Big Bad Mareks

[TwoCrows]

think about the eggs, think about the eggs...

Yes stay as positive as possible, allowing negative thoughts will spoil this entire adventure. Keep thinking EGGS!

 

[NatJ]

Yes! I was thinking of penning her (chocolate frizzle) alone with one unrelated cockerel (blue satin), then I could see if she's even laying.

The other three pullets are from the same breeding pen as the blue satin, so I was going to put them with the black frizzle cockerel who is from the same breeding pen as the chocolate frizzle. Splitting them like this will ensure no frazzles and no risk of inbreeding (as I don't know how closely related the birds in the breeding pens were). I did see that as I walked past the white pullet she squatted, so it could be her laying. The partridge gave a little shrug when I touched her but not a full squatt.

I'll date these eggs from today and keep track of which eggs come from what pens going forward and the date laid, I have mesh to make compartments in the incubator for hatching and different sized legband for the chicks to be able to track them.

That sounds like a good set of plans

 

[2ndTink]

Yes stay as positive as possible, allowing negative thoughts will spoil this entire adventure. Keep thinking EGGS!

No new eggies today, I have my 4 precious little eggies stashed in my cool basement. I think their collective name is Hope ❤

 

[2ndTink]

That sounds like a good set of plans

Thank you!

Pens will be set up tomorrow

 

[2ndTink]

Small update, I set up pens, separated everyone into the groups I wanted, and now it's supposed to get to 4 deg tonight, we're in a cold snap that is supposed to last until the weekend. So, to help make sure they stay warm enough, they are all back in together in the most protected pen that also has the heat lamp keeping the water thawed and if they desire, it can help keep them warm as well.

I have 2 more showing symptoms and 4 total losses to-date.

I did get another egg yesterday and since they were separated I know it was from my chocolate pullet, she is my most correct silkie so I'm excited about that. D-10 until setting eggs! I know the earliest eggs will be over 1 week, I also don't know if they are fertilized, and it's been quite cold. Next week we are supposed to be about 50 during the day and 30s at night, so I'm hoping for a good set of eggs from next week to incubate and the ones I have already will just be what they are.

 

[TwoCrows]

Small update, I set up pens, separated everyone into the groups I wanted, and now it's supposed to get to 4 deg tonight, we're in a cold snap that is supposed to last until the weekend. So, to help make sure they stay warm enough, they are all back in together in the most protected pen that also has the heat lamp keeping the water thawed and if they desire, it can help keep them warm as well.

I have 2 more showing symptoms and 4 total losses to-date.

I did get another egg yesterday and since they were separated I know it was from my chocolate pullet, she is my most correct silkie so I'm excited about that. D-10 until setting eggs! I know the earliest eggs will be over 1 week, I also don't know if they are fertilized, and it's been quite cold. Next week we are supposed to be about 50 during the day and 30s at night, so I'm hoping for a good set of eggs from next week to incubate and the ones I have already will just be what they are.

Stay warm out there Tink and keep the birdies warm too! ❤

 

[2ndTink]

Stay warm out there Tink and keep the birdies warm too! ❤

They just updated the weather with a wind chill advisory from now through tomorrow morning, wind chill at -10, I think I'll lock the chickens in their coops to keep the drafts down over night. I've been leaving the coop doors open, but I think this calls for a lockdown

 

[TwoCrows]

They just updated the weather with a wind chill advisory from now through tomorrow morning, wind chill at -10, I think I'll lock the chickens in their coops to keep the drafts down over night. I've been leaving the coop doors open, but I think this calls for a lockdown

Definitely lock everything up. Those are dangerous temps for any bird. ❄

 

[2ndTink]

Everyone who was non-symptomatic going into the cold weather is still doing great, I did add a second heat source last night to give a little radiant heat to the tooshy feathers of the outermost chicken, I put it about 5" from him. It's a little cozy coop heater, and when I looked out later Storm had moved away from it so it must have been doing a good job.

No eggies yesterday but I had 2 when I ran home at lunch today so I have them tucked away in the basement with the others. They are lighter colored than the one I know the chocolate pullet laid, and they are quite small. They are the smallest two even compared to the very first eggs I found. I'll see how many are laid next week and I may not set these smallest ones. I'd hate to hatch a teeny tiny chick that might struggle.

 

[2ndTink]

I guess it's time for an update. Since my last post I have had 1 symptomatic cockerel who we ended up culling just a couple weeks ago. Out of my 14 silkies, I have now lost 2 cockerels and 6 pullets. It is so hard knowing there's nothing I can do to fix them and make them better. I've been focusing on nutrition, I found the organic feed I was using was low on vitamins so they are now on a more complete feed with poultry cell crumbles, immune support herbs and baicilin. They do not like their additives, but I'm hoping they help. I have just 2 pullets remaining who are laying very well, they're doing an egg a day, 6 days a week. The one pullet has started laying smaller eggs the last two weeks, I'm not sure if that means anything or not.

I set a ton of eggs late January, of my silkies, 17 eggs hatched, a whopping 12 chicks were from my chocolate frizzle pullet! I also hatched 3 layer cross chicks from my laying flock. I also hatched 5 silkies from shipped eggs, and a few other chicks from a local breeder. Everyone got the Mareks vaccine and I am hopeful for their health and longevity!

I had a lot of extra silkie hatching eggs so when @Debbie292d mentioned she would be setting eggs a few weeks back, the eggies got excited and jumped in a box to go find a warm incubator! To be safe, I sanitized all the packing materials with Odoban, including dipping the eggs BEFORE shipping so this is a really interesting test. So far Debbie292d had one egg she has removed and a few that are questionable at the day 7 candling.

I will be setting more eggs this Saturday, some from Debbie292d, over 2 dozen silkies from my girls, and 2 dozen layers from my flock, plus some more from the local breeder. The testing with Odoban continues to see if hatching eggs can be safely dipped, rinsed, and hatched. So far it seems very promising.

I had noticed the necropsy did not have Mareks actually tested for, so I had a sample sent out for PCR testing, and it came back positive. I have sample collection kits heading my way to be able to do PCR testing on about 6 individuals from my various groups of chickens. Since I've had Mareks diagnosed, my indoor brooded chicks have remained indoors. I'm hopeful they will be negative, they are vaccinated but they were vaccinated at 1 week and 8 weeks old. I also will be testing 1 bird each from my layer coops, it will be interesting to see the results and help me plan my flocks future better.

I do have a new coop, in a new area, all the indoor chicks will be moving out to as soon as the run is complete.