I can't believe we did this again! New Babies

[Enchanted1s]

I really can't believe we did this again!!!!! Our 'babies' just matured and went outside a few weeks ago! I bought the first babies, because I wanted pets and the birds we had would not let me pet them. ANYWAY - I am not going to make this a long story... we got rid of all of the adults (except one) and bought more babies!

To replace Rudy (our Rooster) we got Little Boy Blue. HE is a Crested Cream Legbar


Because Little Boy Blue shouldn't be alone for the LONG drive home, we bought Cutie Pie. SHE is a Flowery 55 Hen.


For reasons that don't even make since to me anymore, we bought TWO Black SexLinks. No names yet for these two girls.


And here we go again. Fortunately, I had not taken the PlayPen out of my plant room yet.

 

[kwebb]

 

[Enchanted1s]

One of the Black SexLinks is not doing very well. The other three seem happy and healthy. The second one just stays under the heat plate most of the time. I have given probiotics, electrolytes and nutradrench. I was wondering if I might need to cull this one, but who am I to play God! I will be devastated if she makes the other three sick. I don't know what to do. She is eating, drinking and pooping - just not very much. The other three are in and out from under the heat plate all day. The other stays under there most of the time. She appears to be eating and drinking just enough to keep herself alive.

Here are their one week old pics. From the info I have been given, they all hatched last Friday.

Cutie Pie - Flowery 55 Hen. She has quite the personality! She is also the biggest at 2.0 oz.


Little Boy Blue 1.73 oz - Crested Cream Legbar Cockerel


Black SexLink #1 - 1.63 oz


Black SexLink #2 - 1.72oz

 

[Enchanted1s]

Just an update... I like being able to keep a record of the babies growing up here on BYC. Reading others journals helped us to prepare for our first babies. Anyway...

Little Black Sexlink #2 with the all black face has had a really rough start. I was really concerned about her, and being fairly new at all of this - not sure what to do. We believe she hatched on Friday March 30th. We purchased them from the local feed store on Monday 2 April 18. She had pasty butt and was cleaned twice that day. She was eating and drinking just enough to keep herself alive. She spent most of her time under the heat plate. On Tuesday, 3 April, we added the Cream Legbar Boy and Flowery 55 Hen - also hatched on 30 March from a small farm breeder in the state. Three of the babies seemed happy and healthy. I added a heating pad under the floor where the heat plate is. The failing to thrive baby continued to come out only a few times to eat / drink small amounts. I cleaned her butt one time on Tuesday, but it was not needed again. Friday night, I noticed the babies were sleeping half in / half out and laying down on the heated floor. I was concerned it might be too much heat and turned off the heating pad.

TODAY, Saturday 7 April, she seems to be doing better! Still not as active as the other three, but she does seem to be coming out more often. It's looking like she might pull out of it after all.

I was really hoping to start introducing them to broody Tootie and the teenagers, but we have been a bit under the weather this week & tomorrow we are supposed to have some vicious winds... hopefully next week.

 

[WhiteRockCrazyBird]

Love your new babies! I am keeping a BYC diary of my chick raising experience, too--even if I'm the only one to read it, i have something to look back on if we do it again! Hope your little bsl pulls through!

 

[Enchanted1s]

Love your new babies! I am keeping a BYC diary of my chick raising experience, too--even if I'm the only one to read it, i have something to look back on if we do it again! Hope your little bsl pulls through!

Thanks. She is doing much better today. Looks like she is going to pull through. I weighed everyone again today and all have gained. The weak one has not gained much, but she did gain. AND, today she has been out with the others much more, thus eating and drinking more too.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Oops - I didn't update the littles' post.

Everyone is happy & healthy. Doubling in weight and getting ready to be booted from my plant room to the run outside. We have been taking them out when the wind allows. Tonight is their first night without a heat plate. Yesterday everyone turned 3 weeks.
---> EDIT... They got their heat back at around 10pm. Too soon. <---

CutiePie - 55 Flowery Hen - at 2 Weeks & 3 Weeks - 6.2 oz


Little Boy Blue - Cream Legbar Cockerel at 2Weeks & 3 Weeks - 4.9 oz - Smallest of 4, but already protecting his girls Too Cute!


Blacky - Black SexLink at 3 Weeks - 5.3 oz - This little one pulled out of her funk quickly and seems small (but not the smallest), happy & healthy,


Brownie - Black SexLink at 3 Weeks - 6.1 oz

 

[drumstick diva]

They are so cute glad she is doing better

 

[Enchanted1s]

Four weeks and we threw them outside! Ran an extension cord out to the Hen House for their heat plate because they are still babies!

Anyone here familiar with the Flowery55 Hens? I bought from a local breeder that appeared to be knowledgeable and reputable. She tells me that the males are all white and that our CutiePie is a hen. She has a Big Red comb and already red waddles. She is the most aggressive and does NOT back down.

CutiePie 4 weeks. 8.7oz

BlueMan 4 Weeks 7.2oz (still the smallest)

Blacky 4 Weeks 7.8oz

Brownie 4 Weeks 9.2oz (Biggest)

 

[Enchanted1s]

We threw the babies outside last week. They spend their day in the covered run - where they are seen but not touched by the bigger girls. At night, the make their way to the Hen House, where they slept in a cage in the back half of the coop - with their heat plate.

Tonight - I removed the cage! I left the heat plate for them, but it is now 5am and they didn't use it! A couple more nights of not using it ant I will remove the heat plate too. All four are doing great. Rooster in training, BlueMan, is still the smallest (by quite a bit) of the four. He is filling in and growing up, but he is going to be small.

Finally - Gracie, our Crested Cream Legbar from our last round of babies, started laying last Saturday! She gave us one small blue egg every day since! Now just waiting on the other two freeloaders to start laying LOL.

BlueMan 5 Weeks - Our small but mighty little Crested Cream Legbar Cockerel 10.4oz.
ALSO - his crest is finally visible.

CutiePie 5 Weeks-Feisty and never backs down-but sweet as pie to us! 55Flowery 12.8oz

Brownie 5 Weeks - Calmest of the 4. Also heaviest. Black SexLink 13.6oz

Blacky 5 Weeks - Afraid of nothing. Not smallest anymore. 12.4oz

Gracey 21 Weeks - First to leave us a blue egg - 29 April 18