***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[bardies]

This is for all of those joining us recently and for the rest of us to bond over.

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.

 

[miohippus]

x2

 

[miohippus]

A few pics from today in Muskogee, not many azalea's but still lots of pretty things to take pics of

oh, i love dogwoods i want one some day. lovely pic's Kass

 

[cathiesue]

It's been one of those days that make you wonder why you have chickens. I came home to find Lord Dingwald had gotten out of his pen and got attacked by a dog. He's alive, but not well. Poor, sweet boy. He's beak-down in his bedding, and that's really bad.

I got him inside and settled, and went to take care of the big pen. While I was watering, I found Flower, my Buttercup with the vision problems and possible past stroke, laying next to the water dish. Her breathing was shallow, and when I examined her she was limp and had a bloody vent. I was carrying her inside and telling her what a beautiful and wonderful chickie she is, when she chirped once to me, seized, and died in my arms. Poor, poor girl.

And then I came inside to take care of the chicks and my Isbar hatchling with mushy chick syndrome was dead. Sigh.

well, shoot. i'm sorry for your losses. hope that's all and it gets better from here.

 

[bardies]

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.

 

[Loriemarler]

Lorie, more than you'd think. General guidelines say 2 sq ft per bantam inside the coop. That'd be the 'real' bantams like Old English Game Bantams, Sebrights, etc. The same accepted guidelines state 4 sq ft per Standard sized bird-Like a big Brahma or Cochin or Orpington, etc. So for Birds the size of D'Uccles and Bantam Cochins, Silkies, etc I would use 3 sq ft per bird. That's all just in case they have to be locked inside the coop for days on end if it's real cold or raining or something like that. If the hoop coop is their permanent place with no access to a run or pen or yard then I'd use at least the 4 sq ft per bird for Bantam Cochin sized birds. But that still comes to 26 birds for a 6.5 x 16 hoop coop/104 sq ft. and that sounds real crowded for a full time home......So you have to use common sense and eyeball it. I've got mainly 10x10 pens for my penned birds and I don't like to put more than 4 standard sized birds or 8 Silkie or Bantam sized birds in a 10x10 pen if it's their full time home.
So it really depends on if it's their full time home or not. Clear as mud, huh?

Well that does help. I was thinking of 10 so that works thanks!

 

[Loriemarler]

I am so sorry for everyone's losses and injured babies. Before getting into chickens this year I never realized how attached one could get to these amazing creatures. They have such a personality and are very loving. I pray everyone has healthy flocks, safe hatches and loving relationships with their chickies.

 

[Kassaundra]

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.

I think that will make a big difference for the better. I think that would be a less critical time for turning, and it is a regular practice on shipped eggs not to turn during that time.

 

[Kyzmette]

@bardies we can be mushy chick mourners together.

Lord D's wounds and Flower's issue didn't seem to be related. I'd noticed in the last couple of weeks that there was what looked like egg yolk in the nesting box on occasion, but all the eggs looked okay. I hadn't seen one of Flower's eggs recently, but I assumed it was due to her previous health issues. Last night it looked like she'd had an egg break internally, or some kind of internal hemmorhage. It's possible that she had some internal issues that caused her previous illness. You gotta figure you sometimes get chickens like this from the auction for a reason, right? I hope one of the Floyd/Buttercup babies is female.

As for Lord Dingwald's name... right before I brought them home, I picked up a little red chick that I allowed my 2 year old granddaughter to name. Her favorite movie is Brave, so she named it Brave (you'd think she would be Merida, but nooooo). We have to watch that movie every time she comes over, and the night after I brought the Dorkings home, we were watching it, and I remember hearing Merida's father turn to her and say "Well, look who's coming to dinner. Hope you don't mind being called Lady..." and I thought Lord and Lady Dingwald, what a name! And my next thought was Lord and Lady Dingwald, high Dorks of clan Dorking! And it stuck.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

This is for all of those joining us recently and for the rest of us to bond over.

AHHHH I'm slipping down the slippery slope! We got goats this weekend! Love this video!

@bardies we can be mushy chick mourners together.

Lord D's wounds and Flower's issue didn't seem to be related. I'd noticed in the last couple of weeks that there was what looked like egg yolk in the nesting box on occasion, but all the eggs looked okay. I hadn't seen one of Flower's eggs recently, but I assumed it was due to her previous health issues. Last night it looked like she'd had an egg break internally, or some kind of internal hemmorhage. It's possible that she had some internal issues that caused her previous illness. You gotta figure you sometimes get chickens like this from the auction for a reason, right? I hope one of the Floyd/Buttercup babies is female.

As for Lord Dingwald's name... right before I brought them home, I picked up a little red chick that I allowed my 2 year old granddaughter to name. Her favorite movie is Brave, so she named it Brave (you'd think she would be Merida, but nooooo). We have to watch that movie every time she comes over, and the night after I brought the Dorkings home, we were watching it, and I remember hearing Merida's father turn to her and say "Well, look who's coming to dinner. Hope you don't mind being called Lady..." and I thought Lord and Lady Dingwald, what a name! And my next thought was Lord and Lady Dingwald, high Dorks of clan Dorking! And it stuck.

Haha I love it!!