Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[stonykill]

We do not have arial predators like you guys would in the US. Eagles would be our only worry, and we have a lot of cover. Woods and a ton of trees throughout the yard.
Anyway. Yeah, I've seen build up on at least 3 or 4 of the 21 chicks my two moms are sharing. What could I be doing wrong? They are on chick starter, no heat lamps and tons of fresh water changed every 12 hours. Still I see build up. No blocking of vent, but there is poop on the butt fluff.
These aren't chicks she hatched or I incubated and hatched. They are RSL feed store chicks. Before this I've only had one issue of a broody raised chick with pasty butt.
Oh and they have ACV in their water as well. Or at least they do when I am doing the watering.

ask that question here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...l-up-a-rockin-chair-and-lay-some-wisdom-on-us Someone there will have the answer

 

[farmer boy]

i never lost any and some stay out at night and i have dogs so nothing will attack them from the ground and i have big trys they my chickens go under if the see something...... one of my hens passed away today pretty said all the chicks thought she was mom even my ducks .. justine your silkies thought she was mom slept under her and everything and the ducks slept by her

 

[Wynette]

Morning, peeps! I'm still having issues getting e-mail notification of posts in my subscribed threads, so I honestly thought there wasn't much activity here. Boy, was I wrong! Some great stuff going on!!

I candled the eggs under my Marans broody, and only 3 developed (all 3 naked necks). I had a Marans egg in my incubator that developed (set the same day), so I slipped that under the broody. Due date is this Sunday. The naked necks are crossed - hatchery red hen crossed to my splash Jersey Giant cock bird, so you just never know what you'll get with that cross. Sometimes, no naked neck - and lots of blues, some splash, and black. The splash have big splashes of black, not little ones, which is interesting! The mom is a phenominal layer, but eggs aren't that big, so my hope is that with the cross, the eggs will get larger, since my Jersey Giants are.....Giant.

 

[Wynette]

i never lost any and some stay out at night and i have dogs so nothing will attack them from the ground and i have big trys they my chickens go under if the see something...... one of my hens passed away today pretty said all the chicks thought she was mom even my ducks .. justine your silkies thought she was mom slept under her and everything and the ducks slept by her

Awe....I'm so sorry!

 

[farmer boy]

thanks .. ever since she hurt her leg everything went down hill so .... my silkie is such a baby she is inside the house in a suck nest lol

 

[aoxa]

thanks .. ever since she hurt her leg everything went down hill so .... my silkie is such a baby she is inside the house in a suck nest lol 

I do believe he means sock Since he sent me an email with the cutest pictures of the silkie cuddled in socks haha

Yes, we don't have Arial predators right Jason? It's foxes, raccoons, dogs and other ground predators that are usually the problem (though mostly at night).

 

[bobbieschicks]

Awe....I'm so sorry! 

Xs2

 

[farmer boy]

I do believe he means sock

Since he sent me an email with the cutest pictures of the silkie cuddled in socks haha
Yes, we don't have Arial predators right Jason? It's foxes, raccoons, dogs and other ground predators that are usually the problem (though mostly at night).

ya sock opps ... well i have a bald eagles nest acrossed the river from me but he is always by the river fishing so .. i have a raccoons by me and i herd them fighting one time i thought they were out by the chickens lol i ran out there with my sister and our friend bu we found out it was just raccoons fighting .. oh i have coyotes by me they killed my friends cat acrossed the street from me and they go up in their yard all the time but i have three dogs so i think that helps i got a sheep dog and a pitbul and a husky mix so i think im pretty good with the ground ones lol

 

[aoxa]

ya sock opps ... well i have a bald eagles nest acrossed the river from me but he is always by the river fishing so .. i have a raccoons by me and i herd them fighting one time i thought they were out by the chickens lol i ran out there with my sister and our friend bu we found out it was just raccoons fighting .. oh i have coyotes by me they killed my friends cat acrossed the street from me and they go up in their yard all the time but i have three dogs so i think that helps i got a sheep dog and a pitbul and a husky mix so i think im pretty good with the ground ones lol 

We seem to only have bald eagles. None have ever made an attempt. Oh you are near that river? That bald eagle killed a lot of cats on that street. :S They are supposed to be endangered aren't they? I have seen a lot!

 

[farmer boy]

they are in america because they are going to dumps and eating the garbage because they have nothing left to eat there ... well thats great he takes cats i hope he didn't get mine never saw it in a week ... day 11 for broody hen ... well nothing seems to have try to take my hens or roos or ducks lol .. ya i live right next to the river