Michigan

[Opa]

ChiccwannaB, oyster shell is best provided in a dish that they can constantly free feed from. They will instinctively know when and how much they need. Grit can be mixed with their feed and again they will only eat what they need.

 

[ChicwannaB]

I like going to chicken skool.

 

[Avalon1984]

Quote:
Hey Keyt,

There may be several issues going on. What was your humidity,temp during incubation. Being slightly off on those could get you to hatch weak chicks. Was the incubator 100% clean throughout incubation? What are you feeding the chicks? Did they hatch prematurely? Did you offer egg yolks to them for extra strenght? It is normal to have a runt in each hatch but your situation makes me a bit suspicious. What temp do you have the heat lamp set on? What is your badding? What do you feed? Do you use electrolytes in your water?

Jen

Thanks for answering Jen!

Since you mention all of that, now I'm suspicious.

I have learned a very tough lesson. Despite two people asking for more, I'm not incubating anymore this year because I have at least one thing to figure out: humidity. We live in a 60 yr old all block house. It was meant to be a garage when it was built and gradually it's become a house to live in. Our other house next door is over 100 yrs old but not finished to live in...and probably never will be. Anyway, because this house is all block and very small, it holds heat even with one a/c on. Let's just say I couldn't keep up with the water in the incubator it's that bad in here! Next year I will have a place at the other house to have incubators so I won't have that problem!

Yes, chicks always hatch prematurely because despite having an a/c on almost 24/7, the temps don't stay the same.
I don't use a heat lamp (at least not lately) because it's just too warm for one.
The bedding is just layers (not shredded) newspaper.
I feed non-medicated chick food and used drops of Pedialyte because I couldn't find that stuff Opa mentioned recently.

So, now it all makes sense. I'm done hatching. If anyone asks me to do it again I'll just have to tell them to wait til next year when I can use the other house which is a lot more stable temperature wise. Because it's an old house, there are very few outlets there, but Aric is going to install a couple more.

Thanks again for your help!

Hey Keyt,

No worries, my pleasure. Hatching can get very frustrating at times. If I understand you correctly you are having trouble keeping the temp low and the humidity up? You can try to increase humidity by adding a wet washcloth in your incubator. If it is cold water it may also decrease your temperature a bit. What type of incubator are you using? I am using a Hovabator (I think). I have it running for 24hrs without eggs, then I add my eggs and it keeps the temperature and humidity almost perfect throughout the incubation. It is a circulated air fan and I bought it for $80.00, well worth the money. Your temp being high can definitely cause premature hatches and the humidity being low is not a good combination. It is my experience that chicks hatch the best between 75% and 80% humidity but that may depend on where you live as well. I have incubated when it was still -10 outside and I am incubating now, and the my incubator does not fluctuate much. Is there a room in your house where the temps stay about the same?

Be careful using layered newspaper as bedding as this can cause splayed leg. At least in the first week or so, try to use paper towels. Then switch them over to shavings or shredded newspaper to keep them dry. Layered newspaper also has a tendency to hold in moisture and you don’t want the little guys to get wet.

Right after the hatch and while they are drying under a heat lamp, I give mine crumbled egg yolks and add electrolytes to the water. This helps get them jumpstarted on life. Mine usually don’t start picking on the crumbles until they are about 24hrs old and are working on absorbing their yolks. This method worked equally effective when I had a hatch go terribly bad (stupid cats unplugged the incubator in the middle of hatching and I had 10 baby chicks shrink wrapped and at 60 degrees. It was terrible and I first used a washcloth with hot water to get the temp and humidity back up but I ended up “birthing” each one under the shower- they all made it and are thriving now). Long story short, chicks are extremely resilient so I believe you may be fighting several issues. Also, how do you clean your incubator after each hatch? What water do you use when you add water to the incubator to raise humidity?

I just started using medicated feed on my 3rd hatch out of 5 and I have had equal amounts of success on each. Your chicks are not going to suffer from non medicated feed but I like medicated feed as it helps boost their immune system. I think it is personal preference but wouldn’t explain the way your chicks were dying. Could you elaborate a little bit more on how your chicks are dying? You mentioned that they fall over on their sides and die. Are they lethargic prior to death? How does their poop look like? Do they eat/drink ok? How do they feel, very light or like they have food in them? Do they have seizures before they die?

