June Hatch-A-Long

[CindyinSD]

So one of my hens went broody last week and I got excited. Then a second in another coop went broody, decided to leave her alone.

Now out of my 14 hens no one is laying (well minus one or two eggs per day)

So I did the meanie thing and took all the eggs. If they wanna be broody they need to lay more eggs.

I have them in the incubator for now. One was cracked but showed signs of life so I used crayon 🖍 wax to seal it. Hope it makes it.

If you want to stop them being broody, just taking the eggs may not do it. If some of them still want to brood, you can put them in the sort of dog crate with a wire bottom (lay some hardware cloth or similar in for them to walk on) and get it up off the ground. With their underside cool, they'll stop producing broody hormones. Or so I've read here...

I may try it myself on a couple I have who can't even bother to consistently sit on the same nest. They are presently sitting, one on fake eggs (usually, when she gets the right nest) and the other on no eggs at all, in any of three interchangeable (to her) nests. I took her eggs early on and gave them to her much more constant friend and will not give them back as hatching approaches. If she's too silly to keep to the nest with eggs in, how can she be trusted with chicks?

 

[jolenesdad]

If you want to stop them being broody, just taking the eggs may not do it. If some of them still want to brood, you can put them in the sort of dog crate with a wire bottom (lay some hardware cloth or similar in for them to walk on) and get it up off the ground. With their underside cool, they'll stop producing broody hormones. Or so I've read here...

I may try it myself on a couple I have who can't even bother to consistently sit on the same nest. They are presently sitting, one on fake eggs (usually, when she gets the right nest) and the other on no eggs at all, in any of three interchangeable (to her) nests. I took her eggs early on and gave them to her much more constant friend and will not give them back as hatching approaches. If she's too silly to keep to the nest with eggs in, how can she be trusted with chicks?

I just broke my first broody and it was seamless and easy and she is seemingly totally fine with it.

 

[FortCluck]

I’m not happy... the BCM hatch has been almost completely culled. I’ve found a few dead and I just culled 5. They were acting lethargic. My older chicks don’t seemed phased so I’m not sure what it is.

I’ve also lost a few bantam brahma chicks and 2 sultans.

Ive never lost this many ever. They have tons of food and water plus a fan and the heat plate. Lots of room as well.

I just put nutritional yeast and garlic in their feed. I also added acv to their waterers. I may be doing a round of colloidal silver as well.

I have antibiotics and other meds, but I try to use those as a last resort due to all my allergies and touching them can cause anaphylaxis so I have to wait for family to get home to help. I don’t have an epi pen available so I need to be wise.

 

[jolenesdad]

I’m not happy... the BCM hatch has been almost completely culled. I’ve found a few dead and I just culled 5. They were acting lethargic. My older chicks don’t seemed phased so I’m not sure what it is.

I’ve also lost a few bantam brahma chicks and 2 sultans.

Ive never lost this many ever. They have tons of food and water plus a fan and the heat plate. Lots of room as well.

I just put nutritional yeast and garlic in their feed. I also added acv to their waterers. I may be doing a round of colloidal silver as well.

I have antibiotics and other meds, but I try to use those as a last resort due to all my allergies and touching them can cause anaphylaxis so I have to wait for family to get home to help. I don’t have an epi pen available so I need to be wise.

Youve hatched from these same eggs before right? I personally would think deficiency of some sort related to the parents. Or potentially older feed? Do you have any poultry cell?

 

[jolenesdad]

I’m not happy... the BCM hatch has been almost completely culled. I’ve found a few dead and I just culled 5. They were acting lethargic. My older chicks don’t seemed phased so I’m not sure what it is.

I’ve also lost a few bantam brahma chicks and 2 sultans.

Ive never lost this many ever. They have tons of food and water plus a fan and the heat plate. Lots of room as well.

I just put nutritional yeast and garlic in their feed. I also added acv to their waterers. I may be doing a round of colloidal silver as well.

I have antibiotics and other meds, but I try to use those as a last resort due to all my allergies and touching them can cause anaphylaxis so I have to wait for family to get home to help. I don’t have an epi pen available so I need to be wise.

also..... so sorry. Chick culls the worst.

 

[FortCluck]

also..... so sorry. Chick culls the worst.

I just have never had disease or anything in my flock so this is hard for me. It’s mostly the BCM the others were from another farm.

I can get some if I need to. I can put in an order to tsc

 

[ShrekDawg]

Maybe the garlic or yeast or something did something if you just put that in? Or the heat maybe? Personally I think I would have tried some NutriDrench or other vitamins first before but understandable.

 

[Crestcrazy]

Here is my newly hatched vicious little quail !

sadly only four hatched out of twenty eggs and one died

So I have three little quail !

And this is my last quail of the old flock , his name is cotton !

 

[FortCluck]

Youve hatched from these same eggs before right? I personally would think deficiency of some sort related to the parents. Or potentially older feed? Do you have any poultry cell?

All of them were different than the first batch with energy

 

[FortCluck]

Maybe the garlic or yeast or something did something if you just put that in? Or the heat maybe? Personally I think I would have tried some NutriDrench or other vitamins first before but understandable.

I just put that in so it wouldn’t be that. They have stuff in their waterer like electrolytes and vitamins. I always add those.

They have a fan and they’re in a well ventilated shed so I doubt heat.

I get that you’d try other things first, but I did try those others first and it’s not helping so I went to the next defense before I drown them in antibiotics like everyone else does then they get immune to it then they wonder why all their older chickens are dying and can’t be helped.