new chicks!

[Amastacia]

my new chicks came in today

i ordered from Murray McMurray, their Rainbow layer assortment (15 chicks) and of course i got the free "rare" chick. all arrived alive and look healthy. no idea what i got, and to be honest i probably won't care for a little while yet, but they are cute little fluff balls.



i do know they don't have much room right now, that will be changing this evening (i had to leave work to pick them up and just put them in what i had available quickly). there is a possibility that they will be going to a friend's mom's classroom for a week or so until school is out, but we have to figure that out yet.

 

[Amastacia]

ok, i lied. i have two that i want a little breed confirmation on. i think (from looking at other baby pics around here) that i have two Polishes. yes?





(please ignore the empty rabbit cage. Jack got moved to a different this weekend and i haven't had a chance to clean it out yet.)

 

[Amastacia]

lost a chick last night

. it was the weakest looking little one, so i'm not really surprised. i was hoping it was just the stress of shipping and that it would perk back up, but apparently not. oh well, it happens. hopefully the rest do well, they all looked strong and healthy this morning. part of me also hopes it was the free "rare" chick, or at least a cockerel, since i would rather just have hens at this point. i guess we'll see.

 

[smudge]

Sorry about the loss... Hopefully not one of the adorable ones you posted with the cute mop tops?

 

[Amastacia]

no, i think you can see it in the first (group) pic, the greyish one by the feeder. i think it was that one (the picture isn't very so it is hard to be sure) .

 

[Amastacia]

now i think the top of the Polish chicks (with the white hat) is dying. she hasn't grown like the rest and was just laying there this morning, still breathing but not moving. she did pick her head up and cheep a few times, but not much. i'm hoping i can get home from work in time to try and do something for her, but i'm afraid she'll be gone by the time i can get there. i am planning on stopping by TSC on my way home to pick up some electrolytes for them. is there anything else i should do for her/them?


on the other hand, i was apparently shipped an extra. after the death yesterday i had 16 chicks, which is what i thought i was starting with.

 

[Zinniamars]

We have new chicks from Murray McMurray too! They arrived last Tuesday, so they are a little over a week old. We're getting a bit confused on who is who with some of the breeds, and think they may have goofed a bit on our order. We ordered:

Females:
2 Black Star
2 Red Star
2 Barred Rock
2 Minorca
6 Rhode Island Reds
1 Partridge Cochin
1 White Crested Black Polish

Straight Run:
3 Sultans
1 Free Rare Chick

As far as we can tell, we only got 2 Sultans instead of 3. We have two that look like your top picture, and one that looks like your bottom picture. We are also assuming all 3 are Polish. I think we've figured out who's who with the rest of them. We're thinking they replaced one of the Sultans with a Polish and then the free chick was also Polish?

The first night, we lost one Sultan that arrived with a bad leg, so we only have one Sultan remaining. The next morning, we lost a Rhodie for no obvious reason. Since then, all has been well, but now one of the two white-topped Polish is looking like today might be its last day on earth. We have followed all instructions carefully, got all the suggested additives (quick chick for water, gro-gel plus for the first day), and made sure their crate has stayed clean and warm. My 12 year old is excellent at keeping an eye on their little butts and keeping them nice and cleaned off. The sick one has been on the scraggly side since the beginning, often picking at itself and showing bald patches. Besides separating it into its own nice toasty little box (the Black Stars were getting really nasty towards it), I'm not sure that there is anything else I can do for the poor thing. We sure hope the other white topped makes it! It now seems to be acting a little less perky as well, but I can't tell if I'm just imagining it. Amastacia- do you think there could be something wrong with that particular breed?

Other than the deaths, It's really fun to watch how quickly they grow and change! Some are already starting to roost. It's also fascinating to see how the breeds differ as well- so far the Red Stars are the queens of the crate, and the Minorcas tend to stick together. The little Sultan is tiny compared to the others, but is definitely not the lowest rung in the pecking order and not afraid to tell you so!

Here is a (not very good) picture:



So far I've only seen Red Stars and Rhodies on the perch, I'm sure they'll all figure it out eventually!

 

[Amastacia]

it is possible they have a problem with their Polish chicks this year, i don't have enough history to really judge. this is my first time with them so i have no idea if they just tend to be less hearty than other breeds or something. no idea, but i really hope my poor little one makes it, it is the only one i've named so far (Pompadour) (figures, doesn't it

).

apparently the chick is still alive right now (just heard from my DH who is still at home) so i will be going home for lunch shortly to get electrolytes and whatever else seems appropriate for the poor little thing.

 

[Zinniamars]

Our other Polish is now acting lethargic and staying away from the others, so I decided to call MM for advice. They said it is very unlikely that it is a disease of some kind, but more likely residual side effects from shipping and stress, and that this breed is smaller, so when put with larger breeds, it makes them more likely to be weaker. She said to give them honey or sugar water and keep them isolated from the rest. We shall see! The first one, Coco, still looks on death's door, but hopefully it's enough to keep little Beetle alive. Good luck to Pompadour!

 

[Amastacia]

well, she is still with us. barely. she looked dead when i got home, but i managed to get a few drops of electrolyte water down her, and some food-dust (more or less) in the water. i have her in a box with a dish of food in water (really water mush). she is currently sitting (laying) at the edge of it, i have her so that she does not have to move to get to the water. i think i will go add some sugar to the dish too, some easy calories that might be all she needs to get going again. i will go out every little while to try to get some more down her.

so far the other polish looks fine, but i will make sure to keep a close eye on her too. the others are all looking great. a few are even trying to jump up to see what is in the box in their container. as long as they can't, we should be fine.