"Springing in the Chicks" 2016 April Hatch-a-Long Hosted by Mike & Sally

[DwayneNLiz]

The pictures may be a bit out of order, but here I finally got on the story of Aviator and Lee. So, here they are now, happily living inside their bucket with a heat light hanging from my closet door (secured well), a stuffed chicken to cuddle with, a hat they sometimes sleep in, and a waterer (out of view). Lee is the smaller one. Here they are when I first brought Aviator inside. He was cuddled up with his brother but not so sure about humans. Now he will sit on my hand while I'm typing, not minding that it is moving up and down. Here they are ready to get down for exercise. I spread out a sheet (since they poop so much) and then let them run around and flap their wings. They come to me when I tap the ground and enjoy cuddles and perching on your shoulder or arm. Lee still prefers cuddles above perching. Aviator has the red markings on the face. Lee after his bath. You can see his little belly-button and thin frame with a too large head. I'm pretty sure this was a bath to clean off his back-end, after-which he needs extra cuddles so as not to get chills. Lee tired and weak, when he rested under my shirt or in my pocket most of the day and ate every 10 minutes or so, for about 2 minutes, before sleeping again. The two playing on the sheet together, eating food. You can see Aviator is still a little wary of the camera. Take upon hatching. He is the third chick that drowned while trying to escape the predator that got his mother. Lee during his assisted hatch. The hole in the top was to monitor his progress before finding his beak and opening a hole there. Lee bled a lot and was weak because of it. His stunting was more due to nearly dying while outside and then not getting enough to eat or drink, instead of because of the blood-loss at hatching (he got over that quickly). Take is already drying off and helped encourage the very weak Lee with snuggles and chirps. I'm sad that Take died, but he was such a great brother to both the more feral Aviator and precious little Lee. I think this is Lee after his first bath, since the water is up to his neck. I breathed warm air on him through cupped hands, then felt the water until it wouldn't burn or stun him but would bring his temperature back to normal (too warm temperatures can suddenly turn the body hot and cause the cold to rush to the internal organs so I hear). Lee, Take and Aviator happily feeding with their mother. RIP Pip, you were an amazing chicken for the years I had you.

Thanks for the post Rip pip Glad you have the 2

 

[emvickrey]

My babies are sick. All of the ones that I haven't sold that hatched around Easter are pooping blood. I gave them corrid today but I'm not sure if I added the right amount in the water container. I have a 1 gallon waterer and I put 2 tsp of corrid in the water. Please let me know if I need to change that. From what I understand I should give them the corrid for a week.

I sure am glad I didn't add the last hatch of 22 chicks to that pen. It'll be a while before I can cause after these babies get better I have to clean up the mess. That means they will be in the house longer than I was wanting.

 

[Honora]

My babies are sick. All of the ones that I haven't sold that hatched around Easter are pooping blood. I gave them corrid today but I'm not sure if I added the right amount in the water container. I have a 1 gallon waterer and I put 2 tsp of corrid in the water. Please let me know if I need to change that. From what I understand I should give them the corrid for a week.

I sure am glad I didn't add the last hatch of 22 chicks to that pen. It'll be a while before I can cause after these babies get better I have to clean up the mess. That means they will be in the house longer than I was wanting.

Mine also got cocci when they went outside. If you are using the liquid corid, the dosage is 2 tsp. per gallon.

Here is the link to casportpony's thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818879/updated-corid-and-amprol-amprolium-dosing

 

[mlm Mike]

The pictures may be a bit out of order, but here I finally got on the story of Aviator and Lee.

So, here they are now, happily living inside their bucket with a heat light hanging from my closet door (secured well), a stuffed chicken to cuddle with, a hat they sometimes sleep in, and a waterer (out of view). Lee is the smaller one.


Here they are when I first brought Aviator inside. He was cuddled up with his brother but not so sure about humans. Now he will sit on my hand while I'm typing, not minding that it is moving up and down.


