- Mar 23, 2013
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This is a bit long winded but here goes...
I retrieved an abandoned nest from my standard bronze hen - she hasn't been having much success.
I put the eggs in the incubator and waited for them to hatch 3 weeks later. I should have followed my gut instincts to throw out the eggs as the hen had abandoned them because of a breakage in the nest. Some of the eggs had yolk on them. I wiped them off but didn't sterilise them. What harm could it do?
The hatch was staggered with 2 poults arriving 3 days earlier then expected. 10 poults hatched in all.
Everything was fine, but for the first time ever I noticed about 3 of the poults had their belly buttons exposed a little, i kept them in the incubator for a few extra hours to help them with that.
By the time I came home from work all 3 poults were spraddled, so now using a strip of cotton fabric I tied there legs to help to correct that.
Meanwhile I also had a very staggered hatch of guinea keets going on in the same incubator. (thats another story!) It got very smelly and dirty in there.
Fast forward to 10 days later. The guinea keets have all left for their new home, and are by all accounts doing very well indeed.
One poult has been standing with eyes closed and lethargic for a few days. I think to myself that it can't possibly be cocci as they haven't been exposed to it. It refuses to drink with the sip reflex.
That poult died last night and 2 more (possibly 3) are starting to act lethargic too.
I've had them on treatment for cocci for the past 2 days with no apparent effect. Which makes me think it's not cocci, their droppings are normal.
So here I am now switching the treatment for an antibiotic and oil of oregano as treatment for what could quite possibly be bacterial infection from the dirty hatch.
I learned my lesson. No more dirty eggs from rescued nest boxes - no matter how well intentioned!
What would you do?
I retrieved an abandoned nest from my standard bronze hen - she hasn't been having much success.
I put the eggs in the incubator and waited for them to hatch 3 weeks later. I should have followed my gut instincts to throw out the eggs as the hen had abandoned them because of a breakage in the nest. Some of the eggs had yolk on them. I wiped them off but didn't sterilise them. What harm could it do?
The hatch was staggered with 2 poults arriving 3 days earlier then expected. 10 poults hatched in all.
Everything was fine, but for the first time ever I noticed about 3 of the poults had their belly buttons exposed a little, i kept them in the incubator for a few extra hours to help them with that.
By the time I came home from work all 3 poults were spraddled, so now using a strip of cotton fabric I tied there legs to help to correct that.
Meanwhile I also had a very staggered hatch of guinea keets going on in the same incubator. (thats another story!) It got very smelly and dirty in there.
Fast forward to 10 days later. The guinea keets have all left for their new home, and are by all accounts doing very well indeed.
One poult has been standing with eyes closed and lethargic for a few days. I think to myself that it can't possibly be cocci as they haven't been exposed to it. It refuses to drink with the sip reflex.
That poult died last night and 2 more (possibly 3) are starting to act lethargic too.
I've had them on treatment for cocci for the past 2 days with no apparent effect. Which makes me think it's not cocci, their droppings are normal.
So here I am now switching the treatment for an antibiotic and oil of oregano as treatment for what could quite possibly be bacterial infection from the dirty hatch.
I learned my lesson. No more dirty eggs from rescued nest boxes - no matter how well intentioned!
What would you do?
