JUNE - JULY HATCH-ALONG!!!!!!!

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I'm so sorry for the trials you're encountering and the loss! I still just have to tell you how incredibly impressed I am with how well you're handling this! It's a very difficult situation and you've already saved so many beautiful little babies!!

I'm not sure this would be helpful because I have zero experience with keets but with every type of chick I've hatched so far with exception of the quail (because they're so tiny I decided plain wee pad until they get bigger) I've used equestrian pine pellets in the brooder on top of wee pads for easy cleanup and because they break apart so tiny in the event that something tries to eat it I've had no issues with impactions. They also significantly cut down on smell and don't create as much dust as pine shavings.

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Thanks CluckNDoodle!!! I like those pellets (when I’ve used them in horses), but at least one person on the guinea forum has indicated that they are likely to impact on those pellets... I should think more about what I could put on top of the per pads though... Right now I’m putting paper towels over areas that the keets are tearing up, but that’s pretty hit or miss... the older keets (6 days) that were incubator babies from the start are on paler towels and they’ve eaten mich of them! They are also so HUGE. I kid you not, they have tripled or quadrupled in size! I can’t put them with the newer set because they are SO much bigger! Also, within the new keets, the 4 day olds are double the size of the newly hatching ones. They are crazy little eating machines!!! I put long grass with dirt in both cages trying to give them something else to dig at, but neither group is interested...

 

[Kris5902]

Hi everyone! I’m coming into this a little late for July... so I’m probably going to end up in a July-August hatch along... but more eggs are going into the incubator in a week or so! I know I said I was ordering in chicks for my next batch, but I haven’t heard back from the hatchery and on Saturday I was asked if I could do a hatch for another resident here on our Island.

So I’m back to collecting eggs and looking forward to setting them in about a week to ten days! I just realized I should ask the person who took one of my excess Barnvelder cockerels for some eggs as well... a full incubator seems to work better than a half full one

Potential Daddy’s this round are Chickie Hawk (again!) Sammy, my CCLxLH Sapphire boy, and perhaps my re-homed Barnvelder. I’m not sure exactly what mixes the guy I’m doing the hatch for will be bringing, he has some Ameraucana and Barnvelder (Olive egger) crosses and I’m not sure what Rooster he has left. His flock was decimated by raccoons, which are being trapped and humanely disposed of. He is also doing a coop rebuild in anticipation of the new chicks.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

2 Peachicks have been doing really well, I never had to tape their feet because they straightened overnight thank goodness but baby #3, the Blue Pied that took longer to hatch just doesn't seem as lively. I've been handling him a lot because he has splay leg but the rubberband/straw contraption doesn't seem to be helping because it slides up his legs. I've been wrapping him in a towel and holding him to keep his legs in and he's mostly sleepy enough that he doesn't care. I've also started to drip just a tiny bit of Nutridrench in water to him since I'm getting concerned since the other two were up and active within 24 hours...Anyway, not really sure what else to try at least for the splay leg. I've only had maybe 1 or 2 minor cases and they were corrected really quickly. Maybe I should make a post under the Peacock forum?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I'm sitting outside sweating with this chick in a towel to keep it comfortable. Lol

 

[jolenesdad]

I'm sitting outside sweating with this chick in a towel to keep it comfortable. Lol

View attachment 1845832

Do you have vet wrap? It’s been the best for me...

Welcome @Kris5902!

@Mixed flock enthusiast fingers crossed for the cup baby!

This is super labor intensive but...

When I brooded 50 meat birds this year, the most overwhelming fact for me, was that it was impossible to think that you had checked each young bird for pasty butt. I ended up keeping them in the Brooder longer, with paper towels, then I would have. Every day I just took them out of the brooder and put them in a Tupperware container to clean it. I actually liked the process, because I handled each chick every day. Now I have been thinking, that it really would be nice to just have two breeder boxes and transfer them every day… And you also know that they are getting handled.

Regardless, could you just increase your frequency of cleaning the brooder and subsequently be able to check the keets more often?

