Introducing the Ideal Dozen

[BleuSaphir]

All but this one has fully recovered from it.

I hope this one will make it through that stage. :/
I’m so eager to see your new flock growing up!

 

[3KillerBs]

She seems much improved tonight, but her vent still looks swollen.

She's been cleaned and oiled.

Then I gave the whole baby flock wet mash with about a tsp of plain yogurt mixed into about half a cup of mash. I know I saw all of them eating so I hope it will do her some good.

 

[Sally PB]

They are so adorable at that stage!

 

[3KillerBs]

The little Langshan with the pasty butt seems to be doing better. I didn't have much cleaning to do and she was struggling so hard to get away from the wet paper towel that I couldn't even get a photo of her vent.

Here she is pushing her way into the crowd to get her fair share of the wet mash.

They love their wet mash reward for having been caught and inspected.

This is the French Cuckoo Marans we've been referring to as "Big Spot". I have read that Marans are difficult to vent sex and would not be displeased if she turned out to be actually he.

Look at the adorable tiny tailfeathers!

 

[3KillerBs]

Oh, I almost forgot.

While we had little En Croute (the first of mine to earn a name), out for cleaning we spotted a little bug crawling on the empty feeder.

DS#3, who owns the Cochins, reached to automatically flick it off. I said to flick it into the brooder so they could eat it. Then I said, "No, wait. Hold it over here."

I held En Croute close to the feeder and she snatched the bug up right away.

 

[3KillerBs]

I put a little clump of grass and dirt from the big girls' run into the brooder and gave then a few broken-up pieces of the sourgrass that is the big girls' favorite treat.

 

[3KillerBs]

So, it's windy, threatening rain, and going down to 52 tonight so I'm going to pull out the big guns and put the 250w bulb in for overnight.

I've been worrying more about overheating but with this sudden shift in the weather now I have to think about them getting chilled.

 

[3KillerBs]

This morning it's ~80-85 on the ground under the lamp and 60 in the corner away from the lamp (53 outside according to TWC -- my regular outside thermometer is in the brooder).

The 11-day-old chicks are not huddled but moving around actively on a dim, overcast morning ahead of a grey and unseasonably-chilly day (64 predicted on a day when 94 would be more normal).

I am currently more worried about my just-planted beans and cucumbers than about my chicks.

 

[3KillerBs]

This morning it's ~80-85 on the ground under the lamp

It would be easier to determine the actual temperature if the chicks wouldn't sit on the thermometer and poop on it right where I need to read it!

 

[aart]

It would be easier to determine the actual temperature if the chicks wouldn't sit on the thermometer and poop on it right where I need to read it!

Get one of those infrared laser gauges.
No poops and they will chase the red dot.