Jen

 

[Mr_Jeff]

Hey all,
I know I do not post often, but I do read alot. Just wanted to commiserate about my chickens. Over the course of two nights all my laying hens were wiped out by coons and an opossum. It's been so hot that some of the birds just would not go into the coop, they would roost outside on whatever they could find. I think the critters found them outside and then found a way into the coop as well. So, eleven productive birds are gone. Haven't lost one in three years, then armageddon overnight. I've got six pullets left, but they are so freaked out that they will only roost high up in a maple. The good news is that over the last three nights I have trapped and killed three raccoons(a big female and two juveniles) and one opossum(a big female with a belly pouch full of nursing babies). All my turkeys seem to be unmolested, but I've got to restock the henhouse. Fortunately the fair is next week, I'll have to hit the poultry barn and then the auction. Also, I was wondering if anyone knows any rabbit breeders. I love rabbit meat and we are going to raise them now.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[ChicwannaB]

Quote:
so sorry to hear of your bad news. Darn coons anyhoo!! I'll glad give you a free Buff Chantecler rooster, but I don't know where Durand is. Let's meet half way, I do NOT need two of them. I know you'll love him, I've posted photos, but you can probably see them on one of my pages. So sorry for the loss.

 

[ChicwannaB]

Quote:
so sorry to hear of your bad news. Darn coons anyhoo!! I'll glad give you a free Buff Chantecler rooster, but I don't know where Durand is. Let's meet half way, I do NOT need two of them. I know you'll love him, I've posted photos, but you can probably see them on one of my pages. So sorry for the loss.

Hey I just looked, how about FLINT?

 

[chicken grandma]

Quote:
Hello! Chicken Grandma here! I took a hen to Dr. Nauta in Cedar Springs. He is very nice but I felt that he had a different philosophy than I did. I took an 7 year old hen in with a scab on her chest and he wanted to do surgery. I did not agree. So I went to Animal Clinic and they gave me a jar of cream which I put on her breastbone for a couple weeks til the chest healed and the scab fell off. That felt more comfortable to me. I heard there is a lady at Cascade Animal hospital who is good with birds and a lady at Georgetown Animal hospital who is also good with birds.

Not a fan of Cedar Animal Hospital, I have had a good experience with Howard City Animal Hospital and the Sand Lake Animal Hospital too. I think I like Sand Lake a bit more, the doc there studied under the doc at Howard City. She is really really helpful. The Cedar Animal Hospital is quick to medicate, surgery and vaccinate....not up my alley at all.

Yes, I felt some pressure to do surgery on a 6 (got that wrong the first post) year old hen and I did not even know if she could survive that. So just using cream on her breast bone did work and it wasn't so hard on the hen. She went on to live another year and a half with no trouble. So like you said, for me it was too quick to surgery. That is my one and only visit there.

 

[chicken grandma]

Huston's Happy Hens :

Quote:
I am not sure how big your coop is but can you install a fan? I think moving air would help. That and/or a bug zapper (or maybe fly paper...which is

)


Speaking of bug zapper. I watched a youtube video of this woman who installed a bug zapper over her food dish for the chickens. Kinda brilliant. LOL.

we do have a large ventilation fan + we do have fly strips - no flies - just skeeters - keep the suggestions commin!​

I like to use Adams flea mite and tick spray from the farm store. It is for dogs and cats, but I just put a bit on my wood perches or on the nest area. Keeps flies, mites, gone and the hens can't eat it like they can eat powders. I just spray it on the perch or woodchips in the morning and ventilate the coop well all day. I also do the nest area one day and the perches another. That way the smell is not too strong when I close the coop for the night. I don't like to use chemicals on my birds/eggs any more than I have to!

 

[ChicwannaB]

Where Can I Buy De In Michigan?? The Shipping Charges Are Sky High On All The Online Places To Order E-gads!!

 

[Opa]

Livingston Feed and Seed in Howell carries DE