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Do you have vet wrap? It’s been the best for me...

It's on my list of things I need in the first aid kit! I will go get some right now! Thank you!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hi everyone! I’m coming into this a little late for July... so I’m probably going to end up in a July-August hatch along... but more eggs are going into the incubator in a week or so! I know I said I was ordering in chicks for my next batch, but I haven’t heard back from the hatchery and on Saturday I was asked if I could do a hatch for another resident here on our Island.

So I’m back to collecting eggs and looking forward to setting them in about a week to ten days! I just realized I should ask the person who took one of my excess Barnvelder cockerels for some eggs as well... a full incubator seems to work better than a half full one

Potential Daddy’s this round are Chickie Hawk (again!) Sammy, my CCLxLH Sapphire boy, and perhaps my re-homed Barnvelder. I’m not sure exactly what mixes the guy I’m doing the hatch for will be bringing, he has some Ameraucana and Barnvelder (Olive egger) crosses and I’m not sure what Rooster he has left. His flock was decimated by raccoons, which are being trapped and humanely disposed of. He is also doing a coop rebuild in anticipation of the new chicks.

Hi Kris - good to hear from you!!! We are still trying for olive egger projects ourselves. Sounds like you will set up for a fun hatch!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

2 Peachicks have been doing really well, I never had to tape their feet because they straightened overnight thank goodness but baby #3, the Blue Pied that took longer to hatch just doesn't seem as lively. I've been handling him a lot because he has splay leg but the rubberband/straw contraption doesn't seem to be helping because it slides up his legs. I've been wrapping him in a towel and holding him to keep his legs in and he's mostly sleepy enough that he doesn't care. I've also started to drip just a tiny bit of Nutridrench in water to him since I'm getting concerned since the other two were up and active within 24 hours...Anyway, not really sure what else to try at least for the splay leg. I've only had maybe 1 or 2 minor cases and they were corrected really quickly. Maybe I should make a post under the Peacock forum?

Oh gosh, I hope your peachick recovers!!! I’ve just been treating three splay legs! One with a rubber band with tape wrapped in the middle. I liked the tape better because it’s not so hard and abrasive against the inner shank... The other two were with bandaids cut in half lengthwise. Rubber band baby is doing great - I’d take the band off it I could catch the baby... One bandaid baby is doing great, bandaid is off. Last bandaid baby got the first two devices off (one rubber band, one bandaid) so I reapplied a band aid. It does seem improved but having the band come off early limits progress... Last year, I treated a duckling with vetwrap and that worked great - he got it off in two days and was normal afterwards!

http://www.urbanchickenpodcast.com/ucp-blog-025/

Best of luck that your peachick perks up!!! My cup keet made it out of the cup and seems to be doing ok!!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I'm sitting outside sweating with this chick in a towel to keep it comfortable. Lol

View attachment 1845832

Awww, Sweetie!!! Get well baby!!!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Do you have vet wrap? It’s been the best for me...

Welcome @Kris5902!

@Mixed flock enthusiast fingers crossed for the cup baby!

This is super labor intensive but...

When I brooded 50 meat birds this year, the most overwhelming fact for me, was that it was impossible to think that you had checked each young bird for pasty butt. I ended up keeping them in the Brooder longer, with paper towels, then I would have. Every day I just took them out of the brooder and put them in a Tupperware container to clean it. I actually liked the process, because I handled each chick every day. Now I have been thinking, that it really would be nice to just have two breeder boxes and transfer them every day… And you also know that they are getting handled.

Regardless, could you just increase your frequency of cleaning the brooder and subsequently be able to check the keets more often?

Oh Lord, Jolenesdad, I haven’t cleaned the brooder yet!!! I was really hoping to have some sold and have a more manageable number before I had to do that... This thing that I rigged up is a nightmare to get keets from, and I think every time I grab one they get that much more afraid of me. Since I’ve had to grab a couple and treat for splayleg and rinse off bottoms, they now see me coming and run into the center of the 5 ft square brooder, since I’m grabbing from the edges!!!