Incubators Anonymous

[DMRippy]

REALLY?????? I hatch hundreds of Marans a year and have never needed to sand an egg to get it to hatch. I do think you are just asking for trouble removing that natural barrier we all so value in reg eggs. I will rinse an egg i will not scrub it to remove the bloom why would you sand a marans? I dry incubate the same for all my eggs and have very very high hatch rates.....that is why i am on this thread....i need help....i have about 400 chicks under the age of 4 weeks....more hatching today too.....there is no hope for me I set 150everything more yesterday.

dont shoot the messenger

you hatch local eggs though correct?

Home grown and shipped .... all get the same treatment. Just hatched 4/5 that made it to lockdown (6 were shipped). They were nice color too. No sanding. Sally sunshine hatched 24 i think from about 36 i shipped. I dont think she sanded them either. That was a few months ago maybe for new years day or soon after.

I want some more marans eggs LOL but not in the hundreds LOL

I can help you with that but zanna has some nice birds. I would try to fine an unrelated roo and work with her birds as much as you can. Hatch some pullets and then use her roo over the new pullets.

 

[serama hen]

the ducklings hatched but what do i feed them i gave them water and wheat bread

 

[ozexpat]

the ducklings hatched but what do i feed them i gave them water and wheat bread

High protein chick starter. They can go without food for the first few days but they need high protein when you feed them. Dont feed them bread.

 

[Arielle]

WHen my ducks are foraging, they eat a lot of worms and bugs. MOve the leaf litter with beak and nibble nibble nibble. All the babies need high protein to grow well. ( 20% compared to breat at 3-5%)

 

[serama hen]

i have purina starter grow medicated feed can they eat this im hoping

 

[serama hen]

its for chicks but can it be for ducklings

 

[Arielle]

It is my understanding that medicated is not for ducklings because they can over eat ( the amprolium).

Short term you might be ok -- can you get un medicated?? Sometimes unmedicated can be hard to find.

I have used a coffee bean grinder to chip up 22% pellets into baby sized morsels.

 

[Zootopia]

It is my understanding that medicated is not for ducklings because they can over eat ( the amprolium).

Short term you might be ok -- can you get un medicated?? Sometimes unmedicated can be hard to find.

I have used a coffee bean grinder to chip up 22% pellets into baby sized morsels. 

X 2 ducks should not be fed medicated feeds. It's not gonna kill them for a couple of days but get them on unmedicated gamebird/ high protein starter asap.

 

[ozexpat]

From Common Poultry Myths by http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page21.htm

Medicated Starter with Amprolium or Bacitracin in it will NOT harm your waterfowl. I have confirmed this with two Poultry Research Veterinarians. I have used medicated starter on all of my birds for years now – chicks and ducklings alike – and have had no problem. This myth was actually once true years ago when different types of drugs were used in medicated feeds. But with the use of Amprolium in particular now, it is no longer a concern.

Since waterfowl can also suffer from Coccidiosis when first placed on grass (or even in a coop since you can walk the oosysts in on your shoes), medicated feed can provide protection against Cocci until your ducks have built immunity, just like chickens. Bacitracin is sometimes (but not always) included in medication for the prevention of enteritis. Bacterial enteritis is a bigger concern for waterfowl breeders than it would be for chicken because of the fact that the very nature of a duck is to drink the same water that they bath (and do other things) in. Since I’ve had my youngsters on medicated feed, I have not had a single noticeable case of either Coccidiosis or Enteritis, in either my waterfowl or my chickens.

Another point on medicated feed – the amount of Amprolium is so minute as a percentage of the feed, that it is not considered a cure, and actually will allow a mild case to occur, helping the bird to develop a resistance to it in the future. There are medicated layer feeds with Amprolium alone in it that are approved for that particular use.

 

[serama hen]

so I guess ill give it but they were outside in the rain playing on the dirt is this a problem all seem very active