Texas

[Coopmom56]

I lost one of my Pekin girls last night

I found her when I let them all of out the night pen. No signs of trauma or sickness. Just dead, belly down, feet behind her.

I'm sorry about your Pekin girl.

Thanks, Ren2014 and all the others for the comforting posts. I know it's a part of keeping chickens (or other animals) but...still it's sad. We've lost more than our share of dogs over the last couple of years (we tend to adopt the older ones) and though I know it's always a possibility, I'm always shocked when it happens. I'm glad I could tell you guys because you have had the same experiences. Hugs to all.

--Coopmom56

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

It is sad but true. I have lost two birds over the years to prolapsed vents. I had a third one but we learned how to save her and she is alive today. She was hand raised by the kids so they wee happy about that.

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

The method we used was first warm water to assist. When that failed the partial egg was cracked and removed and she was washed out thoroughly. Then she was housed in the grow out box to recover and observation. When she became spry and wanting to hop out she rejoined her flick mates and is happy and friendly to this day.

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

Another helpful hint for newly hatched chicks is vent inspection. If the umbilical cord is still attached for some reason don't pull on it. It will dry off and fall off on its own. If you do pull on it it is likely to kill the chick due to internal organ damage. However the vents should be inspected regularly to look for pasting. That is when fecal matter clogs the vent. A gentle cleaning with warm water alleviates this so the don't expire from the inability to excrete their own waste.

 

[bnjrob]

Another helpful hint for newly hatched chicks is vent inspection. If the umbilical cord is still attached for some reason don't pull on it. It will dry off and fall off on its own. If you do pull on it it is likely to kill the chick due to internal organ damage. However the vents should be inspected regularly to look for pasting. That is when fecal matter clogs the vent. A gentle cleaning with warm water alleviates this so the don't expire from the inability to excrete their own waste.

We rarely have pasty butt these days. Switching over to the radiant warming plates and broody hens made all the difference. Those bulb warmers just warm the ambient air too much and contribute to the pastiness.

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

I am old school I guess. I use red bulb heat lamps. The are relatively inexpensive and work very well with my large grow out box I have in the house.

 

[bnjrob]

We rarely have pasty butt these days. Switching over to the radiant warming plates and broody hens made all the difference. Those bulb warmers just warm the ambient air too much and contribute to the pastiness.

I wouldn't go back to the bulb warmers unless I was desperate. The chicks get off heat so much faster - often within 2 weeks unless the temps are still in the 30s when we've got chicks. The warming plates mimic a broody hen and let them run underneath it when they need a warm up. And there's less risk of fire. Have a friend that lost chickens, goats, and a barn from a heat lamp fire - not pretty.

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

I raise them in doors until they feather out and are able to integrate into a flock more successfully.

 

[jtn42248]

I raise them in doors until they feather out and are able to integrate into a flock more successfully.

When you integrate do you do the separate but able to see and become accustom to one another or do you put them all together in a large run and let them be silly with one another? I have always done the get introduced first but met someone recently that has a really large run and he just puts his new birds (once they are big enough) in with the older ones early in the day and they do their posturing and ruffling of feathers and by time to go in for the night it has all calmed down.

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

I introduce them during the day when they are large enough and change the feed to chick feed until at least 18 week to insure the calcium in the layer pellets does not cause the chicks to have kidney failure and subsequently die.