Consolidated Kansas

[RoosterLew]

Great find Trish ! So sorry about your granddaughter. My grandson is three and broke his collar bone 2 days ago. I feel so bad for my little buddy.
We scored our first chicks tonight at Orschelns as well, a pair of Buff Orps.
Our first two little ladies are in a makeshift brooder and doing good now they been home about 2 hours.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Trish44, Man that's a hard thing to deal with at 8. Prayers for all of you coming your way.

Okay. I have a cautionary tale for you all. I'm brooding the latest batch of 16 Aloha chicks that HEChicken incubated in her new R-Com bator. I went out to visit with the babies and decided their paper towels should be switched out. So I rolled up the paper towels, tossed them and then spread out the new paper towels. I was just enjoying watching them hustle around and peeping back at them when I thought I heard a peep from across the room. First, I thought something may have hatched in the Sportsman, although it's not time, still I checked. Nope, so I decided I was hearing things so I went back to the chicks and did a count. AAAAAaaaaahHHhhhhhh! Only 15 chicks! DD and I began frantically searching for the chick but we couldn't get it to peep at us so we looked under everything in the craft room with no luck. I recounted and sure enough, still only 15 chicks! I was standing by the brooder completely dumbfounded when I had a thought. What if the little chick had gotten rolled up in the paper towels? I told DD to check the paper towels that she had tossed for me. Sure enough! The little chick was wrapped up in the towels none the worse for wear! My stars! What next?

 

[RoosterLew]

I got the light a bit close.

Our makeshift brooder.

Now we're loving it! Running around and eating well!

Not sure about this? The thermometer reads 80? But if I sled them directly under the light, and the temp starts going up above 85, they lay down and start panting?

 

[Trish44]

Oh gosh Karen, that sounds like something I might do! Thanks on the prayers, we all are concerned about her. She looked kind of pale tonight when I was there.

RoosterLew, congrats on the new little chicks! I also got some more Orps when I was there the last time. I have one hen that is laying now & she is a really nice girl, so I decided to get a couple more. I have quite an assortment of chicks now I have to say. I will be rolling in eggs in about 6 months or so.

 

[HEChicken]

Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you thought to check the paper towels - that is an amazing story!

Trish, so sorry about your GD - what a thing to have to deal with at such a young age. By the sound of it the heart monitor allows her to continue normal activities without hindering her too much, so that is good. How is your daughter in law doing these days?

Great find on the California Whites - I've heard good things about them.

I had a nice visit today with Hawkeye, who came over to help with (aka DO) a bumblefoot surgery on one of my hens. I have been putting it off because I dislike dealing with these so much and because travel and the weather made it easy to procrastinate. Anyway, thanks to Hawkeye, the foot is cleaned out - we hope - of any staph infection. So much triple antibiotic was packed in that it was oozing out the sides of the vet wrap when we put her back in the coop but she was so glad to get back there - I'm sure she thought she was never going to see her familiar surroundings again. We went in to have lunch and chat and as Hawkeye was leaving, we could see that hen running around looking completely happy. Well, she was still limping for sure, but that has a lot to do with having a cotton ball vet wrapped to the bottom of her foot. I'll check it again in a day or two and re-wrap as necessary but I'm really hoping the swelling will go down (it was pretty bad) and she will feel better from here on out. Now that I've seen Hawkeye's method, hopefully I'll be able to deal with it myself a little sooner next time.

 

[HEChicken]

Not sure about this? The thermometer reads 80? But if I sled them directly under the light, and the temp starts going up above 85, they lay down and start panting?

Awww...love the chick pics. I wouldn't worry too much about the thermometer. The best judge of temperature is the chick's behavior. If they are huddled together looking miserable, they are too cold. If they are spread out or panting (spread out is easier to see the more chicks there are), they are too hot. If they look happy and comfortable and are readily moving from one side of the brooder to the other, they are just right. The most important thing is to give them a variety of options, from very warm right under the light, to very cool far from the light, so they can decide for themselves where it is most comfortable.

 

[RoosterLew]

Quote: Originally Posted by RoosterLew Not sure about this? The thermometer reads 80? But if I sled them directly under the light, and the temp starts going up above 85, they lay down and start panting? Awww...love the chick pics. I wouldn't worry too much about the thermometer. The best judge of temperature is the chick's behavior. If they are huddled together looking miserable, they are too cold. If they are spread out or panting (spread out is easier to see the more chicks there are), they are too hot. If they look happy and comfortable and are readily moving from one side of the brooder to the other, they are just right. The most important thing is to give them a variety of options, from very warm right under the light, to very cool far from the light, so they can decide for themselves where it is most comfortable.

Lol did you notice the size of the brooder? It's barely bigger than the light! Lol
Thanks for the reply! I guess I'll just keep an eye on their behavior for the next couple of days and build a more appropriate brooder where they have options. They'll probably out grow it by Sunday any ways! Lol
Now that we have our Orps, hoping to add some welsummers & GLW's to our first set.

 

[mrsdanamiller]

If by chance I wanted to butcher the hens that are sick, would that be a bad idea? Wouldn't cooking kill bacteria that are harmful to us? I'm gonna guess probably not, though.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Completely off topic:

On my way to Topeka a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a bridge in the middle of a pasture just east of the turnpike at about the Osage county line (just north of the county line, I think). The picture was taken from the turnpike. Does anyone know anything about it? It appears to be on pilings out in the middle of nowhere. If you click on the picture it will get bigger (but not clearer).

That is interesting. I had never noticed it. A couple of thoughts, although these would be too far south if this bridge is N of the Osage line - in the general area of the Admire exit, there is a bridge out that is over a creek. I don't know if it could be seen from the turnpike, but would be very close and I don't see a creek near this bridge. Also in the same general area is an old railroad right of way that has a bridge that goes over that same creek, again, no sign of a creek in the pic.

When I go to Harveyville by county road, I encounter a road closed sign, so maybe that is it? Next time you go, if you can make note of the name of any road close to it, it might make a fun week end adventure to find it. Or I could ask some of the old timers that farm around here?

 

[sharol]

I think I would trade out the printed paper for paper towels or a plain towel. Leg problems can result (or so I've read here) from slippery paper underfoot, and if newspaper is too slippery.... I got a couple of plain white towels from the dollar store and traded them out as they got soiled. it seemed cheaper to wash them than use paper towels. You will need larger quarters for them soon. You won't believe how fast they will grow and learn to escape.

Very cute. I have a buff orp, and as my daughter says, they look like chickens are supposed to look -- all fluffy and fat (mostly feathers in Marlena's case, though). Mine lays pinkish eggs.

I got the light a bit close.

Our makeshift brooder.


Now we're loving it! Running around and eating well!
Not sure about this? The thermometer reads 80? But if I sled them directly under the light, and the temp starts going up above 85, they lay down and start panting?