Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chippysmom327]

@randerson846 Congrats on the ducklings! Saw them on your youtube links. Do you have an accent? I didn't have my volume up really. If so it sounds awesome!

 

[randerson846]

Ahah I'm from Northern Ireland uk so I might ahha I don't know ahahah and One hatched!!!! I woke up and my duck had just got out his leg was still in the shell he trying to walk around the other two are still trying

 

[randerson846]

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Quote: Oh NO! There will be no selling of Pap's cage. I just take cardboard boxes and then adjust them for ventilation, either staple some wire on the front or pouch a gazillion holes in it.

My ducks are hatching, should i mist them i haven't misted them the whole time but would it help and if so, don't i just spray a little bit on the whole egg, and how often should i do it thanks

Looking forward to seeing your ducks. Remember that it seems like an eternity between pip and hatch for ducks. Patience grasshopper...

So I have a question about what you guys would do.

I have 4 chicks (4 weeks old), and they're getting big. I'm hatching more chicks next weekend. I'm keeping the serama chick from this batch. There's a swap tomorrow, and the next one is in 3 weeks. I can't wait that long. They're getting big and stinky and I want to get rid of them before the new chicks hatch because I'm afraid of bullying. Sorry if I'm being confusing. Let me know if you need some clarifying.

Should I sell the 3 big chicks tomorrow and keep the serama alone for a whole week? Or keep another chick and just have them in a divider until the new chicks hatch and then sell the big chick all by itself? I'm just confused on what I'm gonna do. I have until tomorrow morning to decide.

What would you guys do?

Sounds like you got this sorted out. That's good.

Wondering who went to the Dragon and what ya got.I stopped in a 2:00 and they didn't even finish the back row yet.I'm guessing they ran till 6:00?
Lots of eggs,chicks and adult birds!

you dropped 46 birds?! Talk about cutting the feed bill. I'm impressed. We trap nested most of our Marans this last week and sold a bunch. Kept only the darkest layers. We got to the Dragon at 7:30 to drop stuff off, bee keeping supplies and some small bird cages, couldn't stay as I had to meet the goat vet at 9:00.

Quote: Can I just say 'WOW!" nice coop! Sorry your trip to the dragon wasn't fruitful, your little one sounds adorable. Take your time and get what you really want, there are plenty of chickens out there.

So I posted a picture of my broody easter egger Simba earlier this week. Silly girl isn't even a year old. She's not ready to be a mommy! Kids these days...

But Simba doesn't know that. And I don't have the heart to brake her just yet. So last Saturday the DO and I went out to the local Giant and bought a dozen "Fertile" eggs. Picked the batch with the latest expiration date. We waited till after dark, threw a rag over her head, and did a swapper. Out came 9 of our own eggs, and in went a dozen of the Giant eggs.

On Thursday, I spotted her eating and drinking, and figured I'd go look and see what was up with the eggs. I peeked into the nest box and saw...

...13 eggs. Thankfully I had marked the Giant eggs, so it wasn't too tough to find the one that the other girls had snuck in on her.

It's been a week now. I know it's supposed to be 21 days to hatch for a chicken egg, so there's still plenty of time for stuff to go wrong. The eggs are brown, and I don't think I have a sufficiently strong flashlight to candle the eggs, so I'm probably gonna just let things take their course.

Other than not disturbing mommy-to-be, is there anything else I should be doing to try to make her hatch successful?

Thew a rag over her head? I haven't heard of this maneuver before... Does it help? Your first broody hatch, how exciting!! sounds like you're doing everything just right. One thing I try to be careful of with a first time broody is when she's hatching, keep an eye out that she doesn't leave zipped eggs behind to care for the first few hatched. Also..candle those eggs, I had a friend try out the Giant eggs that were marked fertile and had a zero hatch, you don't want her to brood the whole 21 days and then not hatch. If you need fertile eggs, I am happy to help you out there. I'm very familiar with Swarthmore and go that way often.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Oh how precious!! Daffy! I love it.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Vet says everyone looks good but I need to keep the babies better protected for a few more weeks as they are hawk bait (uhh YIKES). She came by to disbud the babies and Lucky me, TWO of them, and the boys at that! are polled, so they did not need disbudding. Here's a little cuteness for you, the 2 boys who are as yet un named...I need E names.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

[COLOR=0000FF]Vet says everyone looks good but I need to keep the babies better protected for a few more weeks as they are hawk bait (uhh YIKES). She came by to disbud the babies and Lucky me, TWO of them, and the boys at that! are polled, so they did not need disbudding. Here's a little cuteness for you, the 2 boys who are as yet un named...I need E names. [/COLOR]

I like Elijah (Eli for short).I can't think of another good E name though lol

 

[fisherlady]

Vet says everyone looks good but I need to keep the babies better protected for a few more weeks as they are hawk bait (uhh YIKES). She came by to disbud the babies and Lucky me, TWO of them, and the boys at that! are polled, so they did not need disbudding. Here's a little cuteness for you, the 2 boys who are as yet un named...I need E names.

2

I vote for Edison and Eliot.... and may I say... I am NOT letting DH see these 2 little ones! OMG they are too cute!

 

[Katt66]

Ok, I'm freaking out a bit now once again here. And I feel like a terrible chicken momma. D:

This Mt. Healthy Hatchery salmonella outbreak... I had 9 hens and a rooster to start out the year. All nine hens laying well and everybody fat and happy. I bought 8 chicks from TSC between March 13th and April 12th. Raised them separately in a brooder in my basement, feeding them medicated feed just like I did with the bigger birds last year. Then about two weeks ago or so, when everyone was feathered out and growing well and the weather got warmer, I put them all outside and started introducing them to the established flock. At this point, they're all getting along well and pretty much integrated. A big happy motley flock of eighteen happy chickens.

Now I find out that Mt Healthy is responsible for a salmonella outbreak. I've been all over this website and all over the internet for the past few days trying to find the exact answers to my exact questions. And I can't seem to do that. So I am coming to you guys because I know there's lots of knowledgeable people on here. Some that even breed and raise chicks and sell eggs for profit. So I know you guys know all about testing and disease prevention and safety and stuff like that.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Too much coffee this morning I think.

My questions are,

Are my chicks infected? Will they actually look sick if they are?

If they are infected, does that mean my whole flock is now? Again, if they are, will they show signs? Because I've read that, yes, infected birds will be listless, runny poop, egg production will drop, etc. None of mine are showing these signs. And then I've read that, no, they won't show signs but will still carry the disease.

Next question. IF they are infected, what are my options?
I know about hand washing, and cooking meat thoroughly, etc.
Does this mean and end to dippy eggs in my house?
Does Salmonella go away on it's own?
Can it be treated?
Do I have to cull and burn the entire flock, strip the coop and run, bleach everything thoroughly and let it sit, chickenless till next year?

I'm almost in tears here with the frustration of not being able to get a straight final answer.
I don't want to cull my whole flock if they're not even sick. But I can't even find a straight answer on that.

All I know for sure is that I will never EVER EVER again buy a bird from anywhere else. I will, if I don't have to kill all of my babies raise my own chickens from my own closed flock from now on. I do NOT want to go through this ever again. :C

Or am I just overreacting about all of this?

 

[randerson846]

[COLOR=0000FF]Oh how precious!! Daffy!  I love it.[/COLOR]

Ahah thanks Sadly one of the ducklings in the egg died he just stopped half way and does it was so sad, but the other one is moving about fine he's running around the incubator we named him daffy and then the last one in the incubator is coming....... Foot first, is this normal?