***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[HeyBigRhondaq]

Yeah, at first I was skeptical, but it's hard to argue with results. I wouldn't have done it with purchased eggs... I tried test hatches on my own eggs. I started because I'd read so much about it, then missed a lockdown date on some eggs and came home to find chicks trying to maneuver over the turner. I'd been having to assist almost all my hatches and I it occurred to me that eggs don't hatch in that unnaturally high humidity in the nest, but here these chicks were, not a drop of humidity, and I hadn't had to peel a bit of stuck membrane off them. My theory now is that the external humidity contributes to shrinkwrapping if conditions in the bator aren't kept just right.

As for using two bators, since I only hatch certain eggs (legbar, brahma or super jumbo), which I don't get lots of yet, I toss them in the brinsea when I find a good candidate. I keep the rubber shelf liner in the foam bator, so I can pull it out, wazine the bator, put a fresh liner in while I wash and disinfect the previous lining, and it's good to go without losing much of its temp. I give the bottom a good scrubbing when there's a lull in hatching and I know it won't be needed for a few days. Without all the humidity and damp, there's actually less bacteria... my hatched chicks even seem healthier, because I haven't had to add one to the ziplock baggie in the freezer in several months... I hate those baggies. Also, the brinsea has a fan, which contributes to shrinkwrapping during lockdown, so I move the eggs into the fanless bator. And a bonus is that you don't have to worry about a newly hatched whirling dervish cracking an egg that wasn't ready for hatch.

I'm afraid I know the answer but baggies? And then? I'm going to try your totally dry hatch on a few of my own eggs. It makes sense here where we have some natural humidity.

@SharkmanDan Good luck with the eye surgery! Yikes!

 

[ashtree]

Yeah, at first I was skeptical, but it's hard to argue with results. I wouldn't have done it with purchased eggs... I tried test hatches on my own eggs. I started because I'd read so much about it, then missed a lockdown date on some eggs and came home to find chicks trying to maneuver over the turner. I'd been having to assist almost all my hatches and I it occurred to me that eggs don't hatch in that unnaturally high humidity in the nest, but here these chicks were, not a drop of humidity, and I hadn't had to peel a bit of stuck membrane off them. My theory now is that the external humidity contributes to shrinkwrapping if conditions in the bator aren't kept just right.

As for using two bators, since I only hatch certain eggs (legbar, brahma or super jumbo), which I don't get lots of yet, I toss them in the brinsea when I find a good candidate. I keep the rubber shelf liner in the foam bator, so I can pull it out, wazine the bator, put a fresh liner in while I wash and disinfect the previous lining, and it's good to go without losing much of its temp. I give the bottom a good scrubbing when there's a lull in hatching and I know it won't be needed for a few days. Without all the humidity and damp, there's actually less bacteria... my hatched chicks even seem healthier, because I haven't had to add one to the ziplock baggie in the freezer in several months... I hate those baggies. Also, the brinsea has a fan, which contributes to shrinkwrapping during lockdown, so I move the eggs into the fanless bator. And a bonus is that you don't have to worry about a newly hatched whirling dervish cracking an egg that wasn't ready for hatch.

I'm also curious about the baggies....and I really want to try a totally dry hatch in the future. If my boys would start doing their jobs I'd have some eggs of my own to incubate. Oh well. Soon enough!

@SharkmanDan What caused the eye problem? You said something respiratory, I'm curious as to what it is. You did a great job with the surgery. Between pictures of crop surgery, acidic vents, and eye masses I've decided chickens are NOT for the queasy!

 

[SharkmanDan]

