Consolidated Kansas

[Deerfield Acres]

Karen, I wouldn't have a clue about the breed stuff. Not a single clue, I'm doing good to know what only part of my own flock is. Even at that, I could be wrong. I want some blue eggs, which ones lay blue eggs? What does a blue egg layer have to breed with to have chicks that lay more blue eggs? Is it one of those things that even if you breed the right ones only 1:4 will lay blue? I need to review the punnet square stuff. So what's my little chick from Orcheln's? A mix of something maybe? She's cute anyway, I think I'll keep her. Hope your hubby enjoys his birthday and his chocolate.

Your chick is no doubt an Easter Egger. I had 3 EE's (from Mt. Healthy) and all of them laid an egg that was more blue than green, to my surprise! Chances are your little friend will lay a bluish egg anyway.

You can cross her with another EE or an Ameraucana and likely come out with bluish eggs, or a white egg layer crossed with an EE will not change the color of the egg. Ameraucana's typically lay a bluer egg (sky blue) but I'm no expert on them and they are more expensive than the EE's you can pick up at the farm stores. I'm thinking I have an extra Ameraucana cockerel that would work great for breeding more blue egg layers. I haven't rehomed any of them yet and really won't be ready to until mid October. Right now, mine are a bit under the weather and have been off and on since I got them. Some of these birds just require lots of babying to get them to maturity. Once they reach maturity they're hardier than when young, it seems. My Speckled Sussex were the world's trickiest but now that they're grown, they've done really well. I believe Trish44 knows more about Ameraucanas than I. I'm no genetics expert. One short attention span here, so you know that limits me a bit.

I love my EE's too, they are just so sweet and the kids and I love the pretty eggs.

Karen, tell your DH I said Happy Birthday. The last few years we just don't do anything for each other's birthdays. I used to go way over board on gifts and my DH was never organized enough to do any thing ahead of time. Maybe a store bought cake the day after while I sat in the car waiting for him. I just finally decided if my birthday wasn't important to him I would quit making his important. We acknowledge, some times I bake him a cake or buy him dinner out but that is about it.
Mammahen you need to flush flush flush that wound. If it is stinking her recovery chances probably aren't good at all. Veterycin is something you can buy to wash it out that Orchlens carries. I would flush it really well with warn water and some pressure, then use whatever you have to disinfect it. Oxine is great but it is hard to find. I have to order mine. If you have some peroxide or Betadine around that would be excellent. I use a big syringe (you can buy those at orchlens) and use that to get some pressure for washing. or eve something like a turkey baster if you have one to gain a little pressure. She definitely needs to be on antibiotics but I don't believe amoxicillin is safe to use. If Josie would jump on here she would know for sure. Look back for posts with JosieChick and Hawkeye and it says what kind of antibiotic to buy for treatment of staph. I believe it was penicillin without some particular additive.
You may be able to just pluck out some of those feathers after you get her soaking and cleaned up some. Let the warm water loosen them up if you feel it is necessary to get them out.I certainly hope she doesn't have maggots in the wound. That is so sickening.
maidenwolf I understand that. I have a few spare roosters around here that aren't good for breeding but some of them are special and I can't kill them or sell them to someone else that will.
Also Josie if you do read this. Is the dimethox safe for ducks? As you know my ducks just go where they want and they drink out of the chicken's water. I really want to make sure I don't loose any more birds due to colds and stuff. I found a dead sparrow on the ground yesterday which tells me they are bringing in some disease like last year.

DH says thank you!

 

[chicken danz]

So what kind of cake did your DH finally decide on, Karen?
Solved the problem of Medawinks crooked foot chick. Eileen's parents grabbed one of the wrong breed. The rooster that produced bad feet has been replaced now.
It's thundering here, maybe we'll get some rain.

 

[ChicknBaron]

Just candled the eggs for the second and last time before hatch

All looked well, (i think) because i could hardly see anything in alot of them due to the bodies inside but i could tell they had all Hugely progressed from last time. except for that one australorp egg. im thinkin that that breed just has naturally thick shells because i couldn't see squat inside, but i'm very confident its still developing and hasn't died... I have to say this is the coolest self setup experience i've ever undertaken. It's really neat to think about how these 5 precious lives that god has blessed me with are growing and developing all under the control of such a meager little hand such as mine... hehe

 

[JosieChick]

Medawinks sent you a PM. I talked to Eileen and I think we know what the problem was. I discovered today one of my pheasant chicks has curled toes on one foot. I've had that happen in the past when they had trouble hatching for some reason. Normally it's because I haven't kept the humidity up high enough during hatching. I honestly didn't even know you could fix them. The pheasant seems to get along fine with her curled toes.
I found two more cases of bumble foot today. Funny how all along there's been none and now I find some. I wonder if it is because due to the drought the chickens are foraging out further and further where they can get into more stickers and stuff. I have some locust trees a long a fence line where they were hanging out. I wonder if a couple of them might have gotten poked out there.
I just wasn't feeling well enough myself to mess with it today. Maybe tomorrow I'll spend some time operating.

