***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[bardies]

Need chick advice. And no please do not say I need to build another coop! That is not an option lol

I bought a grown trio of mille fleur d'Uccles which started my chicken addiction. Since then I ordered 10 mille fleur d'uccle chicks that are due in the end if this month. Since I am very impatient i bought 13 chicks at the feedstore and I have 6 eggs from my original trio in the incubator. I originally planned to go through the chicks and keep just the d'uccle ones from the feedstore and the best of my 10 chicks I ordered and hatched. Maxed at about 10 chickens tota for the coop

My biggest problem is we are attached to the growing feedstore chicks and the majority are Cochins. Out of the 13 chicks 8 look to be Cochins. White, buff, black, and blue. My son really likes the blue cochin that is obviously a roo. I don't know what to do. Keep just the d'Uccles and sell the rest or keep a mixed flock or just have Cochins. I was hoping to have eating eggs as well as hatching eggs and chicks to sell. The white cochin is a doll and I cuddle her. The blue roo is a cutey too. What to do?? I still have 6 d'uccle eggs incubating and 10 chicks on their way.

I would suppose that it depends on what you want to do. Breed - then keeping to one breed would be the way to go. If there is just one coop - or, keep a mixed flock but with hens that lay a different kind of egg than your breeding hens. Of course, the roos would be your breeding roos. So you could keep a mixed flock and still beable to pick out the potential pure bred eggs. Your hen to roo ratio would suffer that way, but it is always nice to have a back up roo and two would be able to handle your flock, I would think. Maybe build a smaller breeding pen where you can isolate the intended trio or pair, from the rest and get your breeding eggs there. Of course, would need to think weather and predators. But, even if you had a dog kennel inside a largish pen, you can put the breeding trio/pair intot he kennel at night. That would offer some measure of protection. Hard thing - especially when the kids get their hearts involved.

 

[bardies]

I'm not going to be very much help but I googled "chick intestines out" and it gave me another thread on the BYC with somewhat a similar looking situation. Only the mass was still somewhat in the chick. It said in one of the things that she had looked up (not a lot of info though) how this happens and she talks very little but says that it is a disease? That it can be caused by a dirty incubator (even though she cleaned her's with bleach) and I think humidity too high. Who knows. Might read it, hope it helps somehow. Not a good outcome but what concerns me is that thing doesn't look like yolk and the chicks butt doesn't look big and round like it should.

His butt had been round and big - maybe too much so - as it was shiny and almost transluscent. I took some other pics later - the stuff got to be more yellowish with obvious blood vessels going through it. There was a small spot where it was attached, so I snipped if off. Now, it became apparent that the belly was opened and there was a loop of intestine coming out. I tried to push it in although it seemed as though there was no 'inside' to push it into as the skin was more flush to the area than being a pocket. It is also difficult to hold a baby with one hand and operate a bandaid with another. Mostly the baby wanted to just cuddle under something. I held him for awhile while reading this thread and the one you referred to. So it is back in the hatcher with ends blocked so he cant go anywhere.

I still have the pipping egg in bigger incubator, so the girl under the towel will have to stay there (and get stepped on by the other every so often). I think that is the way to go as the biggest problem with something dragging is to actually drag it - which she wont being trapped under the towel - that is, until we get that one egg hatched.

This certainly has been a bad hatch - BUT - there is some insight...on the intestine thread, one mention for possible cause is not turning enough. Well, at one point, I had stopped the turning to mess with a tray of eggs and then forgot to turn it back on - for something like 3 or four days. I wonder if it was one of those critical periods too. I am hoping that is a factor as there is another batch a week behind these that I am really hoping do not have the same problems.

As far as miserable hatches - they happen - sometimes traumatic like this - sometimes none of the eggs hatch - sometimes you hatch a bunch and grow them until they are gawky teenagers and a dog gets loose in the pen and kills them all. We all with bleeding hearts must get into chicken ranching just asking for trouble - we all have 'peck me' signs taped to our backs. But we do it anyway, open our hearts and then stub our toes just every time we turn around. Most of the time, we learn stuff and maybe get better at what we are trying to do. We care, we hurt. If we didn't care, it wouldn't hurt. If we didn't have chickens, they couldn't break our hearts...but then how would one like to live? Love and pain free?.... no thank you. .... So, just fair warning, hatching can be a treacherous road but so rewarding too.

So,.... thank you all for your help and support... will keep you updated!

 

[shelbydog]

I'll give you $20 for all 3.
It's not my fault I've wanted A Dark Brahma boy for yrs. Sheesh. I see you all pointing your fingers and laughing at me Actually I'll take any or all that no one else speaks up for and I'll caponize them. If 1 is a slip then I've got 5 Dark Brahma girls to take care of him.

You can have all 3 for $10. I can bring them with me to Coweta to hand off to Coral if she doesn't mind or are you going to caponize them at home?

 

[shelbydog]

Need chick advice. And no please do not say I need to build another coop! That is not an option lol

I bought a grown trio of mille fleur d'Uccles which started my chicken addiction. Since then I ordered 10 mille fleur d'uccle chicks that are due in the end if this month. Since I am very impatient i bought 13 chicks at the feedstore and I have 6 eggs from my original trio in the incubator. I originally planned to go through the chicks and keep just the d'uccle ones from the feedstore and the best of my 10 chicks I ordered and hatched. Maxed at about 10 chickens tota for the coop

My biggest problem is we are attached to the growing feedstore chicks and the majority are Cochins. Out of the 13 chicks 8 look to be Cochins. White, buff, black, and blue. My son really likes the blue cochin that is obviously a roo. I don't know what to do. Keep just the d'Uccles and sell the rest or keep a mixed flock or just have Cochins. I was hoping to have eating eggs as well as hatching eggs and chicks to sell. The white cochin is a doll and I cuddle her. The blue roo is a cutey too. What to do?? I still have 6 d'uccle eggs incubating and 10 chicks on their way.