That makes total sense. But, seeing the one we did, whose skin, where the wings meet the breasts, and the breasts meet the thighs, was ripping open, from the growth, of the meat, from all of the hormones, and knowing that this particular strain (not likely a true breed) of bird, is bred to be harvested for it's meat, by now, (as she literally, fell off the truck, on her way to the processing plant), it makes me wonder, and give much more thought to how inhumane it does seem, to treat them the way they are treated, by the big industrial growers. I think I'd do the same as this fellow, as it seems like a reprieve from God, Himself, to get that "pardon" and get to a caring individual. There had to be some divine intervention, going on there. But, it's a moral dilemma, that I keep questioning myself on, which course of action I would actually take. And I just can't say. I guess if it ever lands in my lap, in a similar manner, maybe, I'll find out.
Until then, at least the sight of that bird, will keep me on my toes, and always make me consider the moral implications, of my choices, with my birds. And in that, this bird, with her sacrifice, is doing a good thing. 3 weeks ago, had I been asked about the treatment of chickens, in these mass-production plants, I likely would not have had an opinion, even though I'd seen the PETA photos and videos. I've picked up chickens, at processing plants across Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, and delivered them all around the country, to Sysco, Tyson, McCain, and so many other food suppliers, to stores and restaurants. Now, I can't think of getting an order of chicken from KFC, or Popeyes, or Bojangles, or Williams, or any other places, that sell these cruelly treated birds.
It does mean, that I have to "man-up" and learn to process my own, which means growing my own. I know it's not difficult. I remember helping my dad do it, once, when it was around 8, or 9. I've processed deer. I plan to process my turkeys. But, so far, every chicken I have, is a pet. And, the few I plan to get in the near future, are, too.
I simply need to buy a batch of chicks, and raise them with the sole intent of them being FOOD, from day 1, like I've done with the turkeys.
I'm telling y'all, it was a profound experience, that really changed my thinking about the humane treatment of birds, by the meat factories. I'm hoping, that everything I read will be true, and that once I taste a REAL, farm raised, chicken, that this will be reinforced, more deeply. My wife describes it, as being traumatic, for her. As for me, it was an epiphanic moment, where my entire thinking, changed, in one vision.

 

[Kyzmette]

I'm afraid I know the answer but baggies? And then? I'm going to try your totally dry hatch on a few of my own eggs. It makes sense here where we have some natural humidity.

@SharkmanDan Good luck with the eye surgery! Yikes!

I don't have the strength anymore to dig deep holes, and if the dogs dug them up I'd be traumatized. All my dead babies go in baggies in the separate freezer until I can make a run to the dump. I treat the adults the same way, and wrap them in grocery bags so I can't tell which one it was when I pull them out, so I won't get all sniffly when I pull them out. Luckily, I don't get those often.

 

[SharkmanDan]

I'm not really sure what caused it, their coop. The coop is very open, so, it definitely was not a ventilation issue. And, it certainly hasn't been cold. But, we noticed, Monday, or Tuesday, that a few (5 or 6, out of 28) in that grow-out coop, had drippy eyes and nostrils. But, it was certainly a sinus infection.

Having had one bird, which passed a bit more than a month ago, necropsied, by OKDA, and the result was that there was mycoplasma present, and while mild, was definitely the cause of death, I decided to treat with Tylan50, as OKDA recommended previously. Now, the previous death, was in a turkey, kept in a completely different coop, but I didn't want to chance it. And the Turkeys were treated according to the recommended dosing, and we've seen ZERO signs of a return, in their flock.
As for these pullets, I gave them a good dose, in their water, and only gave them about a day and a half of water, to get a good kick start going, as per the recommendation, from OKDA. Once that water was pretty well gone, I re-treated their water, but filled it up, so that it treats them more therapeutically, over a period of a week to ten days. This one, just showed the badly swollen eye Wednesday or Thursday, but, I was so sick. I couldn't see or think, straight, let alone have a steady hand, for surgery around the eyes. Based on my improvement level, I hoped to do the surgery Sunday, or Monday, but, yesterday morning, it was apparent that it needed to be done, ASAP, as you see in the first photo.
I'd love for her to get her sight back, in that eye, but the eyeball, was concave, instead of convex, and that doesn't bode well, for it. But, I'm still hopeful.

 

[Kyzmette]

That makes total sense. But, seeing the one we did,...
... changed my thinking about the humane treatment of birds, by the meat factories. I'm hoping, that everything I read will be true, and that once I taste a REAL, farm raised, chicken, that this will be reinforced, more deeply. My wife describes it, as being traumatic, for her. As for me, it was an epiphanic moment, where my entire thinking, changed, in one vision.

