***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[greenbeetle]

Shrink wrapping is 100% fatal if left unassisted. And can be near 100% successful w/ a healthy active chick if caught in time. The danger is letting it go so long the chick either suffocates, is hypoxic, or weakened to the point they are unable to rally when released from the tight film.


If they have internally pipped and all other chicks have hatched I err on the side that they are ready to hatch too, since they were in the same environment and same age. Seeing internal pipping can be tricky, sometimes it is way obvious, but usually if the chick is shrink wrapped already you will not see the internal pipping w/ candling, you will still hear the peeping unless they are really weak. If it were me I would choose an egg and open from the big air sac end and see, if one is wrapped they all are wrapped, I would assist them all in that case.

Ok, thanks Kassaundra. First I am going to see if i can hear peeps from the eggs. Then will decide what to do after that. I will keep you all informed. Again thanks so much for the advice

 

[hotcurltr]

Quote: x2

 

[Kyzmette]

Quote:
Tap it. I can almost always get them to respond to me if I hold it against my ear and tap it with my fingernail.

 

[Ksane]

The Caponizing Clinic was something I will remember all my life since I'll always have chickens. It's humbling to know you're learning something you'll carry with you the rest of your life. The chicks were relatively easy to do-compared to older ones. I won't be perfecting any skills on any of my older birds here. I told Poco (Coral) that on the older ones it was like trying to get an egg yolk out of a bowl of jello-with tools no less. The hardest part for me seemed to be getting the restraints tight enough without having to worry they were *too tight all through surgery. I also had to shut my eyes to feel where the incision needed to be vs looking at it. It was amazing. I feel cautiously optimistic I can do 4-6 wk old chicks alone and most of them will live. It made me feel good to realize I can order a bunch of BOYS on purpose from the hatchery and caponize them young. Several of all the different breeds I've wanted! That's cool to me. Some might die and some will probably be slips (where you missed a tiny bit of testicle) but most will be full Capons with the bright wild colors of roosters with none of the attitude. That's the best thing to come out of this for me.
Robin, I saw your birds there! I love that little Splash that Coral caponized I have a pullet identical to him but 3 times bigger. If ever you doubted the love and kindness Coral puts into *your birds when they're in her care, rest assured they're being treated gently and talked to kindly. Don't let them complain about not getting spa treatments like they do at your place lol

I just can't believe the trouble Coral went to in order to teach us this long lost art. Notebooks, piles and piles of supplies, our kits we ordered all set up, headlamps (I need to buy one of those from you, Coral), tables, set-ups for newly caponized chicks....the detail was overwhelming. I couldn't have done it. Coral and Kass are very calm about teaching. I'm not near so patient. I was doing one of my own 1 year old birds and he died because I was too impatient. I should have slowed down or passed it off to Coral when I saw the size of his testicles. That was stupidity on my part and the guilt is really getting to me today. If I had done my level best yet known to pass him off to Coral with her experience & he died anyway at least I wouldn't have the guilt of plowing through when I shouldn't have. So that lesson is it's very important to know your limits and not be afraid to cut your losses and just stop and put the bird up intact. I just feel like I let the little boy down out of ignorance.
My most favorite boy of all I'd brought was/is a 5 month old Blue Ameraucana/Cochin mix. He was real hyped up and wouldn't calm down, just scared. When Coral got in and located his testicle (huge!) he started bleeding just a bit, not much. I'm forever grateful to her for alerting me and *asking if I wanted her to continue. We ended up putting him back intact but alive. *He's my #1 favorite boy of all these 50 chicks I raised this winter, and *he's ok. He keeps asking about this "spa treatment" stuff and wanting to go to Robin's house, but he's ok.

 

[miohippus]

FABulous day with AHmazing people! Thank you Coral for hosting a great clinic and thank you Kass for being a great mentor!

Now, you chicken geniuses, I stopped at Atwoods the other day, and in spite of the fact that I don't need any more chicks, guess what I did, anyway. And I have no idea what they are. I just had to have these specific two as soon as I saw them, and that's all there was to that. So... help me figure out what they are?

This one... she was wearing her supercute hat!



