NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

I've had as many as three hens in the nest box to brood.

Hint: If you have more than one breed and they lay different colored eggs, mix up the eggs.

The Delawares get the EE and darker Marans eggs. The Marans get the lighter Delaware and EE eggs.

The EE's get either the Delaware and/or Marans eggs.

Of our it helps to have three separate coops.

Duck eggs of course are easy to spot. Has anyone had Duck hen hatch chicken eggs? I've had chickens hatch Duck eggs.

 

[Lapeerian]

If you haven't you might consider Rat "snap" traps. Then you're sure you got the buggers. I use different kind of traps, Glue, snap of different varieties. If one doesn't get them another may. 

I wish you well. 

We did see a cat hanging around the outside of the barn tonight. That is another predator possibility.

 

[horsekeeper]

Duck eggs of course are easy to spot. Has anyone had Duck hen hatch chicken eggs? I've had chickens hatch Duck eggs.

The chickens love to lay eggs in the muscovy nest and the broody muscovies are just plain evil when they get in the broody zone. I just let them alone once they start setting and grab the chicks to put inside in the brooder as they hatch. I lost the first few because mamma muscovy was flattening them with those big flappy feet. A chicken hen had joined her to brood but the duck was mashing them down in between the duck eggs. Ended up taking the rest of the eggs and putting them in the incubator because she got all crazy as they hatched. She was a new mamma and panicked. Then she tried again with only about 4 eggs and hatched them out in October and ended up with two babies that she raised just fine.

 

[tao chick]

FYI. I sent an email to a doctor at Cornell about the sneezing that my chickens occasionally get. I'm not sure if I can coordinate the swab and testing before Chicken Stock, but she said that the two most likely causes require swabs that can be collected by a veterinarian and sent in. They would test for Newcastle and Infectious Bronchitis. Based on symptoms I'm still guessing it's environmental:when the coop needs cleaning they sneeze moree chickens that are not in the main coop are not sneezing. I need to take everything out of the coop this week and hose it down.
If you are interested in the name and contact information: Dr. Jarra Jagne [email protected]. She replied quickly and is an expert on avian issues.
Hope all is well with you all.

 

[akaruby]

Does anyone know if Cornell would do the NPIP testing?

 

[Framac]

The State does NPIP. and it is free. They will also do AI testing that is free right now.

 

[Framac]

Last batch of Giant are gone, but I hatched out 55 Blue black and splash if anyone is interested. Feel free to PM me.

 

[cutipatooti]

FYI. I sent an email to a doctor at Cornell about the sneezing that my chickens occasionally get. I'm not sure if I can coordinate the swab and testing before Chicken Stock, but she said that the two most likely causes require swabs that can be collected by a veterinarian and sent in. They would test for Newcastle and Infectious Bronchitis. Based on symptoms I'm still guessing it's environmental:when the coop needs cleaning they sneeze moree chickens that are not in the main coop are not sneezing. I need to take everything out of the coop this week and hose it down.
If you are interested in the name and contact information: Dr. Jarra Jagne [email protected]. She replied quickly and is an expert on avian issues.
Hope all is well with you all.

I to have seen occasional sneezing. If seen it from the brooder to out in the coop. This was even before I had other chickens. It's not constant never any nasal discharge and watery eyes. In the brooder I assume it's from fresh dusty buddy even when they say dustless. I see it a bit more when the bedding needs changing as that gets very dusty. But I notice it when the eat. Especially fermented. Or drink in the waterer. I'm positive when they are eating it's them forcing air out the nostrils to clear them as it sounds like that more then a sneeze anyway.

I also notice a lot of head shaking in my outdoor group. At first I suspected mites and lice, but after careful examination I did not find any at all. I noticed some of the times when they shake it's those annoying little flys flying around their head on really warn days. The other thing I noticed is that all of them who do it have newer pin feathered coming in or the shaft peeling apart. The females from the Roos grabbing them and the Roos from each other grabbing each other's hackles and pulling out feathers when they fight. Has anyone else noticed this with the pin feathers?

I don't really notice my outdoor ones sneeze as much anymore, but my coop has loads of ventilation. Mostly when they drink. I have not been fermenting their lately. Been busy:/

Here is my open air concept scrap coop. I really like it and will eventually build a official one with a few modifications here and there.

 

[rancher hicks]

I to have seen occasional sneezing. If seen it from the brooder to out in the coop. This was even before I had other chickens. It's not constant never any nasal discharge and watery eyes. In the brooder I assume it's from fresh dusty buddy even when they say dustless. I see it a bit more when the bedding needs changing as that gets very dusty. But I notice it when the eat. Especially fermented. Or drink in the waterer. I'm positive when they are eating it's them forcing air out the nostrils to clear them as it sounds like that more then a sneeze anyway.

I also notice a lot of head shaking in my outdoor group. At first I suspected mites and lice, but after careful examination I did not find any at all. I noticed some of the times when they shake it's those annoying little flys flying around their head on really warn days. The other thing I noticed is that all of them who do it have newer pin feathered coming in or the shaft peeling apart. The females from the Roos grabbing them and the Roos from each other grabbing each other's hackles and pulling out feathers when they fight. Has anyone else noticed this with the pin feathers?

I don't really notice my outdoor ones sneeze as much anymore, but my coop has loads of ventilation. Mostly when they drink. I have not been fermenting their lately. Been busy:/

Here is my open air concept scrap coop. I really like it and will eventually build a official one with a few modifications here and there.

Just a big of friendly advice. Consider how easy a coop is to clean. I personally would not build a coop I had to bend over to get into.

This "coop" I gave aways as new chicks needed to be trained togo in and not easy to crawl under. I did not like chcikens poop on my hands. and knees. They back however opened fully for ease of cleaning.

 

[cutipatooti]

Just a big of friendly advice. Consider how easy a coop is to clean. I personally would not build a coop I had to bend over to get into. This "coop" I gave aways as new chicks needed to be trained togo in and not easy to crawl under. I did not like chcikens poop on my hands. and knees. They back however opened fully for ease of cleaning.

When I build the new one it will be raised with both sides able to open for easy cleaning I think. I will tweak it. I mostly wanted to see how they did in colder weather in it. Also hot weather. How predators dealt with it. Thinks like that. I know the perch is to close to the back wall, tail rub and look messed up.