Oh dear! I never mean't to imply that Eileen's birds were not of high quality. I have seen some pics of her birds and they are lovely. I just wanted to give you the reasons and as someone who breeds birds I personally would want to know that happened just for my own information to rule out a genetic component and to check my bator and feed. If you can catch them early they can usually be straightened but not always. It takes some diligence.

Your chick is no doubt an Easter Egger. I had 3 EE's (from Mt. Healthy) and all of them laid an egg that was more blue than green, to my surprise! Chances are your little friend will lay a bluish egg anyway.

You can cross her with another EE or an Ameraucana and likely come out with bluish eggs, or a white egg layer crossed with an EE will not change the color of the egg. Ameraucana's typically lay a bluer egg (sky blue) but I'm no expert on them and they are more expensive than the EE's you can pick up at the farm stores. I'm thinking I have an extra Ameraucana cockerel that would work great for breeding more blue egg layers. I haven't rehomed any of them yet and really won't be ready to until mid October. Right now, mine are a bit under the weather and have been off and on since I got them. Some of these birds just require lots of babying to get them to maturity. Once they reach maturity they're hardier than when young, it seems. My Speckled Sussex were the world's trickiest but now that they're grown, they've done really well. I believe Trish44 knows more about Ameraucanas than I. I'm no genetics expert. One short attention span here, so you know that limits me a bit.

I love my EE's too, they are just so sweet and the kids and I love the pretty eggs.




DH says thank you!

I have five EE pullets from Ideal that were very crazy as chicks but now are getting super friendly and outgoing. Now if only they would stop flying over the fence to come and see me!

So what kind of cake did your DH finally decide on, Karen?
Solved the problem of Medawinks crooked foot chick. Eileen's parents grabbed one of the wrong breed. The rooster that produced bad feet has been replaced now.
It's thundering here, maybe we'll get some rain.

Mmmmmm cake. It has been thundering here for an hour and nothing? So weird. Wasn't even that warm today...

 

[Deerfield Acres]

So what kind of cake did your DH finally decide on, Karen?
Solved the problem of Medawinks crooked foot chick. Eileen's parents grabbed one of the wrong breed. The rooster that produced bad feet has been replaced now.
It's thundering here, maybe we'll get some rain.

He didn't! He's still thinking!

He cracks me up. I'll be lucky if he decides before this weekend! He's having brownies as a substitute tonight while he makes up his mind! That's how you milk a birthday!

Just candled the eggs for the second and last time before hatch

All looked well, (i think) because i could hardly see anything in alot of them due to the bodies inside but i could tell they had all Hugely progressed from last time. except for that one australorp egg. im thinkin that that breed just has naturally thick shells because i couldn't see squat inside, but i'm very confident its still developing and hasn't died... I have to say this is the coolest self setup experience i've ever undertaken. It's really neat to think about how these 5 precious lives that god has blessed me with are growing and developing all under the control of such a meager little hand such as mine... hehe

Isn't it just the most awesome thing? Who could mix up a batch of goo, fill a shell with it and expect it to turn into something in 21 days? It's just the coolest thing! I hope you have a great hatch!

...
I have five EE pullets from Ideal that were very crazy as chicks but now are getting super friendly and outgoing. Now if only they would stop flying over the fence to come and see me!
Mmmmmm cake. It has been thundering here for an hour and nothing? So weird. Wasn't even that warm today...

You know, now that I think about it, some of mine were crazy when they were young but once they started laying, oh my, so sweet! Bad birdies flying over the fence! Think brownies.... Nothing here, either, bummer.

 

[Trish44]

We actually did get a nice little short rain shower with only a little bit of pea sized hail mixed in. I got caught out in the all metal garage & boy was it loud in there. I looked over at the two little Netherland Dwarf bunnies that I have in cages in there & they were flattened down to the bottom of their cages, I didn't blame them. I can't imagine what they thought of all of that noise.

Well I looked all over & can't find the Wazine I know I had, so I just ordered some more. I hope it gets here fast because I wanted to get that chore done right away while not that many hens are laying. I've just got to get my chicken pharmacy more organized so I can actually find something when I need it. Sunflowerparrot made a good suggestion to me this evening that I might just do, to get one of those little plastic 3 drawer things & put all my chicken meds in there. That actually isn't a bad idea, at least it all would be in the same place.