And this one... who could resist such a beautiful blue girl with pretty yellow highlights??? And here I swore I would never knowingly buy a bantam.



And just because... look what I came home to! I just knew the bator had ruined the eggs again, but I have two half-EE/half-Buttercups! Good heavens, but those are going to be beautiful birds.

how lucky are you i love polish and always look a attwoods and never once have seen a polish, so jealous

 

[muesky]

Boy am I a newbie! I just figured out how to reply.

• muesky

That is a really neat design for a brooder.
I like the waterer's and the feeders as well. Are the feeders made out of 2 inch pvc and how long? I am definitely gonna copy your watering jars with nipples (with your permission of course).

I was just thinking about using nipples, but was wondering how to do it in a small environment. Your idea is great. I have some peanut butter plastic empties that will work I think. I'll go by Tractor suppl;y and get a couple of nipples tomorrow. My girls like to scratch their pine chips (and their poo) into the generic waterer. LOL

Great post, Thanks again.

I have tried making or using commercial of waterers but there always seems to be an issue and then I end up with nasty smelly bedding and wet chicks, etc. As for the feeders they are actually 3" PVC and the containers you can get at Dollar Tree, 3 for $1. Each holds about 1 gallon of feed.

Define "need"

A want so strong that you are compelled to comply..

Thanks! Well, yeah, eventually. Still have to build the coop first. Before that is finishing up a few house projects.

Still trying to figure what to get. My wife doesn't care as long as she gets some "Easter egg looking ones". We're in a city, quantity isn't limited by ordinance, just by space.

Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers are great. They come in all different colors and they are good layers.

The Caponizing Clinic was something I will remember all my life since I'll always have chickens. It's humbling to know you're learning something you'll carry with you the rest of your life. The chicks were relatively easy to do-compared to older ones. I won't be perfecting any skills on any of my older birds here. I told Poco (Coral) that on the older ones it was like trying to get an egg yolk out of a bowl of jello-with tools no less. The hardest part for me seemed to be getting the restraints tight enough without having to worry they were *too tight all through surgery. I also had to shut my eyes to feel where the incision needed to be vs looking at it. It was amazing. I feel cautiously optimistic I can do 4-6 wk old chicks alone and most of them will live. It made me feel good to realize I can order a bunch of BOYS on purpose from the hatchery and caponize them young. Several of all the different breeds I've wanted! That's cool to me. Some might die and some will probably be slips (where you missed a tiny bit of testicle) but most will be full Capons with the bright wild colors of roosters with none of the attitude. That's the best thing to come out of this for me.
Robin, I saw your birds there! I love that little Splash that Coral caponized

I have a pullet identical to him but 3 times bigger. If ever you doubted the love and kindness Coral puts into *your birds when they're in her care, rest assured they're being treated gently and talked to kindly. Don't let them complain about not getting spa treatments like they do at your place lol

I just can't believe the trouble Coral went to in order to teach us this long lost art. Notebooks, piles and piles of supplies, our kits we ordered all set up, headlamps (I need to buy one of those from you, Coral), tables, set-ups for newly caponized chicks....the detail was overwhelming. I couldn't have done it. Coral and Kass are very calm about teaching. I'm not near so patient. I was doing one of my own 1 year old birds and he died because I was too impatient. I should have slowed down or passed it off to Coral when I saw the size of his testicles. That was stupidity on my part and the guilt is really getting to me today. If I had done my level best yet known to pass him off to Coral with her experience & he died anyway at least I wouldn't have the guilt of plowing through when I shouldn't have. So that lesson is it's very important to know your limits and not be afraid to cut your losses and just stop and put the bird up intact. I just feel like I let the little boy down out of ignorance.
My most favorite boy of all I'd brought was/is a 5 month old Blue Ameraucana/Cochin mix. He was real hyped up and wouldn't calm down, just scared. When Coral got in and located his testicle (huge!) he started bleeding just a bit, not much. I'm forever grateful to her for alerting me and *asking if I wanted her to continue. We ended up putting him back intact but alive. *He's my #1 favorite boy of all these 50 chicks I raised this winter, and *he's ok. He keeps asking about this "spa treatment" stuff and wanting to go to Robin's house, but he's ok.