Here they are ready to get down for exercise. I spread out a sheet (since they poop so much) and then let them run around and flap their wings. They come to me when I tap the ground and enjoy cuddles and perching on your shoulder or arm. Lee still prefers cuddles above perching. Aviator has the red markings on the face.


Lee after his bath. You can see his little belly-button and thin frame with a too large head. I'm pretty sure this was a bath to clean off his back-end, after-which he needs extra cuddles so as not to get chills.


Lee tired and weak, when he rested under my shirt or in my pocket most of the day and ate every 10 minutes or so, for about 2 minutes, before sleeping again.


The two playing on the sheet together, eating food. You can see Aviator is still a little wary of the camera.


Take upon hatching. He is the third chick that drowned while trying to escape the predator that got his mother.


Lee during his assisted hatch. The hole in the top was to monitor his progress before finding his beak and opening a hole there. Lee bled a lot and was weak because of it. His stunting was more due to nearly dying while outside and then not getting enough to eat or drink, instead of because of the blood-loss at hatching (he got over that quickly).


Take is already drying off and helped encourage the very weak Lee with snuggles and chirps. I'm sad that Take died, but he was such a great brother to both the more feral Aviator and precious little Lee.


I think this is Lee after his first bath, since the water is up to his neck. I breathed warm air on him through cupped hands, then felt the water until it wouldn't burn or stun him but would bring his temperature back to normal (too warm temperatures can suddenly turn the body hot and cause the cold to rush to the internal organs so I hear).


Lee, Take and Aviator happily feeding with their mother. RIP Pip, you were an amazing chicken for the years I had you.

Glad Lee and Aviator are doing well.

 

[emvickrey]

Mine also got cocci when they went outside. If you are using the liquid corid, the dosage is 2 tsp. per gallon.

Here is the link to casportpony's thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818879/updated-corid-and-amprol-amprolium-dosing

That is very helpful. So I am giving them the right dosage. I also saved that page in my favorites for easy access. Hopefully I won't need it again but with all the rain I probably will. Also that pen they're in seems to always end up with sick birds either worms or cocci. I've cleaned it so many times but still it's there. I'm gonna have to stop using it this winter and soak it with bleach then dig out the dirt and replace with sand.

That pen is perfect for chicks till they become teenagers. There is a cone heat lamp on the floor with room for waters and feed, a ladder and a shelf they can roost on when they get bigger. They also have access to the outside run which is completely covered with chicken wire to keep them safe. Only thing gets in is mice n snakes.

Tonight when i checked on them I didn't see but a few bloody poops. Earlier there where bloody poops everywhere. and the poor babies looked like they felt awful.

 

[emvickrey]

Most of them are showing improvement today. One poor little girl just isn't doing very good. The bloody poops are way down already. I'm thinking I'll shoo them out to their run and rake up what I can thats in their house and put down fresh wood shavings for them..Maybe spread some in the rum too.

Will mice cause chicks to get sick and have bloody poops? I guess they can have cocci and pass it to the chickes thru droppings since they are so very rude where they poop n pee. I've got to put more poison out in that pen tomorrow as well

 

[Blooie]

Most of them are showing improvement today. One poor little girl just isn't doing very good. The bloody poops are way down already. I'm thinking I'll shoo them out to their run and rake up what I can thats in their house and put down fresh wood shavings for them..Maybe spread some in the rum too.

Will mice cause chicks to get sick and have bloody poops? I guess they can have cocci and pass it to the chickes thru droppings since they are so very rude where they poop n pee. I've got to put more poison out in that pen tomorrow as well

I'm sorry your chicks had cocci problems. I can't help you with getting them better, but I think I can help with preventing the next batches from getting sick with it. And we know chicken math - there most likely WILL be a next batch of chicks!

