Consolidated Kansas

[checoukan]

Well here are today's pictures of my little white pigs having their first dinner outside:
.

 

[tweetysvoice]

Finally finished up my brooder. Here are pics. All ready for the new chickies!!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/brooder-from-a-small-animal-cage

 

[Ivywoods]

Checoukan-Oh, you know me. My schedule is goofy. Actually, I was off work last night. They want me there Monday night instead. We have a new manager coming on that night and they want me there to help orient him.

AND I was up last night between 12 and 3a.m. ADMIRING DANZ' PUPPIES!

(one for each puppy!)

Tweety-It sure looks like you've got it under control for your chicks. That should work fine for them, and if you are just starting with 4 they should be able to stay in there for quite a while. Good idea about the cardboard around the edge. They do make a mess throwing shavings around. I'm sure with it being a wire cage you will enjoy watching them and will be able to see them a lot better that way. I may have to try that sometime if I run out of brooder room. I've got several wire dog kennels around and could put a tray under them. I think that would work great in the house,

 

[Ivywoods]

So DAAAANNNNNZZZZ-You said you have one picked out... which one are you thinking? I'm wondering if it's the same one that Mike and I are considering....you first.....

 

[Hawkeye95]

Danz-- awwww... LOVE those puppies!!! They are so FAT!!! LOL!! Marshmallow must be doing a fabulous job with them!

Oh-- someone explain this for me-- We've been eating silkie eggs. I go get them in the morning, and then usually try to put them right in the fridge, but if I'm distracted by kids, or whatever, I throw them on the counter top in the kitchen. So a couple of days ago, I left an egg or two there all day and over night and then realized they were there and put them in the fridge sometime the next day. So maybe two days they were on the counter top?? Didn't think anything of it. UNTIL... last night, I was cooking fried rice and cracked a bunch of silkie eggs into the pan and one of them was bloody! I'm pretty sure it was the one that was left out. Why would it be bloody SO FAST!?? It had a few blood marks on it. Freaked me out. I scooped it out of there and threw it out. I just couldn't eat it.. you know, thinking of baby chicks and all. ha! Okay... so was that bloody egg starting to form??? Or was that blood in there from the chicken??? I'm going to be MUCH faster about getting those eggs into the fridge!

 

[HEChicken]

Hawkeye, I wouldn't worry too much about it - blood spots on yolks are actually quite common - it doesn't mean they started to develop.

Tweety, I love your brooder! You've given me some ideas as I also used to keep rats and have a cage very similar to that. DH kind of wants me to get rid of it since its just taking up room but if I convert it to a brooder.....

 

[Ivywoods]

Danz-- awwww... LOVE those puppies!!! They are so FAT!!! LOL!! Marshmallow must be doing a fabulous job with them!

Oh-- someone explain this for me-- We've been eating silkie eggs. I go get them in the morning, and then usually try to put them right in the fridge, but if I'm distracted by kids, or whatever, I throw them on the counter top in the kitchen. So a couple of days ago, I left an egg or two there all day and over night and then realized they were there and put them in the fridge sometime the next day. So maybe two days they were on the counter top?? Didn't think anything of it. UNTIL... last night, I was cooking fried rice and cracked a bunch of silkie eggs into the pan and one of them was bloody! I'm pretty sure it was the one that was left out. Why would it be bloody SO FAST!?? It had a few blood marks on it. Freaked me out. I scooped it out of there and threw it out. I just couldn't eat it.. you know, thinking of baby chicks and all. ha! Okay... so was that bloody egg starting to form??? Or was that blood in there from the chicken??? I'm going to be MUCH faster about getting those eggs into the fridge!

If the temperature on your countertop was near normal room temperature and the egg was only there for a couple of days, I'm relatively sure that it was NOT from the chick starting to form. Often young pullets have what they call blood spots or even "meat spots" in their eggs. It is more common in chickens that are raised for pets or show than it is in chickens used for commercial egg production. In those lines the undesirable blood spots have been pretty much "candled" out of the lines.

I have had a lot of this with my marans. Their eggs are so dark it has made candleing blood spots out (not hatching eggs from hens that have blood spots in their eggs) pretty much impossible. For me, it doesn't bother me. It is a problem, however, because people that buy eggs do not want that and like you said, it kind of freaks them out.

I wouldn't worry about it. An egg with a blood spot in it is perfectly edible.

 

[Hawkeye95]

oh forgot-- Tweety! That is really an ideal set up for your chicks, especially with only 4. It will be easy to get in and out of that cage. I have been buying wire dog kennels on CraigsList lately and have accumulated a few now. I use them for a "hospital" or just whatever. Seymore, my turkey sleeps in one at night in my garage. My silkie trio (that I haven't finished their little coop) is using a really large one! It's one of the biggest crates I've ever seen! I have to climb into it to reach into the back. Which of course-- is where they are laying now. I keep empty ones in case someone needs to be separated, etc. It's a good thing to have. Once your chicks get bigger and if you don't still have a coop made-- I'd suggest hunting down a super large cage on CL for them. Or even a couple of smaller ones to separate them in at night. You can throw them out during the day in your backyard and then bring them in at night if you're in a bind with your coop. I have a heat lamp hung over the top of their dog kennels at night since they are in the garage on a cement floor and I dont' want to worry about them being too cold.

 

[Hawkeye95]

If the temperature on your countertop was near normal room temperature and the egg was only there for a couple of days, I'm relatively sure that it was NOT from the chick starting to form. Often young pullets have what they call blood spots or even "meat spots" in their eggs. It is more common in chickens that are raised for pets or show than it is in chickens used for commercial egg production. In those lines the undesirable blood spots have been pretty much "candled" out of the lines.

I have had a lot of this with my marans. Their eggs are so dark it has made candleing blood spots out (not hatching eggs from hens that have blood spots in their eggs) pretty much impossible. For me, it doesn't bother me. It is a problem, however, because people that buy eggs do not want that and like you said, it kind of freaks them out.

I wouldn't worry about it. An egg with a blood spot in it is perfectly edible.

oh wow, okay, so it wasn't a forming chick?? Whew!! Good to know. But that's the first time I've run across a blood spot in their egg, we've been eating a LOT of them. Those girls are producing pretty good now. Was that a fluke, or is this a problem in their genetics, do you think??

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye, I wouldn't worry too much about it - blood spots on yolks are actually quite common - it doesn't mean they started to develop.

Tweety, I love your brooder! You've given me some ideas as I also used to keep rats and have a cage very similar to that. DH kind of wants me to get rid of it since its just taking up room but if I convert it to a brooder.....

thanks.... but ewww!! I don't want to run into any more blood spots!