NY chicken lover!!!!

[Tough Old Bird]

Got down to the barn and found Miss Frizz dead in the nest box. She always overnighted in the box instead of the roost. It looked like her neck was broke and when I went to take her out her foot was partly stuck under the divider between the nest holes. There was a slight gap and she must have got her toes stuck then panicked.

Ohhhh, I'm sorry. That must have been distressing to find her like that. Again, I'm really sorry, Tab.


TOB

 

[Tough Old Bird]

Oh yes, he started last night! A few of the hens disagreed and there were a few tiffs but most didn't seem to mind. The white roosters a big chicken! Hehe. He hides in the corner away from everyone and I have yet to see him eat or drink, hopefully he gets used to it here soon. One another note 4/5 eggs are now pipped and peeping like crazy. I've read that helping is a big no no but it is very tempting. Especially with the Marans knowing they have a hard time

it's wait and see. Well back to staring into my incubator for a few hours

What a big baby. I do feel a little sorry for him, but he should adjust. Meanwhile, the red fella's wasting no time. Gotta get it, while the gettin's good! LOL!

When my horse first came to the barn from his old home, he colicked on Day 1. It was very upsetting and I felt so badly for him. He had himself so worked up. Now, 7-1/2 years later, he loves his home and 2 buddies.

TOB

 

[Tough Old Bird]

It seems like every time I "helped" a chick out there were problems and it eventually died. Sad.

That seems to be what I've heard / read. I guess they've got to be strong / healthy enough to get out of the egg on their own...

TOB

 

[Tough Old Bird]

One of the Marans decided to pop out!

He/she is resting now!

HOORAY!

And a Maran at that!

TOB

 

[horsekeeper]

My daughter called me at work today to say she picked up chicken feed and I asked her to stop at TSC and pick up an LG incubator to use as a hatcher and a bag of chick feed. You know the rest of the story.

So now I have 8 LF chicks and 7 bantams. What was I thinking? 2 white leghorns, 2 amberlinks, 2 buff brahmas, and 2 buff orp LF. The bantams are a mystery and I was looking for some help. 4 look like little chipmunks with the brown coloring and stripes, little pink toes and clean legs. 2 are yellow/buff with fuzzy legs and pink/yellow legs, and 1 is a poor little black silkie with a bum leg that our friend gave my daughter hoping we could save it. Hoping the little yellow ones are cochins; could they be something else? And what does everyone think the little chipmunks are?

I wanted to try hatching our own from the mixed flocks we have (well, my daughter wanted to see what we would get). Bought a Farm Innovator styrofoam that holds 41 eggs with a fan and turner and started collecting eggs. Then I traded 5 muscovies for 3 pekins and 4 dozen hatching eggs. Daughter's other friend loaned her an LG, so we loaded them both up. I read so much about how first tries at hatching didn't go well that I figured if we got a few we would be lucky. Wouldn't you know that so far both incubators are holding good temperature and humidity and candling shows almost 100% fertile. So 82 eggs getting ready to hatch in a week and two broody silkies sharing a nest and stealing as many big girl eggs as they can lay a beak on. Lucky her friend said she would take anything we would give her. She lost all but 3 chickens in the flood and just moved into a new place.

While I was at work my daughter followed my quick instructions and set up 3 tubs in my bathroom using duct tape and bungee cords to secure a board to hang the heat lamps from. (Had to lock up the peeps away from 4 interested cats and 1 curious sheltie) Guess she forgot I might like to get to the toilet.

 

[Cass]

I have 4 hens that are broody. I keep throwing them out of the boxes, but they keep going back in. I am SURE they are broody, cuz I turned them over and all their chest feathers are gone. (I was wondering where all the feathers were coming from all over the coop) I am NOT amused. Here I have to come up with 96 eggs in a 2 week window and 4 hens are not laying. And they are not going to get eggs to sit on, cuz I might have 50+ chicks coming back.

I scrambled up a dozen eggs for them today....not because they needed the food, the little piggies, but to check on the fertility of various eggs. With my rainbow of eggs it is easy to see if I have checked each hen's eggs. I have about 80% fertility on 2/25-26 (that's the date on the eggs I checked) I am assuming that now they are free ranging more that fertility will only increase. Not sure if I want it to, tho....means more potential chicks from the grade school hatch.

As far as "helping" when a chick fails to hatch after pipping....doesn't usually work, in my experience.....there is usually a reason that the chick fails to get out of the egg. Of course if it is a humidity problem you might be able to save a shrink wrapped chick, so it's worth checking into...just don't fall in love with it until it has survived a week....then you won't be dissappointed if it doesn't make it.
I did once have one survive and thrive, but I didn't totally help it out of the shell, I just opened a large enough hole at the pip site that the beak didn't fill it entirely, so the poor thing could breath.

 

[blzzrdqueen]

I have 4 hens that are broody. I keep throwing them out of the boxes, but they keep going back in. I am SURE they are broody, cuz I turned them over and all their chest feathers are gone. (I was wondering where all the feathers were coming from all over the coop) I am NOT amused. Here I have to come up with 96 eggs in a 2 week window and 4 hens are not laying. And they are not going to get eggs to sit on, cuz I might have 50+ chicks coming back.

I scrambled up a dozen eggs for them today....not because they needed the food, the little piggies, but to check on the fertility of various eggs. With my rainbow of eggs it is easy to see if I have checked each hen's eggs. I have about 80% fertility on 2/25-26 (that's the date on the eggs I checked) I am assuming that now they are free ranging more that fertility will only increase. Not sure if I want it to, tho....means more potential chicks from the grade school hatch.

As far as "helping" when a chick fails to hatch after pipping....doesn't usually work, in my experience.....there is usually a reason that the chick fails to get out of the egg. Of course if it is a humidity problem you might be able to save a shrink wrapped chick, so it's worth checking into...just don't fall in love with it until it has survived a week....then you won't be dissappointed if it doesn't make it.
I did once have one survive and thrive, but I didn't totally help it out of the shell, I just opened a large enough hole at the pip site that the beak didn't fill it entirely, so the poor thing could breath.

Are you actually in Albany? I was under the impression that no chickens, hens or otherwise were allow...I guess I could be wrong..I want to keep my chicks, but even if it is allowed, my neighbors would pitch a fit and the cops here every day

 

[blzzrdqueen]

What happens when you have eggs, say, like my D'Uccles, that both ends of the egg look exactly the same size...how do you know which end the air cell will, and what end to place your eggs? I have had my eggs in what I thought was the fat end up, but when I candled the eggs it looks like the air cell is on the opposite end...

 

[Cass]

Are you actually in Albany? I was under the impression that no chickens, hens or otherwise were allow...I guess I could be wrong..I want to keep my chicks, but even if it is allowed, my neighbors would pitch a fit and the cops here every day

No, I'm actually in Feura Bush. I put Albany, cuz most NYers know where that is and even some locals aren't sure where Feura Bush is. (I am zoned Light industry/agricultural, so I can have anything I want....I just don't want to feed that much with the cost of feed getting so high)

 

[blzzrdqueen]

No, I'm actually in Feura Bush. I put Albany, cuz most NYers know where that is and even some locals aren't sure where Feura Bush is. (I am zoned Light industry/agricultural, so I can have anything I want....I just don't want to feed that much with the cost of feed getting so high)

Gotcha, I thought you might be outside of the city limits.