My 3-4 day old pea chick won’t eat and is starting to fail. It’s never been strong and rarely pecked at anything, even when I offer bits of feed stuck to my finger. I drop water onto its beak and even then it rarely opens to drink it. Most of it drips off her beak. It hatched Sunday night, and I...
I’ve kept chickens for years and seen a couple illnesses. But I’ve never seen what my little BCM hen has right now. She’s lethargic, off balance, and has a black comb on one side. She eats a little, but not much. Though she still weighs almost normal.
I don’t think it’s Mareks because that...
I've raised chickens for years, but this is my first attempt at pea fowl. I hatched 4 out of 6 eggs a friend of mine gave me. I raised the 4 peachicks with 3 chicks that I hatched at the same time. They stayed in a brooder for the first 5-6 weeks, then they went into a large coop in the center...
My hen has most of the symptoms of being egg bound. She is lethargic, won't eat or drink, and just sits and stares. No, she's not broody; I've had MANY broody hens so I know what to expect. Her comb has gotten paler since yesterday when I noticed her sitting apart from her friends. The problem...
How long will an egg that a broody sat on for a day or two remain viable for hatching? I collected eggs from my broody, left them out for a day or two, then set them in an inc’y. (She’ll get them back when they hatch). But are the eggs that were out for 2 days still viable? Thanks for your...
How long after changing roosters does it usually take for the hen to hatch chicks from the new rooster? Hoping to hear from experienced hatchers. Thanks! Picture of my Blue Birchen Marans rooster just for fun. for fun.
Hello,
I've read through many of these posts about spraying or dipping or powdering birds with mites, but I'm wondering what is the best/simplest method to do a whole bunch of birds? It seems to me that it will take hours to catch and dip or powder or spray all my chickens, one at a time. I've...
Just hatched some eggs that were mostly RITs but probably some from Red Stars as well. Is there a way to distinguish the two as chicks? Or will we have to wait to separate them? Thanks!
I had two hens go broody together 40ish days ago. The first 21 days I only gave them 2-3 eggs each and none made it for several reasons (mostly unfertilized eggs). I gave them a bunch more and a couple days ago one of the hens finally gave up and was replaced by another broody. Today, as several...
My 6-8 week old chicks got all puffy and I saw some sign of blood in poop. So I gave them some Corid. Now, several days later, they are still puffy and unwell. No blood in poop at all, but clearly failing. Could I have ODd them on Corid? Is something else going on? Suggestions?
This is more of a color question than a breed. He is a mix of blue Birchen Marans and something—maybe buff Orpington? Not sure. But I do love his color. Is it considered blue partridge, or just super leaky blue Birchen? Could he be a pure Blue Birchen Marans with really bad leakage?
Anyone ever seen this yellow goo at pip? I assume I should get it out of there and away from the others in case it’s bacterial. Or could it be something else? Any suggestions welcome! 🥺
Do chicks sometimes hatch with wry neck? One of my little guys just hatched (from shipped eggs) and he’s still fully in the embryo-pose of his neck tucked under his wing. He’s almost fully dry and all his pals are fine, but he just lies there with his neck twisted back. Can he have hatched with...
I have a black hen who escaped from her chicken yard 2 days ago and was stuck with almost no water source for much of a very hot day. When she got back to the yard she drank for 10 minutes straight. She looked slightly hunched, as if she might have been egg bound. I gave her some mash with...
So this year’s White House Easter Egg Hunt has been cancelled. Let’s share what a real-life Easter Egg Hunt looks like. This is what I found in one of my egg box pairs tonight. Unfiltered and unedited. Just pretty eggs.
What are your thoughts about quitters—eggs that start to develop but quit along the way. Is it more likely due to the incubation process or some genetic flaw in my hens? I’ve had a higher than usual number of quitters recently and I’m wondering what’s going on. I’ve used a variety of incubators...
I have had TERRIBLE luck with hatching cockerels lately. I would say I have about an 80% cockerel to pullet ratio. At best. t's getting ridiculous. I do eventually sell my cockerels/roos, but first I have to grow them up to almost adult size and then sell them for someone's dinner. I feel bad...
I've hatched tons of eggs, and never has this happened. I had a recent batch in a 7-egg incubator and I want to say that 4 or 5 of the 7 pipped on the wrong side of the egg. What might cause that? I was hand-turning in a larger 'bator for a good part of the hatch, then moved them over to the...