KarenS, if you breed an Ameraucana to an EE you're still going to have an EE, & depending on what genetic background the EE had you still could get a greenish egg. Even true Ameraucanas can lay a greenish egg too. I have one lavender one that lays a really pretty baby blue egg & her sister lays a more teal colored egg, there is definitely a shade difference between the two when you put them together. So you're having sick chickens at your place too? I just have been fighting this stuff here forever it seems like. The strange thing is, knock on wood, that my main flock is fine & they're out free-ranging all around the pen where the sick chicks are. So is it because they get out & get green stuff to eat & bugs & stuff that they have better immunity? I don't know, all I know is that the birds shut in the grow-out pen are the ones that are sick & not even all of those, just some of them. The older ones don't seem that affected, it's mainly the imported birds that are younger that are the sickest. I have one Cream Legbar pullet in the garage in a cage & she seems to be getting stronger by the day, she is eating & drinking, but still clearly sick. I'm trying the new Sulfa drug I got to see if it kicks the stuff. It seems like I have to hit on the right drug eventually with this. I think if it was a virus it would have cleared up before now, I just don't think viruses stick around that long.

 

[mommahen10]

Tweety, glad that you got an appt. so soon with the specialist. You know I had to look up gastroparesis. That doesn't seem fun at all, do they give you Reglan for that? I hope this new doctor is perfect for you and progress is quick.

Danz, you gave me a great idea. I have rolls of elastic. I wonder if he kids could help me weave it like chain link. We haven't had trouble with predators but but maybe once years ago. It just seems like now that I'm more aware I shouldn't wait for it to happen if I don't have to.

Thanks Karen, I will have to get her a friend for later. I keep saying the kids will like the blue eggs but I think it's more that I will.

The rain hasn't stopped here. My dh brought the hurt chicken in and we cleaned her up and treated her wounds. She seems to have better muscle tone than even earlier today and definitely since yesterday. I think she was mad, her feathers were all fluffed up and she was looking at us funny. I put her in a really small tub, it's short, probably less than 8 inches high, she didn't even try to get out and I took my time getting things ready before I even messed with her. My dh kept going out and checking on the chicks in the rain, making sure the lights stayed on and such. After a big spell of rain, he went out and the light was out and one of my 6ish week old ones drowned. I'm so sad. He got the light back on and got them back into their house, we don't lock them in but we are about to change that after I was reading about predators. After we got ready for bed I looked out my window and I could see that their light was out again, the power keeps flickering. I went out and they were huddled in 3 different places and almost all were wet to some degree. I can't get the light back on now, the cords are wet and I don't want to get zapped but I put a board in front of their house door and put each one in from the top and locked them in. All 24 are accounted for. I really think they will be warm enough in there together and the house is off the ground so it can't flood. I'm worried now that they won't have enough air, but there is a 1 inch gap at the door where I leaned the board at an angle. I broke the side of their pen leaning over it to catch them, I'm too short to reach and I about fell in. We will have to deal with that tomorrow. The 1-2 week olds pen is great, they are dry and their light is on. They were acting like nothing was happening. Some were eating, some sleeping, not a care in the world. From there I went to check on the wounded chicken in a cage in the barn, and there on the path was a dead kitten. It makes me so sad, I know that's why I'm still awake. I don't know what happened, it probably drowned too, poor baby. The kids are going to be devastated. The wounded chicken was safe and warm.

 

[sapphireblu76]

I have five EE pullets from Ideal that were very crazy as chicks but now are getting super friendly and outgoing. Now if only they would stop flying over the fence to come and see me!

LOL! Mine do that, too!!!

So I was out feeding today, doing head count and thought I was missing a bird. I counted that group 5 times before I remembered I sent one home with Rob >< It's been DAYS since then, and I've counted them several times since then and just did not remember. Does this mean I'm getting old?

 

[medawinks]

Tweety, glad that you got an appt. so soon with the specialist. You know I had to look up gastroparesis. That doesn't seem fun at all, do they give you Reglan for that? I hope this new doctor is perfect for you and progress is quick.

Danz, you gave me a great idea. I have rolls of elastic. I wonder if he kids could help me weave it like chain link. We haven't had trouble with predators but but maybe once years ago. It just seems like now that I'm more aware I shouldn't wait for it to happen if I don't have to.

Thanks Karen, I will have to get her a friend for later. I keep saying the kids will like the blue eggs but I think it's more that I will.

