Lavender11
In the Brooder
I have no idea No there was just layers of paper towels. They are the littlest ones so maybe an incubating/hatching issue.
Last edited:
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I hope I'm making the right call here. I was at a Drs appt and didn't get home till after dark to lock up. I assumed the chicks would be under their mph and the chickens would be sleeping in the coop. Well the chicks were all mixed in sleeping with the big chickens. (I have silkies so they don't roost but sleep in a big heap on the floor). The chicks weren't even huddled together. One chick was under one silkie and another was under a different one and so on. So I left them. I'll check on them in a couple hours but all look snug and cozy...one big family. The chicks are 4 & 5 weeks old. Will they be warm enough without the mph if they have the big silkies?
...
I realise I was woefully unprepared for things to go wrong.
...
I'm not too happy at the moment. I thought I did everything right, had it all set up properly in preparation and it looked like everyone else's but two of them and possibly a third look like they have slipped tendons. I feel sick at the thought of culling but I don't want to torture them with a slow death
If the silkies want to brood the chicks, why not! Even more natural than MHP.
Are you sure it's a slipped tendon and not splayed legs? Have you tried to pop it back in place? I had my first chick with this last month. You have to gently hold the chick on his back in your hand and then with the other hand lift him up by the shanks. The chick will hang there for a minute and then they will pull up to try to right themselves. This motion and the gravity can be enough to slip the tendon back in place. Have you read the chick podiatry website? I can find the link if you need. Good luck. It's such a sad thing!