Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[rnchick74]

Quote:

Here is the website to the breeder's page: http://www.chickenridgefarm.com/

I got to "meet" the English Orp breeders including the Isabel & the Chocolate - GORGEOUS!!, The French Maran's were hanging out too,


Today everyone is doing well - the chicks survived the night and are little snuggle bugs! The only issue is with Brownie. He/she is trying to exert her/his dominence and is pecking the tops of their heads. Not hard, just enough to keep them in line. They aren't allowed to eat until Coco and Brownie are done...with both bowls! Poor Gidget follows Brownie around like "are you my mommy?" and Brownie wants nothing to do with it!

I'm half tempted to put a screen divider up for a little while, but I don't want to interfere too much with their pecking order either.

Any thoughts? I am scattering food around under their heat plate to make sure they have plenty they can get to any time, no matter what "the queen/king" says.

 

[christine9]

Blues are beautiful! They are definitely on my list!

I quarantined for 2 1/2 weeks. It is recommended that you do so for 30 days but, I felt like a shorter time was sufficient because my started pullets came from Meyer, they were vaccinated and 2 other people who got some from there at the same time did not quarantine and nether their old birds or the new ones suffered any health issues.

My birds were shipped overnight with gro-gel and seemed to travel well. As long as yours arrive to you by the next day, they should be fine. Have you gone on usps.com to see an estimate of how long it will take to get to you from the breeder? When you pick them up at the post office, you might want to bring a water spritzer so you can most the girls in case they got overheated. Otherwise, they should be fine.

Thank you! I'll bring a spritzer. What a great idea! I hope it will be overnight. KS to SC. But my PO?! Ah! How long could it take? It will be quite warm too. And I think I'll try to stick out the 30 day quarantine. I've heard too many horror stories.

 

[MamaShell]

Blues are beautiful! They are definitely on my list!

I quarantined for 2 1/2 weeks. It is recommended that you do so for 30 days but, I felt like a shorter time was sufficient because my started pullets came from Meyer, they were vaccinated and 2 other people who got some from there at the same time did not quarantine and nether their old birds or the new ones suffered any health issues.

My birds were shipped overnight with gro-gel and seemed to travel well. As long as yours arrive to you by the next day, they should be fine. Have you gone on usps.com to see an estimate of how long it will take to get to you from the breeder? When you pick them up at the post office, you might want to bring a water spritzer so you can most the girls in case they got overheated. Otherwise, they should be fine.

Thank you! I'll bring a spritzer. What a great idea! I hope it will be overnight. KS to SC. But my PO?! Ah! How long could it take? It will be quite warm too. And I think I'll try to stick out the 30 day quarantine. I've heard too many horror stories.

I would call the post office and ask them to hold your chickens when they get there and call you so you can pick them up. When mine were shipped from Meyers, it said on the tracking info that they were to be delivered to my home; so, if I did not ask the post office to hold them, they might have gone on the regular route and spent longer in the box. I am sure you were planning on calling the post office anyway, but, I just wanted to remind you in case you forgot with everything else on your mind. I was a nervous wreck waiting for my EEs, even more than I was waiting for my chicks! I wish you well!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Quarantine is one of my 'causes', so I have a strong opinion here. I have found that the length of the quarantine is less important than how the quarantine is performed. Because so many diseases can leave the sufferer as an asymptomatic carrier, the quarantine period is only really useful if one bird from the existing flock is put in quarantine as well. After reading about someone who did the full month of quarantine, only to have their entire flock fall ill with MG less than a week after the quarantined birds were put into the flock, I firmly believe that if you are not going to quarantine with one of your own birds in quarantine as well, you might as well not quarantine at all. It seems cruel, but it is necessary not only to make sure you aren't bringing disease in, but to make sure the new birds are exposed to anything your birds might have.

What I usually suggest is that you quarantine the new bird(s) for at least a week on their own so they can get used to their new environment, and then for at least two more weeks introduce your least favorite bird from your flock into the quarantine. This is the safest way to make sure your new birds are not sick. You should also quarantine when you get birds from people you trust, even those that are NPIP certified. It's just better to be safe.

Since I today saw someone who brought home turkeys over the weekend post that they had immediately put them in the coop, I should also mention that you should quarantine other fowl as well. I don't know for sure on more exotic species like Guinea fowl or Peafowl, but I know that turkeys can also become ill and carry some respiratory diseases. When in doubt, quarantine just in case!

Of course, remember the basics of quarantine as well: keep the birds at least 100 feet away from any area your current flock roams or in a structure that they stay away from or are not allowed in, always tend to the existing flock before the quarantine birds, and change clothes and shoes and wash off before returning to your existing flock.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);">Here is the website to the breeder's page: </span>
<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);">http://www.chickenridgefarm.com/</span>

[/CONTENTEMBED]

I got to "meet" the English Orp breeders including the Isabel & the Chocolate - GORGEOUS!!, The French Maran's were hanging out too,  


Today everyone is doing well - the chicks survived the night and are little snuggle bugs! The only issue is with Brownie. He/she is trying to exert her/his dominence and is pecking the tops of their heads. Not hard, just enough to keep them in line. They aren't allowed to eat until Coco and Brownie are done...with both bowls! Poor Gidget follows Brownie around like "are you my mommy?" and Brownie wants nothing to do with it!