The rain hasn't stopped here. My dh brought the hurt chicken in and we cleaned her up and treated her wounds. She seems to have better muscle tone than even earlier today and definitely since yesterday. I think she was mad, her feathers were all fluffed up and she was looking at us funny. I put her in a really small tub, it's short, probably less than 8 inches high, she didn't even try to get out and I took my time getting things ready before I even messed with her. My dh kept going out and checking on the chicks in the rain, making sure the lights stayed on and such. After a big spell of rain, he went out and the light was out and one of my 6ish week old ones drowned. I'm so sad. He got the light back on and got them back into their house, we don't lock them in but we are about to change that after I was reading about predators. After we got ready for bed I looked out my window and I could see that their light was out again, the power keeps flickering. I went out and they were huddled in 3 different places and almost all were wet to some degree. I can't get the light back on now, the cords are wet and I don't want to get zapped but I put a board in front of their house door and put each one in from the top and locked them in. All 24 are accounted for. I really think they will be warm enough in there together and the house is off the ground so it can't flood. I'm worried now that they won't have enough air, but there is a 1 inch gap at the door where I leaned the board at an angle. I broke the side of their pen leaning over it to catch them, I'm too short to reach and I about fell in. We will have to deal with that tomorrow. The 1-2 week olds pen is great, they are dry and their light is on. They were acting like nothing was happening. Some were eating, some sleeping, not a care in the world. From there I went to check on the wounded chicken in a cage in the barn, and there on the path was a dead kitten. It makes me so sad, I know that's why I'm still awake. I don't know what happened, it probably drowned too, poor baby. The kids are going to be devastated. The wounded chicken was safe and warm.

MommaHen, my kids DO love the colored eggs but truthfully, it is just as much as I do So sorry the rain brought losses.... My kids would be upset too. Glad your injured one is doing better though! Trish, I heard some muted clucking from my crew last night. I wasn't sure if it was because it was late or they are catching something..... I think I am going to try some Duramycin this morning as a preventative for infection? I dont have any other. Where do you order them from? I have only seen the Duramycin at Orschelens. My hat is off to you for figuring out which antibiotic will work! Congrats on the new hatch ChickBaron! It has to be a cool feeling! I used to breed show dogs and each litter was a real thrill! Nerve wracking worrying about complications but thrilling! Now I am too old to stress like that I can't wait to hear how it goes for you though!

 

[chicken danz]

Oh dear! I never mean't to imply that Eileen's birds were not of high quality. I have seen some pics of her birds and they are lovely. I just wanted to give you the reasons and as someone who breeds birds I personally would want to know that happened just for my own information to rule out a genetic component and to check my bator and feed. If you can catch them early they can usually be straightened but not always. It takes some diligence.
I have five EE pullets from Ideal that were very crazy as chicks but now are getting super friendly and outgoing. Now if only they would stop flying over the fence to come and see me!
Mmmmmm cake. It has been thundering here for an hour and nothing? So weird. Wasn't even that warm today...

I must have sounded pretty ratty in my reply about the chicks. Sorry! I meant to explain that poor quality chicks were just not something you would expect from where I got Medawinks birds. And it had me curious so I did contact her. Since she is in school, she explained her parents don't always do a good job of knowing one kind of chick from another. She immediately knew what the problem was. She said she actually was surprised that there were still any of those chicks left, thinking they had been culled. Josie, on the traps I forgot to mention that I just drop the trap in the bottom of a bin, grab the hose and fill it up above the top of the trap and walk away. If you come back in a few minutes they are all dead. I suppose there would be other ways but that works for me. I have no desire to save their lives. I despise rodents and associate them with filth and disease. So I have no heart when it comes to them. Raccoons and opossums fall in that same category for me. It's starting to look like owls and hawks could be joining those ranks, however I have always loved owls. I just wish they'd go eat mice and leave my birds alone. I sure hope they never take one of my ducks. The war would be on. The poor ducks couldn't run fast enough to get away
BTW Medawinks she has offered a replacement with a blue Maran but I told her you seemed happy with the chick regardless and it wouldn't be bred. If you want a replacement bird I will let her know.
I really should learn to read over what I post so it doesn't come out sounding wrong!
Sorry! I was horrified that I had missed crooked feet in the first place.
Originally Posted by medawinks
We really got a lot of heavy heavy rain during the night. It woke me up several times. Of course I was worried about my birds after that last storm we had when my quail drowned. I haven't been out yet, but looking out everyone seems fine. DH had pulled the trailer with the feed into the barn so I hope it is all still dry. I didn't feel good enough yesterday to get the area ready to store it. I hate being old. It amazes me how a simple road trip can totally wipe me out for days. He's working nights now so I guess I should have it ready just in case he happens to get up and has time to help me off load it all. I can't believe it is Wednesday already and I have nothing done I intended to do this week. I swear I get slower all the time! Maybe it's cause I spend to much time sitting here.