California - Northern

[PetRock]

Hi Nikki!

Red Pepper flakes and sprouted oats are supposed to increase laying. Maybe try giving them some. the red pepper is a small amount--a table spoon mixed into their feed.

Chickens do not have taste receptors for peppers, so they will not feel heat.

I don't know if it has anything to do with the copious amount of eggs that I am getting from my girls but I do daily give them sprouted oats (along with sprouted bird seed/BOSS, sprouted wheat, sprouted barley) and cayene pepper mixed in wet layer pellets.

 

[capayvalleychick]

In the three years I have had the New Hamps I have had zero cases of Mareks.

Walt

My one case of confirmed Mareks was in a Delaware from the same breeder of those original NH. Possibly related to the NHs, since they were used in their recreation.

But, instead of saying that Delawares are susceptible to Mareks, I look at it another way. All the remaining Delawares and Dorkings were exposed, yet didn't get it.

In 13 years of having poultry here, that has been my only (obvious) death from Mareks.

 

[debs_flock]

which is part of my guessing that she's of indeterminate gender rather than fully female -- very odd.

Post a couple of pictures of her when you get a chance.

 

[casportpony]

I found this article on Marek's vaccination in the egg, it's very interesting.

Source: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/focus/contents/ceva/OnlineBulletins/ob_2008/Article-No20-Sept08.pdf

-Kathy

 

[tommysgirl]

isn't it odd? her sister is a great layer (although her eggs aren't huge yet, more medium-sized, but a beautiful pearly white) -- and i'll be interested to see how the female chicks i've hatched this spring, who are from her eggs crossed with a cockerel that came for your flock's eggs, will lay! i'm pretty sure i've hatched 8 girls and 4 boys, which is a nice ratio...

the one that doesn't lay also has the wrong color eyes & an "incorrect" comb, so no great loss in not having her as breeding stock -- and I don't feel right selling her to someone, since she's never laid ANY eggs and shows no sign of doing so. the cockerel doesn't even seem all that interested in mating with her, which is part of my guessing that she's of indeterminate gender rather than fully female -- very odd.

My first hatch last year had two chocolate rock babies. One barred and one solid. ChooksChick (Renee) is their breeder and she told me that they were auto sexing and a pair.

The little brown one is my Godiva. I gave the little black cockerel to a colleague and according to him...he "turned into" a pullet...even laying an egg while his wife was there to see it. It may be more common than we thought that a chick has indeterminate gender. Interesting.

 

[capayvalleychick]

@capayvalleychick may need to do something like this for pullet W27. She has been mating but so far this year she has not had one egg develop. Every hatch I have to pull every egg.

I think it's O35. W27 has 2 chicks so far.

Last year, O35 was not fertile until June. Then, she had a 100% hatch. I'm going to cull her after this season, but I wanted a few chicks out of her because she produces nicer than herself.

The breeder pellets that I am feeding contains a B12 supplement. I also started adding Rooster Booster vitamins to their water.

I think, if it were a vitamin deficiency, that all the chickens would be having fertility issues. I could be wrong. Since some individuals seem to be hatching better than others, I tend to think the issue is with specific birds, rather than a generalized cause like nutrition. I'm not an expert, that just is my thought.

 

[chiqita]

I don't think it's supposed to correct a problem it is a boost. Well maybe it is a deficiency but it's not dangerous to the female. Perhaps I will look up wth it is supposed to do.

 

[casportpony]

Hatched yesterday with help... Both were malpositioned with foot over head and one was trying to pip 180 degrees from the air cell.





This picture shows where the duckling had pipped internally, but the whole is one I made.




This picture shows the air cell (marked by pen) and the hole I made for it.



-Kathy

 

[PetRock]

My one case of confirmed Mareks was in a Delaware from the same breeder of those original NH. Possibly related to the NHs, since they were used in their recreation.

But, instead of saying that Delawares are susceptible to Mareks, I look at it another way. All the remaining Delawares and Dorkings were exposed, yet didn't get it.

In 13 years of having poultry here, that has been my only (obvious) death from Mareks.

I'm all for raising a resistant flock rather than vaccinating every chick. I used to vaccinate all the chicks and even did a round of vaccinating the adults based on some research done in other countries. Then I lost the one hen to Mareks and her symptoms didn't even point to Mareks as a cause of death. I decided that Walt's way was a better idea and having a resistant flock is better than going vaccination crazy. I'm not a big proponent of human vaccinating, either, but that can be a hot topic for some people.

 

[chiqita]

Ok im seeing sperm count and % of live sperm neural development egg viablity mostly as the listed pluses.