Kelly-- I am sorry too. If it makes u feel beter, Floyd is doing great. He was a bad boy one day, but we won't go there.Kelly...sorry to hear about your loss of your hen. Sure hope Lord Dingwald heals quickly. The loss of the chick was beyond your control...it happens.
I try not to get too attached to chicks. Although I always have a favorite picked in each hatch. There is one in the current hatch that is such a nice silver blue.....
We lost a hen today in the same pen where the owl had been. She was settled in the outdoor dust bathe and looked pale. I checked her and she had mites. Checking the others in the pen she was the only one infested. I removed her and soaked her in a warm bath and then with an Adams dip. Wrapped her in a towel to help her dry before putting her back with her pen mates. We were sitting in the sun at the patio table. She snoozed off and never awakened. Such a pretty Columbian Wyandotte hen. I took the time to spray the inside of their coop and changed the nests and floor bedding.
We have been distracted this week. The funeral is tomorrow.
So will do a spray job on all the coops and pens beginning Thursday.
Kassaundra, you photographs are truly a breath of Spring!
NanaKat--I'm sorry for your losses too, and your families. I hope your daughter is handling all this ok. I just praise God everyday for the blessing I do have and try to remember all of our friends and loved ones that pass on, is exactly what they are doing. Passing on to a better place.
I haven't watched the video yet. I'm afraid to do anything that will cause me any kind of anxiety right now. I am so, so sorry, about your hatches.Thanks for the refresher! This is certainly a good educational video that is a much watch for our newbies. It details the Hazards of raising backyard hens.

You're next hatch is going to be wonderful. I was keeping this news, but will spill the beans now that it is actually happening. But, I'm scared to death. Oh well, only money, I never have anyway. I bought hatching eggs. I wanted to get some polish and silkies, for when I finally get to buy my roo from Kass, who by the way did it again by taking amazing pictures. I ddn't end up getting silkie eggs, because I've found several for sale, all good breeders and NPIP, and have a friend that sells chicks. But I did get polish eggs, two varieties, 4 swedish flower(hope they hatch. I wanted to take something really nice to poops) All my chickens are nice and wonderful to me though.Update on my awful hatch. The two that had had open navels and stuff coming out did pass - last night and sometime the night before. Three healthy chicks (so far) one just came out of the incubator and was walking funny - but he hasn't had too much time in an open flat area to teach his muscles how to work yet ((although when I had picked up chick initially to check its naval status...it was lying with one leg turned and place behind it like a perfect albeit backwards "L")) So while it was moving with a hitch in its gait an hour ago - hopefully that will resolve. Anyway 3 potentially good chicks out of a batch of 30 that made lockdown. Pretty sucky, but I've had worse.![]()
I am pretty sure that the lack of turning for 4 days somewhere in there likely between 7 to 11 days into incubation. Will also check the temperature again, now that the ambient temp is within a reasonable range - instead of being pretty cold. I may need to turn down a smidge or take the rug off of the top (didn't block any vents - just added more insulation to the cabinet), just in case it was running too hot. But... hatch was on time, first chick pip was maybe 12 hours early, the other two on 21 and 22.
Make me concerned for the batch due one week after this one (the one I added and then forgot to start the turners again). So their lack of turning occurred at day 1-4 instead of 7 to 11.


What I wonderful thing for your mother to do for you. It still doesn't bring back what you lost, but you know how well loved u are. And deservingly so, dust in my eyes girl.I don't have a rooster, just half a dozen chicks... maybe one of them is a rooster-in-training. I thought one of the people just starting their flock might want a good dual-purpose bird.
Now, in the category of "Something-I-Never-Would-Have-Expected", my mother got me an Easter present. I came home to seven Indian Red Jungle Fowl day old chicks. Not exactly a bird I ever would have picked for myself, but I was amazingly touched anyway. She actually figured out how to order them online and bought them from Purely Poultry.

Welcome to all the newbies, I know I have missed so many of you. My wish for you all is lots of happy memories w/ your chickens. And to remember u are blessed even during the bad times. Stay posted, you'll learn a lot from these guys and gals.