Dominique Thread!

[buffalogal]

I don't know, if they're dying suddenly at 3 weeks, I'd suspect cocci rather than a lethal gene. Now, the low, low hatch rate could be a lethal gene, or it could be a number of other fertility issues. Did you break the eggs that candled clear to see how many had started development and then died?

Oops, not "candled clear", I meant, did you break the fertile eggs that didn't hatch? If they were all within a few days of each other when they dies, maybe a lethal gene, otherwise, I'd be thinking incubator issues.

 

[NYREDS]

Hate to have to bring the discussion away from piles of crap [Dunghills] & back to Dominiques but I must. I did give my breeding flock of Dominiques away this year but after they left I ended up hatching the last couple of day's eggs they had laid. The chicks are reaching the point where I can begin to evaluate them & they're starting to look like some of the best I ever raised.
I didn't keep a list of everyone I sent eggs to this year but If any of you see this I'd appeciate hearing how the ones you hatched shape up.
As to Dunghills I have to disagree with you Chris. It may well be a term pit game breeders have used to malign a bird that isn't "game" but it certainly was used early on to describe the commonest barnyard fowl as the dunghill was where they found their living.

 

[Sumatra503]

I don't know, if they're dying suddenly at 3 weeks, I'd suspect cocci rather than a lethal gene. Now, the low, low hatch rate could be a lethal gene, or it could be a number of other fertility issues. Did you break the eggs that candled clear to see how many had started development and then died?

They were on medicated chick starter and showed no signs of cocci, but that's what I thought at first, too. Two batches with the same mortality rate(75% give or take a percent) and being on the medicated starter. That's what threw me off about it.

The ones that candled clear were all infertile. The others were fully developed chicks that failed to pip. Of 40 eggs I only got 2 chicks, one died and the other is 9 days old. 20 of them were clear, and 18 of them were the ones that died fully developed. Of the 42 other eggs i had 95% hatched and all were healthy, no shrink wrapping or anything else.

 

[buffalogal]

Medicated chick starter won't save them if they actually do happen to get cocci; there's just enough medication to help them fight off a minor case and hopefully encourage their tiny bodies to build up an immunity. Anytime I have less than 8 week old chicks start looking depressed or huddling together, I test their droppings with a paper towel. Often, you won't notice the very first tinges of blood in the droppings because it's very faint,and they get trampled underfoot, so laying down a paper towel for a few minutes will make any problems easily noticeable. Remember, once they have noticeable blood in the droppings, they also have serious intestinal damage and you will probably loose a few no matter what.

When that many die fully developed, it's usually a humidity issue (too high). The egg has to evaporate some moisture, but if the humidity is too high, the chick will develop normally until it's time to pip. Then, when it breaks the inner membrane on it's way to the shell, instead of finding air to breathe, it's met with fluid and drowns without even pipping.

 

[vnsseed]

Hate to have to bring the discussion away from piles of crap [Dunghills] & back to Dominiques but I must. I did give my breeding flock of Dominiques away this year but after they left I ended up hatching the last couple of day's eggs they had laid. The chicks are reaching the point where I can begin to evaluate them & they're starting to look like some of the best I ever raised.
I didn't keep a list of everyone I sent eggs to this year but If any of you see this I'd appeciate hearing how the ones you hatched shape up.
As to Dunghills I have to disagree with you Chris. It may well be a term pit game breeders have used to malign a bird that isn't "game" but it certainly was used early on to describe the commonest barnyard fowl as the dunghill was where they found their living.

The eggs we got from you did VERY well. We ended up with 10 hatching AND it looks like we have 2 boys, 7 girls and one we like to call "Pat" (Saturday Night Live reference ), as we just aren't sure. Very pleased, can't wait to see how they look as they grow.

 

[Chris09]

They were on medicated chick starter and showed no signs of cocci, but that's what I thought at first, too. Two batches with the same mortality rate(75% give or take a percent) and being on the medicated starter. That's what threw me off about it.

The ones that candled clear were all infertile. The others were fully developed chicks that failed to pip. Of 40 eggs I only got 2 chicks, one died and the other is 9 days old. 20 of them were clear, and 18 of them were the ones that died fully developed. Of the 42 other eggs i had 95% hatched and all were healthy, no shrink wrapping or anything else.

You could try a feed that is medicated with Amproll and BMB [If you cant get BMD in the feed you are using you can get it in the powder form at any good poultry supply store]
The Amproll will take care of Cocci and BMD treats for Ulcerative enteritis[FONT=Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif] which is a diseases that kills chicks from 6 to 14 weeks of age [give or take a week or two].
The diseases is caused by a spore that is in the ground. Ulcerative enteritis can simulates cocci.[/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif]The one other thing you may try is putting some Penicillin in the water this will help if it is Necrotic enteritis which can also have the same signs as cocci.[/FONT]


[FONT=Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif]Chris[/FONT]

 

[wsmith]

Bill,
While it was in the plan to get eggs from you this year, family issues came up that prevented me from getting as many hatching eggs as originally planned. We were able to get some from another breeder, who got eggs from ou last year.
This is one from that hatch at 7 weeks. (it's also my current avatar image) Thoughts?

 

[Chris09]

Bill,

I will keep you posted on how the chicks/birds do.

Chris

 

[Gallusfarm]

.

 

[Sumatra503]

My starter is double medicated both for cocci and enteritis. Once the first batch of chicks started having trouble I put both them and the second batch, 2 weeks younger, on a full round of Sulmet and Metronidazole(an antibiotic) for fear of some disease. I still lost 75% of chicks in the first batch within 3 days of eachother. The second batch I lost no chicks until week three after they had already completed a 14 day round of medication.

They didn't huddle up, fluff up or have any behavior changes. I did the paper towel test to check for blood and found none. They weren't even thin.

As to the humidity issue mentioned. All of the eggs in the incubator that weren't from these Doms, about 40 eggs from my other hens, hatched with a 95% hatchrate. No shrinkwrapped chicks or gooey chicks, just healthy, happy chicks.

My other chicks raised at the same time showed no signs of illness. They were raised with the dominiques in the same pen, ate the same food, and drank the same water, and are still thriving.