INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Chaneys Ranch]

Hey guys just got some pictures of our chickens:


This is fluffy butt (Nina)


This is Clara


This is rose


This is Rhonda


This is Rhoda got my first photo bommer today!


This is punzie ( Rapunzel)


And last but not least queen Elizabeth

They will be 1 year in 5 days!!!

Congrats! You have a lovely flock!

Who stole Spring??

I need some advice. I put my older chicks outside on the porch in a large brooder this week (to make room for the new little ones!) and then it got really cold. It is supposed to go down to 32 tonight. I am wondering if I need to bring them inside.

The brooder is enclosed except the part where I have 2 heat lamps, and the side against our windows so I can keep an eye on them and check the thermometer (and watch chick TV!). It has been staying between 60-62 degrees in there today during the day, the warmest it has gotten outside today is 48. I will cover the side against our windows with towels tonight (which I've done the past 2 nights). They have done okay the past 2 nights but it did not get down to freezing!.

We keep our house at about 65. This evening I may warm it up to 67-68 b/c I am having trouble keeping the little chicks at the right temp and they seem to do better, once the sun goes down, if the house is a little warmer.

Do I bring them in? They are about 5 1/2- 8 weeks old. They do huddle up to sleep, which they normally do except the one I think is a roo. He usually sleeps on the perch but has not been. These past couple days since it got cold he is snuggling with everyone. They are not as active as normal, but they are moving around and eating a ton. They are a little puffed up on and off but not all they time. With the back open I know they are getting drafts but those will be cut down once I cover the back. But it also is going to drop to freezing so...

What should I do- I need some expert advice!

Also, an unrelated comment - my parents are coming here, from Michigan next week. My first thought - "Ooo I wonder if Birdman has anything they could bring with them." Then I realized how horrified they would be at adding to my menagerie and transporting chicks across state lines. SIGH.

Piling would be my concern too. If you have any doubt, its a little more work, but better than losing chicks. This is a pretty frigid cold snap, I am even worrying over my pigs.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Anyone see on the news tonight regarding a dog flu thats now been announced? Oh my, whats next!

 

[browncow15]

After an exciting morning my day hasn't ended well

one CCL zipped and then died, no idea why. I have one BLRW out but I had to help it with the last part of shell. The other two are still struggling, I think they're sticky

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

After an exciting morning my day hasn't ended well

one CCL zipped and then died, no idea why. I have one BLRW out but I had to help it with the last part of shell. The other two are still struggling, I think they're sticky

I had 2 February hatches that were terrible, both sticky chicks and lots of problems. I think my issue was the severe cold, and the house being so dry. You can quickly add warm wet sponges and even partially wrap the eggs in wet paper towel to hopefully help them out.

 

[browncow15]

I had 2 February hatches that were terrible, both sticky chicks and lots of problems. I think my issue was the severe cold, and the house being so dry. You can quickly add warm wet sponges and even partially wrap the eggs in wet paper towel to hopefully help them out.

That's so stressful! I did add some sponges a couple of hours ago and it seemed to help. I didn't know about the paper towel trick. I'll give them a little more time and maybe try that. The one that's finally out is in there screaming

 

[leslea]

leslea ~ MyPetChicken is very foolish for questioning your video, but also for accidentally sending you an internal email. It especially amazes me when an established company like MyPetChicken thinks that a sale of one chicken is more valuable that an unhappy customer. Fortunately, nowadays customers have a voice I hope you post your experience EVERYWHERE on social media, etc. as an example that their customers aren't important to them. Coincidentally, their website AND their Facebook page doesn't include customer reviews! lol BYC has some MyPetChicken review threads where you can be heard.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will likely do just that.

First, let me clarify: I explained myself poorly. I told them about the rooster first, they disputed it and accidentally sent me the email doing so, and I sent them the video because upon skimming, I could see that they didn't believe me. Only after I went back and read what they actually said about me to one another did my blood pressure skyrocket. I felt foolish for even having sent them the video by then, because they were not being helpful or living up to their image of service, guarantee, courtesy, etc.

Once I complained to them about what they said and asked them to remove me from their list permanently and not to contact me again, they contacted me again to continue to argue with me, at which time I did not reply. So done with them. I will have to wait now to get my refund to consider what kind of review I would leave them overall, after two faulty orders with them. I am also curious to see by then if my Marans turns out to be a Golden Cuckoo or a Silver Cuckoo. If it's not Golden, they will owe me more $, still, because Silver is not "fancy." What a pain in the butt. It would be easier to buy straight run and deal with unwanted roosters, I think. At least you know with the birds they are not choosing to be ornery!

HATCH question:

Speaking of birds...my broody silkie Farrah of the Damaged Beak has bored of hatching the guinea eggs she was on. Yesterday morning she was off the nest, and stayed off all day. The guinea is still laying, but not yet sitting. Today Farrah is still definitely not broody. The first eggs she started setting were due to hatch 4/28. (28 day incubation for guineas).

There are 20 eggs in the clutch right now. I know the guinea will keep laying until she thinks she has "enough."

What do you think will happen?

Throw your guesses out for fun and I'll let you know how it pans out.

I'm guessing about 10-12 will remain viable and possibly hatch, and the rest will go bad. After doing my research, experiences are all over the place re: cooled off and restarted eggs. As cold as it has been the past two days, though (30s overnight), I am guessing the ones that were laid in early April are goners.

Planning on waiting until the guinea starts setting (or if another chicken goes broody, I guess) and restart the clock then. I didn't mark any of the eggs so I can't tell old ones from new ones, and from what I read, guinea eggs are really hard to candle because the shells are so thick, so I'm not planning to try.

Looking foward to hearing your predictions &/or experiences.

In baby news...my silkie roo is still peeping like a roo. Age 2 weeks + 3 days. He is half the size of the other silkie, a real runt. The Salmon Favorelles and Marans are growing so fast. These are my first LF chicks, so they seem like Godzilla birds. The kids are amazed at how big they are, already. Looking forward to the future!

They love the fermented feed. My full grown birds couldn't give a care about fermented feed or sprouted grain. They are all about the bugs in the grass right now, which is good, as I have pulled two ticks off the kids and myself this week, already.

New dishwasher is here! Gotta run. Fingers crossed installation goes smoothly. I am sick of handwashing 7 sinks of dishes per day!

 

[racinchickins]

Quote: I've had more trouble with sticky chicks this year than last also. I'm using the same equipment, so I wonder what is causing it?

 

[bradselig]

That's so stressful! I did add some sponges a couple of hours ago and it seemed to help. I didn't know about the paper towel trick. I'll give them a little more time and maybe try that. The one that's finally out is in there screaming

I have even gone as far as wrapping the egg in wet paper towel and then putting a layer of plastic wrap around paper towel. Sometimes if I get nervous I will start peeling away the shell and there are still veins that haven't receded. They tend to dry out very fast and paper towel will typically dry out as well. I just roll them in paper towel so both ends are open (I try to Make it come shaped with the larger end of egg on the larger end of the cone to allow chick to get out easier).

Also if humidity is too high then they will get glued in the shell as well. The fluids in the egg becomes like jelly and eventually hardens like cement.

 

[browncow15]

Hatching update:

I got up in the middle of the night and my CCL was out finally but the second BLRW was stuck so I tried the paper towel trick. It was out when I got up this morning!

So now I have 3 chicks but they still look like they have glue on them what can I do for them?

@bradselig thanks for the info. How do you know if they're stuck because of to high humidity?

Anyone interested in a used LG incubator? I think I may look into a different one.

 

[browncow15]

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