Its funny. They all like to huddle together,
What we have is 4 1/2 week and 2 1/2 week together. The larger ones will go out in the grow up pen tomorrow. Had to work late tonight
I see a fair amount of roosters I think
we have Black Penedesenca ( younger)
White Empordanesa ( some young and some older)
crele penedesenca x silver ameraucana crosses ( older and younger)
there is a crele hen in there too
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I've had some success with hatching eggs with detached air cells - like Ron said, it's best to leave them in cartons. I gently leaned the eggs one way, then the other once or twice a day during incubation. Not sure if it helped or hurt, but I did get about a 25% hatch rate. Not bad for detached air cells.
Well I see this ad in craigslist for "Pink Egg Layers", I could not get in my car fast enough to buy some of his chicks. I left with 4 fluffy butts with the hope that I might see a pink egg in the nesting box in the near future!
No unfortunately they didn't make it. One died right away (the yellow one), the second lived for nine days. I thought I was over the hump and it was going to make it and it had passed away when I went for it's next feed. The picture was from about a year ago.
Have you been able to figure out who is tossing? It's usually the male, but I had one hen that did it (caught her in the act). I usually have good luck with removing the tosser and letting the other parent raise them alone, but you have to move the tosser to where the matre cannot see or hear it. They do just fine raising the chicks alone. I also keep some societies around for just such emergencies.
Er Mah Gerd - they are Teensy! How do you possibly take care of something that small?
This is where the "Baby Wipes Warmer incubator" comes in handy if you don't have foster parents for them. Hand feeding finch hatchlings is tough and very time consuming. I have raised a few Gouldians and Blue Capped Cordon Bleu's and fed them with a blunt toothpick until they were big enough to use a pipette or hand feeding syringe with.
They lose feathers to molting, over preening from mites, feather lice and feather picking. Feather picking can be a sign of not enough protein
If he is in a mixed flock with pullets\hens, they should be fed a flock raiser type of feed and given free choice calcium. 20% protein feed is very good for most roosters. The Calcium over time can be too much for a Rooster eating layer rations. It can cause early death for the Rooster.
If you catch the hens picking his feathers, you can get plastic anti pick clips for the offending hen. They keep the chicken from being able to pull the feathers but they can still eat fine with them on.