I think part of the problem with that is that we don't remember that all chicks have that pesky little pathogen in them. It's when they multiply beyond the chicks' capability to cope with it that they actually get sick. We keep them in an environment that is "sterile" - and by sterile I don't mean operating room sterile but away from the things that occur naturally in the soil and the air outside - and then when we put them out they are exposed to stuff they hadn't experienced before and it overwhelms their systems. Mama Hen hatches them out in that environment, they are digging and scratching in it, and they thrive. Why is that? It's because they are exposed from day one to those things, and they have a chance to build up an immunity.

Taking that into consideration, many of us toss a clump of sod from the yard or garden - roots and all - into the brooder with the chicks when they are about 4 days old. This has many benefits. First of all, they love it! At first they back into a corner and stare at it, waiting for it to attack them! Then one or two brave ones will go over and check it out and before you know it they're all over there having a blast! They climb on it, dig and scratch in it, ingest the little bits of grit in it, and nibble on whatever little tidbits they find in it. As they do that, they break it down. Then they love to dust bathe in it. I have found that I have far less feather or eye pecking when they have something else to do. It's a great boredom buster, and at the same time it's exposing them to the very things they'll be living in when they go outside. And clump of sod is cheaper to provide and easier than trying to remember dosages and get it into the chicks!

Now, of course, I don't need to do the clump of sod.....I brood my chicks outdoors from the start, in the run in an wire pen right next to the adults, even in temps in the teens and twenties. But it's kinda nice to tuck that information away for future reference. Good luck with them! I hope they all get better!

 

[Honora]

I'm sorry your chicks had cocci problems. I can't help you with getting them better, but I think I can help with preventing the next batches from getting sick with it. And we know chicken math - there most likely WILL be a next batch of chicks!

I think part of the problem with that is that we don't remember that all chicks have that pesky little pathogen in them. It's when they multiply beyond the chicks' capability to cope with it that they actually get sick. We keep them in an environment that is "sterile" - and by sterile I don't mean operating room sterile but away from the things that occur naturally in the soil and the air outside - and then when we put them out they are exposed to stuff they hadn't experienced before and it overwhelms their systems. Mama Hen hatches them out in that environment, they are digging and scratching in it, and they thrive. Why is that? It's because they are exposed from day one to those things, and they have a chance to build up an immunity.

Taking that into consideration, many of us toss a clump of sod from the yard or garden - roots and all - into the brooder with the chicks when they are about 4 days old. This has many benefits. First of all, they love it! At first they back into a corner and stare at it, waiting for it to attack them! Then one or two brave ones will go over and check it out and before you know it they're all over there having a blast! They climb on it, dig and scratch in it, ingest the little bits of grit in it, and nibble on whatever little tidbits they find in it. As they do that, they break it down. Then they love to dust bathe in it. I have found that I have far less feather or eye pecking when they have something else to do. It's a great boredom buster, and at the same time it's exposing them to the very things they'll be living in when they go outside. And clump of sod is cheaper to provide and easier than trying to remember dosages and get it into the chicks!

Now, of course, I don't need to do the clump of sod.....I brood my chicks outdoors from the start, in the run in an wire pen right next to the adults, even in temps in the teens and twenties. But it's kinda nice to tuck that information away for future reference. Good luck with them! I hope they all get better!

I have heard of this but haven't tried it yet. Next time I have chicks indoors I will definitely do it. It's supposed to be a good way to give them grit too, right?

 

[Blooie]

I have heard of this but haven't tried it yet. Next time I have chicks indoors I will definitely do it. It's supposed to be a good way to give them grit too, right?

Yep, they get little bits of sand and such from the soil. I've done it since my first batch of chicks, but now with brooding outdoors I don't need to.

 

[emvickrey]

I do have another batch I wanted to put with them soon but they ended up sick. All but one is doing well now. No more blood being pooped and they are getting livlier except the one. I put the last batch in the grow pen which is up off the ground. I will of course give them a round of preventative corrid when I do put them in the pen to prevent them from getting sick too. Thanks for the idea about the clump of dirt in the brooder. I'll try it next year when i hatch again.