EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[BantyChooks]

Hello Sally Sunshine... I have a chick question . Can you help? My 16 chicks have really bad manners and particularly a certain lavender orpington... they scratch ALL the feed out of their feeder till it is empty.( a standard plastic quart with red plastic tray that you find at the feed stores). I just hate to waste all the feed. I do let them eat up as much as they can . But it starts getting contaminated and smelling form being  on the floor of the brooder. I know how to teach kids to not throw their food on the floor but a chick?!

Fermenting their feed may help, or what I do is place their feeder in a pan and occasionally remove the feeder so they have to eat the stuff on the floor of the pan.

 

[Yemimah]

Does anyone have a tip about this? I have seen it a little but this is getting wild. They literally empty their feeder onto the floor in about an hour! Pretty industrious for babies. ( 3 1/2 weeks old ) speckled sussex, full size cochin, salmon favorelles and 2 very sweet dove like lavender orpingtons

 

[Yemimah]

Good ideas. Thank you. This little orpington is such a determined scratcher she even scratches the waterer in between drinking each sip ! Wild !

 

[Yemimah]

How do you ferment their chick feed? Also isn't it better for chickens to have dry feed for the most part? An old North Carolina farmer told me chickens do best in dry ...with feed and such.

 

[BantyChooks]

How do you ferment their chick feed? Also isn't it better for chickens to have dry feed for the most part? An old North Carolina farmer told me chickens do best in dry ...with feed and such.

Not sure where he got that, FF often improves gut bacteria and health. Mine actively seek it out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/no-strain-hot-water-easy-fermented-feed-method-w-video

 

[daxigait]

Hey guys I have a question, who should I use as a second professional reference? I really don't want to use more than one person from my current job, and my last employment place was destroyed in the Joplin tornado. Thethe owner is dead and everyone I knew is scattered to the four winds. I have held my current job for 10 years and the one before that for almost 5. That makes any other reference ancient history.@ChickenCanoe@kwhites634

 

[kajira]

My daughter really wants a black Cochin, or a light Brahma. McMurray is out of both. Without buying from another big hatchery, where do you suggest I look?

Do you want a bantam cochin?

My white cochin white fluff, with my patridge cochin Biter, produce black hens so far.

 

[Yemimah]

On a different note.. I have an older Salmon Favorelle pullet who is having a difficult time with her tail feathers. She is the oldest of my chicks and due to my poor planning I ended up with different ages in the same brooder. There is not any aggresive behavior but because of the heat being a little too high for her ,it seems to me at least, that she is having problems getting her tail feathers. She can at times scream and whine so to say and picks and picks at it. At first I thought mites so put some Diatomaceuos under her wings . But then saw what was happening and gave her a soak with some epsom salt (1 time/ a week ago). I did protect most of her feathers and dried her well. She does have her wings and is currently... I am thinking her age is 7 1/2 weeks or less. I do not want to bath her again because she is young. I have been every few days putting a natural product with some mint / eucalyptus and she will be calm and quite for a few days. I did lower the temp in the brooder as quickly as I could with younger birds in there also. Am I on the right track ? Any more thoughts or advice appreciated,

 

[Yemimah]

Meyer has them for $ 4 with a minimum of ???? I actually want some too! I have 3 cochin bantams and love them love them. I love Meyer too. I can trust good service and polite employees every time !

 

[DwayneNLiz]

Hello Sally Sunshine... I have a chick question . Can you help? My 16 chicks have really bad manners and particularly a certain lavender orpington... they scratch ALL the feed out of their feeder till it is empty.( a standard plastic quart with red plastic tray that you find at the feed stores). I just hate to waste all the feed. I do let them eat up as much as they can . But it starts getting contaminated and smelling form being on the floor of the brooder. I know how to teach kids to not throw their food on the floor but a chick?!

could make a higher gravity fed feeder with a bucket under it

Hey guys I have a question, who should I use as a second professional reference? I really don't want to use more than one person from my current job, and my last employment place was destroyed in the Joplin tornado. Thethe owner is dead and everyone I knew is scattered to the four winds. I have held my current job for 10 years and the one before that for almost 5. That makes any other reference ancient history.@ChickenCanoe @kwhites634

do you have a close family friend? or someone else that you have done work for or that has known you for a very long time>

On a different note.. I have an older Salmon Favorelle pullet who is having a difficult time with her tail feathers. She is the oldest of my chicks and due to my poor planning I ended up with different ages in the same brooder. There is not any aggresive behavior but because of the heat being a little too high for her ,it seems to me at least, that she is having problems getting her tail feathers. She can at times scream and whine so to say and picks and picks at it. At first I thought mites so put some Diatomaceuos under her wings . But then saw what was happening and gave her a soak with some epsom salt (1 time/ a week ago). I did protect most of her feathers and dried her well. She does have her wings and is currently... I am thinking her age is 7 1/2 weeks or less. I do not want to bath her again because she is young. I have been every few days putting a natural product with some mint / eucalyptus and she will be calm and quite for a few days. I did lower the temp in the brooder as quickly as I could with younger birds in there also. Am I on the right track ? Any more thoughts or advice appreciated,

sounds too warm and not enough protein in their food

what is the curent temp in their brooder?
do you have a picture of your set up?