California - Northern

[Audio51]

My first aid kit has an ax in it and that's all. I don't vaccinate, medicate (except medicated chick starter) or do anything else to save a sick bird. Because of that I don't usually have a sick bird and the average life span of a chicken here is 9-10 years old. I have a Call duck that is 16 going on 17 years old. This method is not for the faint of heart, but I have a lot of birds and don't have the time to play Vet with them. My birds die of old age......it's a lot easier this way. They are basically indestructible. Most of the chickens were standing out in this last weekend of rain.....they have cover. It rained well over a foot in a couple days and I didn't lose a bird out of several hundred birds.

It's not for everyone, but let me tell you it will make your life easier in the end. Most of the birds I have seen 'saved" are never quite right again.......if they survive at all. By survive I mean live for more than a year.

Walt

Walt,

I'm with you on that! I also raise Gouldian Finches, which have long had a reputation of being very "delicate" and difficult to raise. There are many people who think they require a very narrow range of temperatures (usually in the 70-75 F Range) and will still die at the drop of a hat. They advise having a very wells stocked medicine chest and many people keep them on antibiotics all the time. I have been raising them for about 8 years now and rarely treat them for anything other than Air Sac Mites. Mine live in outside flights in temperatures that range from the upper 20s in the winter to over 100 in the summer. I do offer them a heat lamp to use if the feel they need in the coldest part for the winter, but they do not use it that much. I have nearly 40 juveniles in an outside flight right now and only lost 1 when the temperatures dipped in to the upper teens in early December. Because they are used to the range of temperature and are rarely medicated they do great out side. I don't have to worry about selling them and having them die in a short time because the new owner let the temperature dip a few degrees below whet they are used to or did not keep the antibiotics going. I try to do the same with my chickens. They do get treated for parasites, but I have not had a sick one so far since I have had them for the last 2 years.

 

[chiqita]

Quote:
Ok I'm just scared the humidity and temps are going to be wrong. I think I have the humidity dialed in but the temperature is a different story, and the thermometer/hygrometer combo I bought from Incubator Warehouse I don't think can be submerged in water? http://incubatorwarehouse.com/incubator-remote-thermometer-hygrometer.html I have almost 2 dozen Serama eggs from my own birds for my first hatch. Do they go in the turner big side up?

You can put the probe thing on the icy bits should tell you

 

[Audio51]

Grrr

i dont think my eggs are gonna hatch they have been on lockdown for 4 days and i havent seen or heard any signs of life

how long should i leave them before tossing them?

Nikki1496....dont give up yet! Remember how late Alibra's were. She only got one, but if she had tossed them that one would not have made it!

 

[Audio51]

Well, this is what I've done for the chooks. Nest boxes are in and very secured and the ladder roost is in and secured as well. Hope they like it.

Very nice!

 

[Audio51]

Some Stats for this thread

Second busiest thread yesterday: 191 posts
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We are getting close to making it into the top ten threads of all time. The tenth spot is at 43,183 post. We are at 39,321 and going up!

We have been very busy here!

I am not surprised it's one of the busiest. I had to go to Sac for a Dr appt this morning and kept getting notifications of new posts and the way down and back!. I have been reading for the lat hour and half and still haven't caught up yet!

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
All of the hatchery ones I have bought laid brown. I have 2 from Chickee that will be laying colored eggs though. They are looking very close to POL but not quite there yet....

 

[Audio51]

Quote:
Some of the hatcheries will just say they are "not for 4-H" because they" do not meet breed standards for color or conformation". That tells me they are EE.

 

[EZFarms]

@audio51 maybe im just anxious cuz ive never hatched eggs before we have always just bought chicks. which on a side note i shall have the chicks we ordered hopefully by the 26th so i shall put pictures up of them when we get them.

 

[chrissyr]

So I have 2 hens acting very lethargic. almost 2 years old. I'm leaning towards Cocci because #1 they were wormed in Dec, #2 everything is wet and damp #3 (2) egg bound hens at the same time seems wrong.
I'm going to separate them, and get a sample tonight. I will wait to treat for cocci since I will send it off.
questions are:
1. What's the withdrawal period for egg eating?
2. Do I send off the $10.50 with the form or wait till they bill me? I saw where they can bill but it sounded like just for shipping

 

[Audio51]

@audio51 maybe im just anxious cuz ive never hatched eggs before we have always just bought chicks. which on a side note i shall have the chicks we ordered hopefully by the 26th

so i shall put pictures up of them when we get them.

I know how that is! I did my first hatch last spring (well....I had done many hatches when we had property about 16 years ago, but not since then). and went thru the same thing. I can;t wait to see pictures of your chicks!