INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Glag they are well. My thirteen are clear now. Nine cockerels

But they are beautiful.

NINE???

Ouchie...

Clear of what?

I'm still not 100% on the two that were developing a little slower than the others, but 5 or 6 of my 11 older chicks are cockerels. I'm pretty certain 5 are pullets, so I will hopefully have a minimum of 2 trios to start breeding in the spring.

Yours are a little older than mine, so they should be looking more like adults by now. I have one cockerel that's starting to show a little bit of beetle green feathering in his tail, but all the other boy's tails still look like they've been in a fight with a weed eater. At least most of them are beginning to get black, waxy feathers on their backs and wings. I'd like to see how yours are looking now.

 

[chickendreams24]

So my darned phone lost it all. Okay take two..

It's been crazy busy around here and super stressful sorry it's been so long everyone.

The fox showed up again night before last night. (This is now last Thursday night) While DH2B went for the gun(which for the first time in three weeks wasn't ready-we have a gun shy dog and trying to get her out the door with the gun in the porch is insane.) I took off outside in my bare feet and chased it around the barnyard and lot trying to separate it from the birds. To my amazement my presence and screaming didn't phase it at all. First I saw one of my oegb scared stiff in the driveway, as the fox ran towards us chasing a SLW hen. I moved quick and ran I'm front of her and then straight towards the fox half expecting it to run away then, still chasing the wyandotte and snapping at her tail feathers. Seeing me the slw hen ran for me and around my right side running behind me and out into the open yard where most of the flock was by then. Eyes still on the now frustrated fox I turned and scooped up the oegb and tossed her in the coop on my way by, while the fox turned and ran to the the lot in front of the coop. As we entered the lot my eyes quickly scanned for birds and I saw none. DH2B came out of the house and we were yelling back and forth. The fox was so fast and almost the size of a coyote I would say- yes I'm sure it was a fox, all I could do was continue my chase and yell to DH2B as it was so fast he never even got a look at it. The fox ran through the lot and back into the barnyard. (Which in our case is actually a big area where a barn used to stand that is overgrown with plant life and has piles of old now degraded compost in it that the flock love to dig through-clean up of the barn is still going on.) Zig zagging back and forth as it ran the fox got further in front of me and I had to slow as I got close to the barnyard duw to nails and possible broken glass in my path. Still yelling to DH2B it's location I ran out and back around as it was headed towards where I first saw it. Thinking all the birds were out of the barnyard I thought it was probably after the ones in the yard and I meant to cut it off. Hoping that DH2B would get a shot at but he couldn't see it. As I rounded the coop I heard a bird freak out and one of my buff orps flew out of the barnyard as the fox snapped at it in flight. Again I yelled and took off into the barnyard after it, this way in being safer than the other. It turned and headed back and I told DH2B it was headed for the lot. As I continued in hot pursuit it stopped and I saw it grab something though I couldn't see what bird it was at the time it looked fluffy. Yelling and redoubling my efforts to chase it I took off but it ran much faster than I and was our of the lot by the time I reached it.

We split up and got the very spooked flock in after a bit of work and looked for the fox. Amazingly we couldn't find any signs and couldn't see it even through a scope.

A head count revealed 5 missing birds! Now it may have had its mate or kits with it it all happened so fast and my eyes were locked on the big one but I could absolutely not imagine losing five! The missing birds inclided an oegb pullet- one of my favorite birds and a sq pet, golden laced sebright, EE, slw chick(10 weeks), and our silkie roo, Kramer. We searched for over two hours. We found the sebright on some machinery in another building. We were about to give up and I was devastated when out of the dark walked the EE, Olive, very terrified, she had all of her feathers on the back of her neck clipped very close to the skin. I believe she had been grabbed and I've no idea how she escaped.

We went to bed still missing three birds, but I woke up and found the slw chick and my oegb pullet, Minnie, outside the coop wanting in.

Of course the fluffy bird we lost was Kramer and it truly is a big loss he was very kind gentle and handsome roo. I believe he may have been protecting that buff hen but then couldn't get away BC of his flightlessness.

He will be sorely missed and our little silkie flock has been devastated. Losing 2 of four to predators.

We believe that this fox may not have been phased out of sheer hunger and the risk of starvation. It had been nearly two weeks since we had seen it after our great dane chased it one night but lost it. It has been three weeks since it last took one of our birds, my favorite silkie, Ginger. We have ample rabbit, chipmunks and ground squirrels around here with many field mice as well. There is no shortage of prey. We know that it will be back soon as Kramer was quite a small bird with lots of feathers and a very small amount of meat. This is almost a dozen birds we've lost during/since May.


Yesterday we lost a chick from last Sunday's hatch that was never normal and I believe it also had an egg yolk infection. Poor little thing also seems like it may have had a spine deformity as it never did straighten out of its egg. I am also treating a wry necked chick that hatched on Sunday or Monday and I'm just really hoping it pulls through. Last weekend's hatch was awful. Which was the first in a while. I believe it is BC they were the first eggs that we ever put in the coolerbator and some of you might remember that we had humidity problems in it at first. The 6 silkie eggs all from the styrobator did awesome and all hatched beautifully only three or four of the large fowl eggs hatched and they needed assisting except for one of them. We had several malposotioned and two pipped into a major blood vessel and bled out. Most were a mystery to me.

Anyway I went out to let the flock out and open the door for the littles (3-6 week old chicks) and discovered that several of them have come down with cocci. Treatment of course began immediately. Most have perked up but there are a few I'm really worried about. The littles just started coming out to play on last Thursday. We have raised many chicks this year in that side of the coop and not one before now has had cocci. We have only ever dealt with it once last year.

