Quote:
Here an article from the local paper---
http://smithvilleherald.com/2010081810518/breaking-news/breaking-news/city-downplays-water-boil-order.html
ETA: My well has high levels of manganese and I've never boiled my water.
My 11 wk old girls have been molting for several days. Yesterday a large dirt devil came through my property and hit the run area-- It was quite a sight to see the hundreds of brown and white feathers heading across the desert!
Quote:
Please be careful while using the nipples with ACV. One day after I began using the nipples, I noticed my 2-week old chicks were frantically pecking at the nipples. When I used my finger to check the flow, no water was coming out! I offered the chicks a dish of water and they all...
A couple of weeks ago, I was experiencing the same problems with the nipples when I began using ACV (apple cider vinegar). When I looked inside the bottle, I noticed that several protein strands of the "mother" were collecting around the nipples. Once I switched back to the plain well water...
Quote:
I was planning to get 6 BR's from Big R and was told they would have them on May 26th. I checked with them the week before the expected delivery and was informed that due to low chick sales, they were no longer offering chicks. So, since I wanted pullets only, I decided to order Stars...
I kept my brooder in the garage and the sounds of the door opening/closing and the vehicles coming and going didn't seem to bother the chicks too much. Whenever we used a vehicle, I kept the garage door open for several minutes so that they wouldn't be exposed to potential fumes. Also, I kept...
Quote:
Excellent idea!!!! You could train the birds to tap the lights off when they're ready for bed and tap them on when they want a midnight snack...
Wow...this is awful.
Due to their long journey, some of the chicks may have a weakened system which would make them more susceptible to problems when exposed to minute amounts of toxins.
Do you have a well? If so, maybe the water is contaminated just enough to cause them to become ill...
Today while my new chicks were standing side-by-side under the light and going to sleep, one fell over which caused the others to fall like dominoes! They were all looking around with a bewildered look and chirping as though they were saying, "What happened"?
My MPC Red Stars were shipped Wednesday and arrived 6:00 a.m. today. I was expecting some of chicks to be lethargic or have pasty butt after their long journey but that wasn't the case--- All 8 chicks were very alert and clean. Immediately after filling up on water and food, they began...
"In the long run a pH level of 7.0 is considered optimum for poultry."
My well water tested at 7.9 pH.... so I guess ACV isn't needed. * See below*
Thanks Neil for the interesting article!
**Edited: Well duh! I just realized that a high pH number means that it's too alkaline. Guess I...
If you live in a major city you can order as few as 3 from My Pet Chicken. If you live 1 hr from a major city, the minimum order is 8. (I'm expecting mine by Friday! )
Due to our extreme high and low temps, we installed 2" insulation to the 'coop in progress.'
Since is so difficult to grow anything in our awful soil, I'll be partially covering the run and adding a couple of lean-to's for shade. Initially, I wanted a raised coop for shade but I was fearful...
Peeps, Congratulations! Your babies are adorable
Thanks Sunny for the local chick supplier recommendations. Yesterday I ordered 8 Stars through MPC and I'll be receiving them next Thurs or Friday. When the time comes to add to my flock, I will certainly check out Greens and Reno Rock...
Yesterday I ordered my 8 chicks from MPC as a "first available" order. I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I received an email that my chicks will be shipped next Wednesday!