I'm half tempted to put a screen divider up for a little while, but I don't want to interfere too much with their pecking order either. 

Any thoughts? I am scattering food around under their heat plate to make sure they have plenty they can get to any time, no matter what "the queen/king" says. 

How much older are the Silkies than the Legbars? If they are much older, they could hurt the Legbar babies, being only a few days old. I would be tempted to put a fence up as well. As long as they can still see one another, they can get used to one another and will be unable to hurt each other. I prepared an area fenced off for my Legbars because they would have been about a week younger than my Meyer babies. In my opinion, it's better just to be safe. Just make sure both have food and water and a heat source.

 

[rnchick74]

How much older are the Silkies than the Legbars? If they are much older, they could hurt the Legbar babies, being only a few days old. I would be tempted to put a fence up as well. As long as they can still see one another, they can get used to one another and will be unable to hurt each other. I prepared an area fenced off for my Legbars because they would have been about a week younger than my Meyer babies. In my opinion, it's better just to be safe. Just make sure both have food and water and a heat source.

The silkies are 4 weeks old and the legbars are of course new hatchlings. The babies can get under the heat plate (premier) but the silkies can't...so they do have a safe spot, but the biggest silkie (Brownie) is trying to be a bullie or exert dominance when there is feeding. There are 2 feed dishes, 2 water stations, 2 of everything! I can make a quick screen divider...and then just leave it up until the new babies come home in 2 weeks...then give everyone adjustment time. I think everyone would be fine, but I hate to take a chance.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Them being that much older, I would put a screen in, myself. It won't hurt them to have a screen between them because they will still be able to interact without hurting each other, so there's no real risk in doing so. But, of course, you have to use your instincts with them and do what you think is best. I would also put the screen between the Meyer babies and the others when they arrive. By then, the Legbars ought to be strong enough to defend themselves against Brownie. Worse comes to worse, Brownie might need some solitary confinement when the time comes. But again, use your best instincts when it comes down to it, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

 

[rnchick74]

Them being that much older, I would put a screen in, myself. It won't hurt them to have a screen between them because they will still be able to interact without hurting each other, so there's no real risk in doing so. But, of course, you have to use your instincts with them and do what you think is best. I would also put the screen between the Meyer babies and the others when they arrive. By then, the Legbars ought to be strong enough to defend themselves against Brownie. Worse comes to worse, Brownie might need some solitary confinement when the time comes. But again, use your best instincts when it comes down to it, and I'm sure you'll do fine.

Yeah, for my peace of mind more than anything I just did that. Not too hard with my brooder set up - piece of hardware cloth, slap some gorilla tape on the edges, then zip tie it in place. The silkies are much happier, but Gidget acts as if she has lost her mother! She has been trying to follow Brownie around like a lost puppy. I'm sure that's why Brownie has been pecking her here & there - more "LEAVE ME ALONE!" than anything! But now the 2 sides are separate but equal. It's exactly 2 weeks until I pick up the rest...hopefully Gidget & Gizmo will allow the new babies to be with them since they will all need heat.

 

[NanaLynn]

Ywah, for my peace of mind more than anything I just did that. Not too hard with my brooder set up - piece of hardware cloth, slap some gorilla tape on the edges, then zip tie it in place. The silkies are much happier, but Gidget acts as if she has lost her mother! She has been trying to follow Brownie around like a lost puppy. I'm sure that's why Brownie has been pecking her here & there - more "LEAVE ME ALONE!" than anything! But now the 2 sides are separate but equal. It's exactly 2 weeks until I pick up the rest...hopefully Gidget & Gizmo will allow the new babies to be with them since they will all need heat.

Congrats on the new little ones. I can't remember which thread or who said it, but she said she never put chicks together more then a week apart without some together-but separate time. Which it sounds like you have taken care of.

Congrats on getting the CCL. Everyone seems to have them now. guess there's another to add to my list.

Great news, my CM is finally broken of her broodiness so she was released today!

Bad news, my PR is now broody again, so the cage only stayed empty a few hours. This is her 4th time! She is not even a year yet!

 

[christine9]

Thank you all so much. I don't know what I'd do without you. It will be difficult to decide who of the existing birds will be put into quarantine. I guess my alpha Dellie, Kiwi, would be it. I'm just worried she'll bully the two new girls. I could put the divider up in the crate. Oh geez, I should order a second set of food and water dishes.
It does make me really nervous because if Kiwi gets sick, I'd have to be able to ID the problem. We all know that can be difficult. I guess I will be studying my chicken health for dummies book...again! Hopefully I can work all this out by the time the new Meyer babies arrive. That's a lot of separate flocks and biosecurity measures to take. Plus, I'll need that cage for them when they're ready to go outside.
Thanks again. The people on this thread are THE BEST!!