Are the cochins large fowl or bantams?

You can have as many chickens as your coop can comfortably hold.

For selling purebred eggs when you have a mixed flock.....if you want to do it seasonally you can put together temporary housing for your breeding group if both breeds are bantams.

I don't think d'uccles are known to be prolific layers so if you want eating eggs you might want to consider having a layer flock as well as a breeder flock.

 

[Kyzmette]

@bardies do a search for "mushy chick syndrome". One of mine was just hatched with it, and the prognosis isn't good. If I had known about it before she was hatched it might be better, but I know now, and we can't go back in time. I keep dousing my baby's nub with vetericyn, but once the swelling inside starts, that's a pretty good indicator of internal infection.

Hens lay an egg a day because chicks are lost. Just because nature knows and compensates doesn't make it easier on us.

 

[Loriemarler]

Are the cochins large fowl or bantams?

You can have as many chickens as your coop can comfortably hold.

For selling purebred eggs when you have a mixed flock.....if you want to do it seasonally you can put together temporary housing for your breeding group if both breeds are bantams.

I don't think d'uccles are known to be prolific layers so if you want eating eggs you might want to consider having a layer flock as well as a breeder flock.

They are all bantams.

 

[Kassaundra]

Have to brag on Shakespear a little. Our auto doors are not working right now, Gary is working on the problem, but we were gone last night at sundown. Knew we were going to be home shortly after, got home about 9p, Gary went out to shut the coop door.

There was a huge ruckous going on down there, when Gary turned on the light there in the coop was an opossum, and Shakespear giving him what for. All the hens were on the roosts safe and sound, all the chicks were safe in the brooder area, but Shakespear was having NONE of it!!!!! When Gary got the opossum out he (the opossum) had blood and a wound, but Shakespear just had a few tousled feathers. (he doesn't even have spurs yet)





Here he is a few weeks ago.

 

[miohippus]

Have to brag on Shakespear a little. Our auto doors are not working right now, Gary is working on the problem, but we were gone last night at sundown. Knew we were going to be home shortly after, got home about 9p, Gary went out to shut the coop door.

There was a huge ruckous going on down there, when Gary turned on the light there in the coop was an opossum, and Shakespear giving him what for. All the hens were on the roosts safe and sound, all the chicks were safe in the brooder area, but Shakespear was having NONE of it!!!!! When Gary got the opossum out he (the opossum) had blood and a wound, but Shakespear just had a few tousled feathers. (he doesn't even have spurs yet)





Here he is a few weeks ago.

yea, what a good boy!!

 

[NanaKat]

Good freezing morning to all of you. The ground here was white with frost but it is beginning to melt. The garden looks like it will survive. Will keep an eye on the forecasts before I plant out the tomatoes and peppers, etc.

Had a surprise in the covered Wyandotte pen this morning. It is 14 x 20 with a coop building that I close up each night. Chain link outside with cattle panels forming a hoop top covered in chicken wire and tarps for shade. Somehow a huge owl got in the pen and could not get out. I couldn't go inside the pen because it would fly at me screeching each time I came near the pen to try the gate. Roger took care of it. I was able to let the birds out of their coop for feed and water. I looked the pen over for how it got in. The only opening I could find was a 4 x 4 square exposed in a cattle panel between the tarps and the owl was too big for the opening. With the birds locked up each night, I cant figure out what the owl was after. Other pens have no covers but those birds are also confined each night.

Eggs are pipping in the incubator....4 of 16 so far. Then another hatch is set for the 18th. Didn't sign up for the Easter hatchalong.

Welcome to all the new folks. Im sure I've missed a few of you the past few days. going back to read the posts.

 

[Ksane]

.

As far as miserable hatches - they happen - sometimes traumatic like this  - sometimes none of the eggs hatch - sometimes you hatch a bunch and grow them until they are gawky teenagers and a dog gets loose in the pen and kills them all.  We all with bleeding hearts must get into chicken ranching just asking for trouble - we all have 'peck me' signs taped to our backs. But we do it anyway, open our hearts and then stub our toes just every time we turn around. Most of the time, we learn stuff and maybe get better at what we are trying to do. We care, we hurt. If we didn't care, it wouldn't hurt. If we didn't have chickens, they couldn't break our hearts...but then how would one like to live? Love and pain free?.... no thank you.    .... So, just fair warning, hatching can be a treacherous road but so rewarding too.
So,.... thank you all for your help and support... will keep you updated!

Bardies, this about made me cry! I bet it did Kyz lol

I'll give you $20 for all 3.
It's not my fault I've wanted A Dark Brahma boy for yrs. Sheesh. I see you all pointing your fingers and laughing at me Actually I'll take any or all that no one else speaks up for and I'll caponize them. If 1 is a slip then I've got 5 Dark Brahma girls to take care of him.

You can have all 3 for $10. I can bring them with me to Coweta to hand off to Coral if she doesn't mind or are you going to caponize them at home?

Sold!
It's time I put on my big girl panties so I'll do it myself. The 5 Barred Rocks I did all lived to tell the horrific tale, it's 100 times easier on young ones. I can't keep imposing on Coral and making 5 hr round trips for each boy I need caponized :-D

Kass! OMG! He took on a possum?? Those things are like white coons! What an awsome wonderful, brave boy!!

Nana, the owl was probably after mice and got caught in the pen when you closed it up or something. They're so beautiful but do such ugly things to our birds :-(