Maran eggs get darker as they sit after they are laid. So if buying Maran hatching eggs you have to be careful they are not old eggs left sitting to darken. Also they lay darkest when they first start their laying cycle then get lighter. After they moult and rest they get darker again. The...
I'm not so patiently waiting for mine to start laying again this spring. They have been roosting under the porch all winter. They like laying their eggs under there too...
Thanks DM Trippy. I had the same problem with mine. Would run perfect for two weeks then crap out on me. I bought an incubator but have to set up a hatcher.
Unforunatly the marek virus attacks the body the same way HIV does in humans. Once you understand that you must realize that any vaccinating after they have been exposed is futile as the very cells that are needed to react to the vaccine has already been compromised by the Mareks. Chicks only...
Banty eggs are harder to candle. The speckling you are seeing is called porosity. Thick and thin spots in the shell itself. That also makes it harder still to candle. If you are unsure they were fertile put in a few more and see if those develop. The little led flashlights usually are not strong...
Pullorum sounds like a likely culprit too... and is typical to that age chick. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044 this page has info on many chicken issues and there is a chart on the bottom tracking likely symptoms of each to compare to.
Coccidiosis doesnt typically affect birds under three weeks of age... If you bought the second birds from the same place as the first do not buy from there again!! I dont think it is cocci. It takes time for the protozoa to build up enough in the system to kill them. They would have to be be...
It is most likely just reproductive tissue from the hen. Once in a while they get cysty ovaries like women do if one ruptures the tissue ends up in an egg. If you find them on a regular basis it may be time to cull the hen or take her to a vet if she is a beloved pet. Eggs take a week to nine...
Unfortunately chickens and other prey animals dont show they are sick till it is usually too late. I am so sorry for your loss it really stinks loosing a loving bird. I care for calves for a living I have gotten pretty good at picking up on their very minuet signs when the are sick. But I still...
The blood doesnt always stay bright red in stool. Blood gets its red color from the iron in it. Acid in the poop causes the Iron to oxidize turning brown/black in the poop. Coccidosis causes foamy poop so probably not that. If they are still bright and alert they are probably fine. If they have...