Do it! Do it! 

I am in the northeast (U.S.) and yes, I have a kiddie pool for them. I change the water every few days. Not every day because the well water will go low.

Thanks

I keep my sav-a-chic solution for a little while, but I believe the last time I didn't use it right away it turned clearish. Usually, I just give them the rest right away.

Sorta .... When I look at it I think "Oooh I'll try to get to that #", but I don't think about it often. I try to be helpful whether or not I get ovation, though; ovation is just a bonus.

Hi!   Glad to see you back!
Yes, on hens bothered by a roo. I thought it was mites, but turns out Mr. Rooster was the problem!

Oh, I think I missed your hatch! How did it go?
I'm feeling the same thing - and hearing people say "lockdown today" or "I'm going to candle tomorrow" makes it really bad.

8/15 viable eggs have hatched!

 

[BantyChooks]

I know! You can get a mouse, and use the energy from the wheel he runs on the power your incubator! 

Uhh... Broodies sound much simpler!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

A few updates, in pictoral form. I went out of town for a week, and was so relieved that all went well with the chicken sitter. First the sad. Jenny (who has ocular Mareks or other ocular tumors) has a faster growing tumor in one of her eyes now. There is nothing I can do to help her, and she is comfortable in her coop despite her already decreased vision, with a companionable fellow hen and a solicitous and sweet rooster who adores her, so I just keep an eye on her. She's getting along ok so far, not sure what the future holds.



Her "good" eye (which isn't normal, but it's the only eye she can see out of):


On a brighter note... The youngest "babies" are now 16 weeks old (wow - they grow so fast!). Not all have names - only the ones who "reveal" their names to me. Everyone else is "Hey, you."

I built the Sorority Sisters (Pullet group) an ugly-as-sin shade shelter out of a pallet and scrap wood (they have more sun than the others). They adore it. I also put out misters for them all once it started hitting about 100F, and they have done well in adapting.



Raven (Black Copper Maran pullet) is the friendliest of the bunch.

Arbequina (Olive egger) is splash copper maran mixed with wheaten ameraucana I think, and may be the prettiest bird in the yard. Alas, she knows it (little drama queen...)




I wanted to name the three German New Hampshire pullets after the Golden Girls (seemed to fit), but I just had to name the one that reminded me of Bea Arthur "Maude" instead of Dorothy.



Goodwin the Lavender Americana cockerel has continued to grow. And he's not "Goodwin" any more. He now only answers to "Robert E. Lee."


The Eight Acres German New Hampshires have done really well. One of the boys (Mr. Yellow, named after his leg band) ended up having a very slight cross beak (didn't even notice it until he was 13 weeks old), so he won't be a keeper, but of the four there are two (Mr. Black and Mr. Grey) who are vying for keeper status. The girls also look great - so pleased with these GNH!!!!

Here's Mr. Black, and to his right you can see Mr. Yellow's crossbeak if you look closely (or click on the photo to see it enlarged).



Here's Mr. Grey (the big one in the center).


And here some of them decided to line up for me - thought this was a cute photo


I had not planned on keeping any of the Black/Blue/Splash Copper Marans cockerels (in an attempt to keep things a bit more simple). However, this Splash boy is really big - on latest weigh-in, he is tied with Mr Black at 5 lbs 4 oz at 16 weeks. So I'm going to find a way to make room for him somehow. His name is Chunky Monkey. And his beak is "splash" too (pale with black spots), which I thought was nifty.




The boys have done well so far, but it's time to cull - I'm culling this coming weekend (the two hateful mean Cream Legbar boys who pick fights, and the two olive egger roosters, and Mr. Yellow the crossbeak GNH). Five is as much as I can do in a day, I think. I'll cull the non-keeper Copper Marans the following weekend, perhaps.

Last but not least, despite being really busy, I still feel a bit like a deadbeat, because I really need to get the Sorority Sisters' coop built. There's always something to do, isn't there?!

Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnnd that's all I've got. (Sorry for the photo bombs...)

- Ant Farm

 

[Leave a LightOn]

@BantyChooks Update: One of six hatched yesterday, Day 20. Other five eggs rotten!

I will let the broody raise her so she won't be lonely. Mama raised a pair last year for 8 weeks. They were bigger than her!

Learning to Eat



Scared of Flash - Sowwy little one.