Recent content by mystprism

I got them a feed store within their first week. Would mycoplasma sit dormant for 5 weeks if they got it from their mother? Also, you say "if sneezing becomes constant". Is it your understanding that the sneezing may taper off and go away on its own? Some articles seem to suggest that if...

Just out of curiosity how long did it take from when you first noticed something amiss to where you are now?

Since noticing my chicks (~6wks) were sneezing 6 days ago I've done lots of reading about causes and cures. It seems the advice ranges from "do nothing, they're probably fine" to "kill them all in a cleansing blaze and sprinkle holy water and bleach on anything they touched". I'm not sure what...

I currently have 7 chicks in one 4x8 coop with an 8x12 run and of course I'm thinking of getting more. I'm wondering if it would be possible to extend the run and attach another coop to it for the new birds. Is this doable as opposed to building a new, larger coop to house the whole lot of them...

I'm thinking it's the old carpet I had them on (see above reply).

It's quite a bit, seems like every 5-10 minutes, but I'm thinking it is just environmental. I've been bringing them inside the past few evenings on some scraps of old carpet just to hang out with them and that where I noticed it. I'll watch them outside for a while today and see if they're still...

As the title says, my chicks (~5wks) are sneezing. I've noticed this for the past 3 days. They're not breathing hard, no runny noses, no lethargy. Eating and drinking fine. Is this a cause for concern?

I've left my heat lamp at the same height for the past 3 weeks (4.5 week old chicks). My brooder is fairly large and definitely has space for them to move to if they're hot. They'll go all over but come back and sleep kinda on the edge of where the light is (a foot or 2 away from directly under...

1 of my chicks is 10-15 days old. For the past 3 or 4 days I've had to wipe her down for pasty butt. Her vent is pretty red but I'm guessing that's just from having it wiped so much. Aside from this she also moves her whole body while breathing. She's not panting (mouth isn't open) but whether...

I do have all the tools I'll need. I'm quite handy and have done a good deal of home remodeling so the labor isn't at issue. I'm just south of Seattle, WA so we get a lot of rain but our temperature doesn't go much below 25F at the coldest and we're lucky to hit 90F for a week or 2 in the summer.

Little follow up to maybe allay some fears. I'm willing to spend what it takes to get my girls a good home. I just hope to do it in a way that makes sense.

I've looked at all sorts of sources from Amazon to Walmart to local feed stores. I've also looked at local buy-nothing groups, Craigslist, and things like that. I've got a fairly basic (if large, 8x8) coop design sketched out but might want to go with a kit since it's my first coop and it seems...

Yeah. They were listed as "day old" last Friday so about 5 days now.

I've read that it's more reliable to look at chick behavior than a thermometer to see if the brooder is too hot. That said, my thermometer is reading at just over 100 degrees on the wall of the brooder (light is in the center) and my chicks are still huddled underneath it. There's plenty of room...