So aside from just having the roosters that can not mate what else is the purpose for caponzing chickens? Sorry if that is a stupid question.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I am seeing lots of babies on here!
My Meyer birds are 3 weeks old today. They are showing all kinds of personality, and some have already stolen my heart

I would like to share the saga of Scarlet, Ashley and Melanie the Easter Eggers here first (the pics aren't great)


This is Miss Scarlet. She is spunky, independent, and very curious! She is by far my favorite of this batch. She likes to hop and jump everywhere! She doesn't mind being held, but would prefer if you don't touch her wings.

Ashley (I am pretty sure it is a male, what do you guys think?) Is quiet, but social, and very often near Scarlet

Miss Melanie is super shy but a very pretty girl!

These three crack me up and I can't wait to see how they develop!

 

[Kassaundra]

I have tried making or using commercial of waterers but there always seems to be an issue and then I end up with nasty smelly bedding and wet chicks, etc. As for the feeders they are actually 3" PVC and the containers you can get at Dollar Tree, 3 for $1. Each holds about 1 gallon of feed.

A want so strong that you are compelled to comply..


Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers are great. They come in all different colors and they are good layers.

So aside from just having the roosters that can not mate what else is the purpose for caponzing chickens? Sorry if that is a stupid question.

Not a stupid question at all.

No crowing, no mating, no aggression. If you are wanting DP for meat you can grow them out longer / bigger and still have tender succulent meat.

 

[MBNE08]

Hey guys,

New to the Forum. Just wanted to chime in and say that I am in the Chandler Area and moving to the Guthrie area in the near future. Is raising chickens in Oklahoma more difficult than in other states due to the WIDE climate shifts or is it pretty easy to manage.

 

[Ksane]

Tara, the Eggers are adorable lol!
Rebecca, Kass answered-but they don't crow, don't mate so they don't tear girls up, don't fight with other boys and are supposed to taste awesome (although I'm not to that point)

Coral gave me one of the Leghorn capons back I'd given her last fall. He's so beautiful!! Look at the no-comb going on with him So far I'm very pleased with his personality. He's in the yard with his sisters from the same hatchery batch, 6 18 mo old bossy Orloff girls and several other girls (plus my 5 mo Asil who won't be staying in that yard). The Capon will bow up and chest-bump right back with the bossy old hens and they backed down one by one and ran off. Yet when confronted by one of the roosters on the outside of his fence he just turns and walks away. If this is typical of Capons, this is perfect. I was afraid he'd be at the very bottom of the totem pole and get bossed by everyone. But even the older hens seem to think he's male in some way and they back down from him when they challenge him (or vice-versa). So he's going to fit in just fine. Here's the Capon


Here's the Capon boys sisters and some others from that yard. I reeeaaallly like Brown Leghorns (which is what the Capon is)



Robin, here's my Splash girl, Clack, that looks like yours. She's 3/4 Blue Ameraucana and 1/4 Blue Cochin, she laid her 1st egg today-a great big blue one, she's sister to the boy in the next picture,


And here's the boy, Click, who refused to be caponized yesterday. He started bleeding just a bit and Coral stopped-good call! Surprisingly that entire incision that had went right into his body cavity has healed completely over. He's my favorite boy from all these hatches I've had since last September. Sorry he was so spastic yesterday, Coral. It does no good to tell you he doesn't act that way at home but he doesn't lol He told me to apologize to you. That he mistakenly thought you were trying to take his manhood but he realizes now you just wanted to look

My Malays that I just adore. I've got 9 eggs from them now in the incubator. Heck of a staggered hatch but I just love these guys.





My Asil pair. I need to find out what color the male is called, he's so pretty.





And oh, Kass? You know the 2nd Oreo twin we weren't sure if he was a slip or not? Just today when I was out taking pictures I caught him crowing lol! Here's both of them.



And I wish I could get one of you all to take this boy. He's one of the Gold Laced Cochin boys I got last year (didn't hatch them). He fights with other boys (hence the scabs on his comb) but he's really beautiful and he's a nice boy, not human aggressive in the least, just wants his own women.