I have to say this post brought me to tears and I totally agree with you. In my time with my flock I have allowed them to determine their own state in this life... all but one, and she had degenerated to the point where she could no longer feed herself. I knew she would slowly starve to death and the end would be soon, and I knew I wouldn't be able to tube feed her like she would need, so I made that decision based on my limitations, not hers.

I have stopped buying commercially processed chicken except on rare occasions, and come closer to a totally vegetarian diet each day. Currently I only buy local farm-raised beef, and that is rarely. There's a few more steps I need to take, but I'll get there.

 

[HeyBigRhondaq]

That makes total sense. But, seeing the one we did, whose skin, where the wings meet the breasts, and the breasts meet the thighs, was ripping open, from the growth, of the meat, from all of the hormones, and knowing that this particular strain (not likely a true breed) of bird, is bred to be harvested for it's meat, by now, (as she literally, fell off the truck, on her way to the processing plant), it makes me wonder, and give much more thought to how inhumane it does seem, to treat them the way they are treated, by the big industrial growers. I think I'd do the same as this fellow, as it seems like a reprieve from God, Himself, to get that "pardon" and get to a caring individual. There had to be some divine intervention, going on there. But, it's a moral dilemma, that I keep questioning myself on, which course of action I would actually take. And I just can't say. I guess if it ever lands in my lap, in a similar manner, maybe, I'll find out.
Until then, at least the sight of that bird, will keep me on my toes, and always make me consider the moral implications, of my choices, with my birds. And in that, this bird, with her sacrifice, is doing a good thing. 3 weeks ago, had I been asked about the treatment of chickens, in these mass-production plants, I likely would not have had an opinion, even though I'd seen the PETA photos and videos. I've picked up chickens, at processing plants across Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, and delivered them all around the country, to Sysco, Tyson, McCain, and so many other food suppliers, to stores and restaurants. Now, I can't think of getting an order of chicken from KFC, or Popeyes, or Bojangles, or Williams, or any other places, that sell these cruelly treated birds.
It does mean, that I have to "man-up" and learn to process my own, which means growing my own. I know it's not difficult. I remember helping my dad do it, once, when it was around 8, or 9. I've processed deer. I plan to process my turkeys. But, so far, every chicken I have, is a pet. And, the few I plan to get in the near future, are, too.
I simply need to buy a batch of chicks, and raise them with the sole intent of them being FOOD, from day 1, like I've done with the turkeys.
I'm telling y'all, it was a profound experience, that really changed my thinking about the humane treatment of birds, by the meat factories. I'm hoping, that everything I read will be true, and that once I taste a REAL, farm raised, chicken, that this will be reinforced, more deeply. My wife describes it, as being traumatic, for her. As for me, it was an epiphanic moment, where my entire thinking, changed, in one vision.

I am trying to get up the gumption to process extra roosters. They're the right age, but don't seem very meaty...I know they won't be huge like at grocery stores, but I just don't see how it's worth the time, and I don't want to lock them up to fatten them. I need to get it done so I can at least see what I'm dealing with. I've told myself I can't buy/hatch anymore until I know I can do it. (My goal is to hatch/breed dual purpose birds.) My husband and son have no problem processing animals they've hunted (and I don't mind being there). This somehow is different.

 

[Kyzmette]

Mycoplasma can come from wild birds, who carry it but are resistant to the symptoms. This idea that we can raise a flock that never gets ill is a total daydream, unless you raise them inside cut off from any external influence. This spring my flock got some nasty sinus stuff, and it had to come from wild birds. And the sad thing is, the more we work to keep our babies bealthy, the more resistant strains we create.

And the eye may look concave, but so did mine. The area around the eye swells so much that it makes it look like the eyeball is rotting out. Poor baby. Hold out hope!

 

[artsyrobin]

ok guys- Emmy wouln'y leave the coop, brought her in found wound but the upper skin is peeled back like she was filleted, on cephlexin, will pack with neosporin and put an apron on her- what could have done it and any other suggestions?

 

[Poco Pollo]

ok guys- Emmy wouln'y leave the coop, brought her in found wound but the upper skin is peeled back like she was filleted, on cephlexin, will pack with neosporin and put an apron on her- what could have done it and any other suggestions?

That's a massive cut! Any feathers missing? Is there any chance she got caught next to a strand of barbed wire?