Bielefelder thread!!!!

[Awaytome]

I did the Welsh Harlequin's, because those can be sexed at hatch too.

I didn't know that about Welsh Harlequins, or any ducks actually! Is it auto sexing or sex linked? My order for six female chocolate runners from Metzer last year turned out to be six males! They sent replacements and did a better job sexing.

 

[Awaytome]

View attachment 3513889
This is Sunny. She seemed to like my foot.

This was the third time with my foot in the brooder. They were scared the first time, then cautiously walked around it. The second time, the walked around it/ignored it.

Today they ran off, then came back. Eventually, they all tried hopping on.

View attachment 3513890
This is Robin. She tried to climb my leg, but the material of my pants was too slippery.

@Awaytome, I'm so sorry you lost 2 chicks.

Thanks. I tried my best to save them.
Are you getting your chicks familiarized with your feet so they'll be comfortable walking around with you?

 

[BlueBaby]

View attachment 3513889
This is Sunny. She seemed to like my foot.

This was the third time with my foot in the brooder. They were scared the first time, then cautiously walked around it. The second time, the walked around it/ignored it.

Today they ran off, then came back. Eventually, they all tried hopping on.

View attachment 3513890
This is Robin. She tried to climb my leg, but the material of my pants was too slippery.

@Awaytome, I'm so sorry you lost 2 chicks.

Didn't you know that feet make an excellent place for a chick to roost?

 

[BlueBaby]

I didn't know that about Welsh Harlequins, or any ducks actually! Is it auto sexing or sex linked? My order for six female chocolate runners from Metzer last year turned out to be six males! They sent replacements and did a better job sexing.

The Welsh Harlequins are an auto sexing breed that you can tell the sex of at hatch by the color of the duckling's bill.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

that head spot is concerning, but the eyeliner is very dark and distinct. I would cautiously say pullet. The males are generally lighter overall than the pullets. It's hard to see much in the picture you posted, but that is another clue you can consider.

Autosexing breeds need to be bred properly to maintain the traits. I have my 2 lightest male chicks tagged to evaluate for breeding later, and my lightest female tagged to avoid breeding, to preserve the autosexing in my flock.

This is why, I have Welsummer females, but I really pause to take on someone else's "accidental cockerel," because that probably means his coloring was misleading or inconclusive as a chick. One day maybe I will get a good male or trio or something from a breeder.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Second chick just died. The others are very active, jumping up on the heat plate, ducking underneath it, scratching at the food they knock out of the feeder and drinking in between all that.
I'm being extra cautious now about drafts and temperature outside the heat plate in case that was an issue. The shipping seemed unusually long to me and I was afraid the chicks would be very stressed. They were shipped to the hub Tuesday afternoon and didn't arrive here until Saturday morning. I called McMurray about it but they thought it would be OK. So now I'm down to the six chicks I wanted and am hoping they are all females as ordered. If there's a next time chick order, I will find a closer hatchery and pick up in person!

Can you take a picture of their setup? Do they have enough room to move away from the heat? I like to feed weak chicks, or really any new chicks, scrambled eggs. A very weak chick can be given egg yolk, thinned out just a little with vitamins and/or electrolytes through a syringe, if need be. I'm really sorry about your losses.

 

[Sally PB]

Are you getting your chicks familiarized with your feet so they'll be comfortable walking around with you?

This is the way I get them familiar with me. I can sit with my foot in the brooder for 30-40 minutes and read. They can check out my foot, ignore it, or get on it, and it will be nice and still. After a couple days of this, I put my hand in there with some of their food, wetted into a mash.

Sitting with my hand in the brooder isn't as comfortable, so I want them to bet used to some part of me first. My foot is just easier.

When they finally check out the mash in my hand and start pecking it, it's like getting tapped with a bunch of dull pencils. The first time that happens is... priceless.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

This is the way I get them familiar with me. I can sit with my foot in the brooder for 30-40 minutes and read. They can check out my foot, ignore it, or get on it, and it will be nice and still. After a couple days of this, I put my hand in there with some of their food, wetted into a mash.

Sitting with my hand in the brooder isn't as comfortable, so I want them to bet used to some part of me first. My foot is just easier.

When they finally check out the mash in my hand and start pecking it, it's like getting tapped with a bunch of dull pencils. The first time that happens is... priceless.

That's great! I definitely need to spend more time bribing these chicks to come to me for food. Now that I'm bringing them outside more, mealworms are usually my secret sauce lol. Tonight though they were mixed in and all the big hens who knew the drill kind of crowded the babies out, so I'm going to have to start trying that when the big girls are not there.

 

[Awaytome]

Can you take a picture of their setup? Do they have enough room to move away from the heat? I like to feed weak chicks, or really any new chicks, scrambled eggs. A very weak chick can be given egg yolk, thinned out just a little with vitamins and/or electrolytes through a syringe, if need be. I'm really sorry about your losses.

Yes. Please look at these pics and give me some advice. I tried the egg yolk with no interest. I'll try scrambled eggs today. Another chick died last night! They are in a 50 gal poly tank. There is a heating plate on one end and a heat lamp pointing at angle to prevent a concentration of heat at the other end because they are in the unheated garage. I put a towel over one end of the tank with the plate at night, and the rest is open. There are warm spots and cooler spots around the tank.

Yesterday I added the wood shavings and a new feeder, which they haven't taken to, so I also put food into a little bowl and they dig right in. They get Purina Start and Grow crumbles (unmedicated, because they were vaxed). They had water with Quik Chik and sugar from the nipple. Today I changed to plain water. Should I continue adding Quik Chik?

The surviving chicks are running and jumping, scratching, eating and drinking and just looking very lively. The chick that died last night seemed fairly active previously, too, but was smaller than the others and I noticed it was not as lively or interested in food yesterday. I've raised many ducklings and never had so much trouble as with these chicks. Do you have any suggestions? I apologize for the poor quality of the pics.

It's charming how they come out when they hear my voice and are comfortable with me reaching in, even jumping into my hand, a major difference from the panic of ducklings!

 

[BlueBaby]

Yes. Please look at these pics and give me some advice. I tried the egg yolk with no interest. I'll try scrambled eggs today. Another chick died last night! They are in a 50 gal poly tank. There is a heating plate on one end and a heat lamp pointing at angle to prevent a concentration of heat at the other end because they are in the unheated garage. I put a towel over one end of the tank with the plate at night, and the rest is open. There are warm spots and cooler spots around the tank.View attachment 3515955Yesterday I added the wood shavings and a new feeder, which they haven't taken to, so I also put food into a little bowl and they dig right in. They get Purina Start and Grow crumbles (unmedicated, because they were vaxed). They had water with Quik Chik and sugar from the nipple. Today I changed to plain water. Should I continue adding Quik Chik? View attachment 3515956The surviving chicks are running and jumping, scratching, eating and drinking and just looking very lively. The chick that died last night seemed fairly active previously, too, but was smaller than the others and I noticed it was not as lively or interested in food yesterday. I've raised many ducklings and never had so much trouble as with these chicks. Do you have any suggestions? I apologize for the poor quality of the pics.

It's charming how they come out when they hear my voice and are comfortable with me reaching in, even jumping into my hand, a major difference from the panic of ducklings!
View attachment 3515954

Do you have a thermometer inside of it to let you know what the actual temperature in there is?

I see that you've had duck's too. I was just in checking on thing's in my brooder. Gave fresh wet feed, and put a small dog food bowl filled with water and sitting in a pie plate in there. Of course the duckling's had to hop right in it, don't you know. It looked like a bowl of duckling soup.