California - Northern

[KristyAnn]

I just started that too. I've been placing the hen of choice to brood on the eggs of choice from my other hen since she's the least likely to sit, hoping the one I'm trying to train to sit on them will be the one to do so. She gets the picture occasionally but then leaves them cold. It was suggested to me to do it this way by a fellow member, but I'm kind of wondering if the eggs will even be any good by the time she or any of them get the idea.

This was to "Farm Hand"-sorry I posted and quoted wrong...

 

[Michael Apple]

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

I've found that little treatment is needed with healthy stock and good genetics. In my area, Marek's is a problem so I must vaccinate. I became familiar with various medications over the years for birds that came from weak stock, and desired more knowledge to test my skills preventing suffrage. Some folks desire them as pets, and I don't mind sharing what I know to help them. I'm fond of my birds too and understand the "pet appeal". I'm appreciative that I'm not bearing the problems some of them are. I think proper husbandry and diet prevents many problems by keeping the immune system strong also. Chicks that bear a coccidiosis outbreak or intestinal worm infestations to the point of enteritis, can survive, but with damaged intestines affecting nutrient absorption. In that case, as you stated, they are never quite right again. Nor are those chicks which suffer a nutritional deficiency to maturity. Prevention is key. Good looking birds on your site, fowlman.

 

[chiqita]

[quote nbeen "casportpony" url="/t/25/california-northern/39270#post_12817592"]Is there anyone here that has experience incubating Muscovy duck eggs?

-Kathy
[/quote]
I have some. What problems are you having? Celtic oaks said she had the best luck treating more like goose eggs ( they are closer to geese genetically) so she hand turned and misted them and did cooldowns. I have been just weighing and watching with mine this year to see how it works that way.

 

[Luvinmyhurd]

I'm collecting eggs for that hen who is going to become broody in the next few days.  Don't know who it's going to be yet 
But I'll be ready.

Awesome! Standing on hope!

 

[EZFarms]

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?

 

[ronott1]

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?

Never just toss them!

If there are no pips, pick them up and listen to them after tapping gently and listen for chirping. You can candle them and there is a float test. If you do not find any signs of life and it it past day 23 or so, you can carefully open the eggs from the big end. I have been surprised to find a perfectly fine chick in a very late egg once. It must have been missing it's egg tooth.

Another reason to open the eggs it to try to figure out why they did not hatch. I make myself open up every egg--even if I do not want to. I often open them up inside a zip lock bag though....They can be stinky sometimes.

 

[EZFarms]

@ronott1 Ill give them till sat then ill try some of the things u mentioned. im really hoping they hatch. its gonna suck if they dont.

 

[ronott1]

@ronott1 Ill give them till sat then ill try some of the things u mentioned. im really hoping they hatch. its gonna suck if they dont.

I am hoping along with you! I really hate it when none of the hatch....

 

[EZFarms]

Well we already lost our baby rabbits i dont wanna lose little puffball chicks

 

[CackleJoy]

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

Thank you for that. It was very uplifting. I felt bad refusing to take our bird to the vet. Said I wasn't going to spend $$ on a free, non productive animal. It felt a little cruel. We also don't help deformed or slow chicks. Figure nature culls the weakest from the start. It's nice to know that someone with so much more experience has taken this road successfully. Until now we hadn't thought much about a medical kit. I don't have the backbone to take this route entirely, but I think if my med kit is well stocked and I give it an honest effort then I've done all I can. If the bird is culled from the flock - that is just the way it is. We don't want weakness bred into them anyway. Hopefully

we never have to cull the family pet again. That's just wrong!