fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[Krugerrand]

I was at Walmart over the weekend. This is what I had been using:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/247378944

$0.09 ea. Drilling pennies might be better. Not sure how quickly that would wear out a drill bit.

 

[fuzzi]

I was at Walmart over the weekend. This is what I had been using:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/247378944

$0.09 ea. Drilling pennies might be better. Not sure how quickly that would wear out a drill bit.

I bit the bullet, ordered 100 more fender washers from Amazon, about $12.

Thanks for the info.

 

[fuzzi]

The chicks are hatching! The chicks are hatching!

 

[fuzzi]

I got an email this morning, the Sussex chicks started hatching. Last count there were 9, possibly two more coming!

I got home from work and headed out to the coop to work on the brooder.

Cardboard bumpers:

Added HWC to the opening in the back:

And over the door:

Next, the MHP! I think I can do that in an evening... tomorrow?

If everything goes according to plan, I will pick up my chicks on Thursday!



Wait, do I need cardboard across the door?

 

[3KillerBs]

So exciting!!!!

Wait, do I need cardboard across the door?

Yes, for the first bit. They need to be completely protected from drafts down at chick height.

After they start getting some feathers it's not as critical, but the first week or two, they need complete shelter down low as well as their excellent ventilation up top.

 

[fuzzi]

So exciting!!!!



Yes, for the first bit. They need to be completely protected from drafts down at chick height.

After they start getting some feathers it's not as critical, but the first week or two, they need complete shelter down low as well as their excellent ventilation up top.

Thanks. So much to learn.

I've been thinking about how to run an electric extension cord into the coop without sacrificing integrity. What if I ran it UNDER the apron in the corner where there's a little gap under the frame?

I hate to make a hole in the HWC covering.

 

[3KillerBs]

What if I ran it UNDER the apron in the corner where there's a little gap under the frame?

If you run it that way, then be sure to fully block that gap.

I lost 8 out of twelve chicks to blacksnakes last spring do to a tiny gap I didn't find soon enough.

Blacksnakes can't eat a grown chicken, but they will take chicks and eggs. (And the golfballs I use as nest eggs -- they're not that intelligent).

My brooder article shows my solution for putting the extension cord though and then closing the gap. It's fairly redneck though.

 

[fuzzi]

If you run it that way, then be sure to fully block that gap.

I lost 8 out of twelve chicks to blacksnakes last spring do to a tiny gap I didn't find soon enough.

Blacksnakes can't eat a grown chicken, but they will take chicks and eggs. (And the golfballs I use as nest eggs -- they're not that intelligent).

My brooder article shows my solution for putting the extension cord though and then closing the gap. It's fairly redneck though.

I recall your "redneck" solution, but I was hoping to not cut through the HWC at all, if I can help it. I'm going to have to cut through the brooder

I have lots of HWC scraps, thought I might run the extension under the apron, but cover it with more scraps, or perhaps even a cement block (aka cinder block).

We DO have black racers here, and they are narrow though long. They could probably get through a 1" opening.

 

[fuzzi]

Need to pick up chick food tonight, and make the MHP.

 

[fuzzi]

I've emailed the hatchery, didn't think to ask if they vaccinate.

Good read here about medicated vs. non-medicated feed for chicks:

I'll copy something I wrote a few years back about the life cycle of the bug that causes Coccidiosis. The medicine in Manna Pro Medicated is Amprolium so this applies.

First you need to know what the "medicated" is in the medicated feed. It should be on the label. Usually it is Amprolium, Amprol, some such product, but until you read the label, you really don't know. Most "medicated' feed from major brands for chicks that will be layers uses Amprolium, but there are a few out there mostly for broilers that use other medicines. I'll assume yours is an Amprolium product, but if it is not, then realize everything I say about it may not apply. And it is possible that the "medicated" is Amprolium AND something else.

Amprolium is not an antibiotic. It does not kill anything. It inhibits the protozoa that cause coccidiosis (often called Cocci on this forum) from multiplying in the chicken's system. It does not prevent the protozoa from multiplying; it just slows that multiplication down. There are several different strains of protozoa that can cause Cocci, some more severe than others. Chickens can develop immunity to a specific strain of the protozoa, but that does not give them immunity to all protozoa that cause Cocci.

It is not a big deal for the chicken’s intestines to contain some of the protozoa that cause Cocci. The problem comes in when the number of those protozoa gets huge. The protozoa can multiply in the chicken’s intestines but also in wet manure. For them to reproduce they need some moisture. Slightly damp isn't an issue, soaking wet is. Different protozoa strains have different strengths, but for almost all cases, if you keep the brooder dry, you will not have a problem.

To develop immunity to a specific strain, that protozoa needs to be in the chicks intestines for two or three weeks. The normal sequence is that a chick has the protozoa. It poops and some of the cysts that develop the protozoa come out in the poop. If the poop is slightly damp, those cysts develop and will then develop in the chick's intestines when the chicks eat that poop. This cycle needs go on for a few weeks so all chicks are exposed and they are exposed long enough to develop immunity. A couple of important points here. You do need to watch them to see if they are getting sick. And the key is to keep the brooder dry yet allow some of the poop to stay damp. Not soaking wet, just barely damp. Wet poop can lead to serious problems.

What sometimes happens is that people keep chicks in a brooder and feed them medicated feed while they are in the brooder. Those chicks are never exposed to the Cocci protozoa that lives in the dirt in their run, so they never develop the immunity to it. Then, they are switched to non-medicated feed and put on the ground where they are for the first time exposed to the protozoa. They do not have immunity, they do not have the protection of the medicated feed, so they get sick. Feeding medicated feed while in the brooder was a complete waste.

I do not feed medicated feed. I keep the brooder dry to not allow the protozoa to breed uncontrollably. The third day that they are in the brooder, I take a scoop of dirt from the run and feed it to them so I can introduce the protozoa and they can develop the immunity they need to the strain they need to develop an immunity to. Since I keep my brooder extremely dry and the water clean the protozoa can't reproduce so every three days I give them more dirt from the run so they get more protozoa and can develop immunity. I don't lose chicks to Cocci when they hit the ground.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding medicated feed to chicks, whether the protozoa are present or not. It will not hurt them. They can still develop the immunity they need. But unless the protozoa are present, it also does no good.

If you get your chicks vaccinated for Cocci, do not feed medicated feed. It can negate the vaccinations.

I don't see it as risks or pros. Medicated feed is simply a tool that, if used right, can help reduce the chances of your chicks developing Coccidiosis. If you don't use it right it does no good.

Apparently, if the chicks are vaccinated against Cocci then they should NOT get medicated feed.