Thankfully the chicks from last weekend and the weekend before's chicks are still in the house some only being four days old. But now how early can I treat them? Should I treat them all and put them out there anyway?

I would keep the chicks in as long as you can to avoid the cocci, wait until it dries out more, I would make sure you have a preventative treatment on them.  And so sorry about the  roo and the fox, you lock everything up at night? 

Sorry you are having such a bad time with that fox. 

Sounds like you had a decent hatch, where are the pics?



Good luck!

Awwwww

I hope you had a nice visit. Love the photos.

Hey all thank you for the support. I really need it. We lost the first chick about 5 pm and at 9:45 PM the second breathed it's last in DH2B's hand.

It also pooped as isn't uncommon in death but the stool was bloody and I take that as confirmation. The water is being treated and o have been syringe feeding them raw egg yolk laced with corid and electrolytes.

Is there anything else we can do? Am I doing anything wrong?

Would it hurt the littles inside to be put on a preventative dose? What age can they safely be given the corid?

As for the fox we look for it every night and wait up trying to catch it in the act. The flock has always been locked up every night. We are, however, locking them up earlier BC of it now but we never know when it will come.

 

[daxigait]

NINE???      Ouchie...

Clear of what?

I'm still not 100% on the two that were developing a little slower than the others, but 5 or 6 of my 11 older chicks are cockerels. I'm pretty certain 5 are pullets, so I will hopefully have a minimum of 2 trios to start breeding in the spring. 

Yours are a little older than mine, so they should be looking more like adults by now. I have one cockerel that's starting to show a little bit of beetle green feathering in his tail, but all the other boy's tails still look like they've been in a fight with a weed eater. At least most of them are beginning to get black, waxy feathers on their backs and wings. I'd like to see how yours are looking now.  

The genders are clear. There were two I was holding out hope for, but they are getting green tail feathers and their combs are growing. Yeah, nine really stinks. It will really limit what I can do. I will be posting pictures of the boys soon so I can get help to do a preliminary elimination of excess boys. I am waiting on a friend to help me band and get pictures of each so I know who is who.

 

[daxigait]

@Ur-ur-ur-urrr Here are a couple of pictures I snapped quickly last week. One was one I just identified as a male and a pair. I will get some of the more mature birds. These two guys are late bloomers.

Good night!

 

[BullChick]

Hey all thank you for the support. I really need it. We lost the first chick about 5 pm and at 9:45 PM the second breathed it's last in DH2B's hand.

It also pooped as isn't uncommon in death but the stool was bloody and I take that as confirmation. The water is being treated and o have been syringe feeding them raw egg yolk laced with corid and electrolytes.

Is there anything else we can do? Am I doing anything wrong?

Would it hurt the littles inside to be put on a preventative dose? What age can they safely be given the corid?

As for the fox we look for it every night and wait up trying to catch it in the act. The flock has always been locked up every night. We are, however, locking them up earlier BC of it now but we never know when it will come.

First, I am sorry that you are losing babies.
I am do not think that anyone has ever given Corrid as a preventative. The only preventative I know to be safe is the medicated chick feed.
You are smart to lock the girls up early as a preventative.
Try to get some sleep tonight. I don't know if there is anything else that you can do.

 

[BullChick]

Greetings, earthlings that are still awake!
I locked up the flock, and went back into the house. The dog was off doing… Whatever it is that dogs do.
When he finally came to the door to be let in, I realized that a skunk had just sprayed right outside the door! The dog was acting weird, and would not come near me for me to check him. Since the smell of skunk was already in my nostrils, I could not tell if he had gotten hit.
Thank God he wasn't!!!
So, I will wish all of you a good night. Sweet dreams, sleep well, may everyone wake up to a coop full of pullets/hens!

 

[BullChick]

@Ur-ur-ur-urrr Here are a couple of pictures I snapped quickly last week. One was one I just identified as a male and a pair. I will get some of the more mature birds. These two guys are late bloomers.

Good night!

Good night, Dax! Sleep well!

 

[Beer can]

Why's everyone going to sleep? Dang!

 

[daxigait]

Good night, Dax! Sleep well!

You too.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Hey all thank you for the support. I really need it. We lost the first chick about 5 pm and at 9:45 PM the second breathed it's last in DH2B's hand.

It also pooped as isn't uncommon in death but the stool was bloody and I take that as confirmation. The water is being treated and o have been syringe feeding them raw egg yolk laced with corid and electrolytes.

Is there anything else we can do? Am I doing anything wrong?

Would it hurt the littles inside to be put on a preventative dose? What age can they safely be given the corid?

As for the fox we look for it every night and wait up trying to catch it in the act. The flock has always been locked up every night. We are, however, locking them up earlier BC of it now but we never know when it will come.

I always start my chicks on Medicated feed, then gradually wean them onto regular feed after a few weeks... during which time I give them grass and dirt from my yard. Amprolium doesn't cure Cocci, nor does it completely prevent it. It keeps Cocci from reproducing, which leaves some in chicks so they can build up their own immunity. Coccidiosis is everywhere, and while it may not affect all chicks, I don't risk it. I'll always feed medicated feed to my newborns...

Sorry about the fox. Sounds like it's pretty fearless. You can be sure it'll be back. I have a lot of night predators where I live (fox, coyote, raccoon, owl, etc.), but I've never had anything attempt to get into my pens. I've been using blinking light technology to keep varmints out at night. In fact, I'm waiting for my order for 4 Solar Nite Eyes to arrive from MPC so I can install them around my new coop and pen where my RIR chicks will soon be living.