Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

Pics
Date sort Score sort
LadyBehir said:
Click to expand...
lau.gif
 
Our chick Lucky, the only one who made it. She is 5 days old now :) She looks just like an SS chick except she is more red. She is a Speckled Sussex/ Red Sexlink.

She will have a few Silkie friends in a week :)





 
AnneInTheBurbs said:
Also, I will be going on vacation from Oct. 6th to th 10th. If anyone in that area has a decent young of preferably a brown color, I would be so happy to pay you for her.
wink.png
Click to expand...

Anne:

The eggs my girls are sitting on should be hatching around the time you are going on vacation....depending on what happens, I may have and extra chick...
 
Thank you all for the feedback on my sick chick. I did bring her in yesterday and have her set up in the bath tub on newspaper (easier to watch and tend to her than in the dog crate. I force-fed her some Sav-a-chick electrolyte water and some plain yogurt. She was alert and active enough to shake her head away from me when she got annoyed at me opening her beak, but she didn't seem at all interested in feeding herself. This morning, my 6yo said that she ate some yogurt off of a spoon, but I'm not sure how willing she was to do that. I did see her voluntarily drink some electrolyte water this morning, and I made her a scrambled egg and sprinkled some of the grower food in the dish with it (she wasn't interested, but I did finally persuade her to eat a little).

She is not wheezing or sneezing or any other respiratory symptoms. Eyes look fine, not swollen or sick looking as far as I can tell. Her poop is very watery, but I don't see any blood in it... maybe a bit mucousy last night.

I think I'm going to take her back outside with the flock after it warms up today, they have a fresh bit of lawn/garden to work and I want to see if it can peak her interest... she's got to be bored in the tub all by herself. I will likely bring her back in tonight unless she seems much better.

I do need to run up to TSC in the next day or two for more food so I should be able to pick up something there, right? I can definitely see the food competition as a reason she is smaller and more susceptible to illness... I have a bucket waterer with 3 nipples and a bucket feeder with just one food 'port' - they have free access to it and it never runs out of food so I figured a single one would be fine for 8 chickens but I can start filling the little jar feeder again to give a second option. We haven't been doing scratch grains or oyster shells or anything else yet, just grower food and the occasional veggie scraps. Oyster shells are not until they start laying, right? when do you typically start giving scratch grains? My chickies are about 14 weeks.
 
If they aren't laying, they don't need oyster shells. If they don't have access to dirt and stones, they do need grit if they are getting anything other than feed (which contains it). They don't need oyster shell if they only get layer feed. Layer feed contains calcium. Oyster shell is a supplement.
I give mine grit and grass and other tests as young as a couple weeks. You may want to ferment scratch at first so it is easier to digest. I've been known to start them on fermented feed from day one. The ACV helps their systems as well, in my opinion.
I must add the caveat that I have more than a couple birds and do lose some, I just tend to not mention it. I've lost about 15 this year, not counting those a couple days old. Some just aren't strong enough to survive in my conditions and my feeling is they don't fit in my program.

I had one hatch of ten die from food competition and bullying when I didn't integrate them properly. Lesson learned.
 
Last edited:
stake said:
Just to follow up on other's observations....over the past week my egg production has tanked....I am only getting a couple of eggs out of 10 laying hens..

Also, my broodies have kicked 5 of 8 eggs out of the nest box...I really hope I don't have a solo hatch....c'est la vie .....
Click to expand...


Makes me feel better!


fisherlady said:
Wish you were closer to our part of the state.... I have some Buckeyes that might fit the bill, though I think they technically call them 'red'

thanks, I wish I was closer too!

If you can separate her it will allow you to control and monitor her food and fluid intake and also observe her droppings to check for worms or blood.... I am not good with chick illness but I am one for gathering as much info as you can through observation and assessment so you are better prepared to figure out the therapy needed.  An overnight in 'chick sick bay' won't hurt her standing in the flock but will allow a lot of info to be gathered.


Since you have her separate I would go ahead and treat her individually... but if one in the flock has it then most likely they all do, I would make a clean spot under their roosting area (or place down some newspaper or something similar, then check the droppings that are on it in the morning to see if it is a flock issue and since it is nearly molt time anyway and egg production would be expected to be reduced then it may be a good time to treat everyone.

I will be picking up some dewormer tonight, what do you all recommend?

:thumbsup . You ARE doing a good job!  You have progressed by leaps and bounds this year and have the beautiful coop and happy hens to show for it!!!
x2!!!

Good point!   Food competition can often leave some behind.


Ours is down recently also... and even though we currently have 7 broodies I would expect more... but the 'pillow fight was here' appearance in the coop each morning gives me a good idea of what is going on.
 I can't begin to tell you how many hours my DH and I have spent in or around the coop just 'chilling with the peeps'!!  I can tell you he has a few who actually come when he calls them by name! 
Click to expand...



stake said:
Anne:

The eggs my girls are sitting on should be hatching around the time you are going on vacation....depending on what happens, I may have and extra chick...
Click to expand...


Keep me posted please!

emorems0 said:
Thank you all for the feedback on my sick chick. I did bring her in yesterday and have her set up in the bath tub on newspaper (easier to watch and tend to her than in the dog crate. I force-fed her some Sav-a-chick electrolyte water and some plain yogurt. She was alert and active enough to shake her head away from me when she got annoyed at me opening her beak, but she didn't seem at all interested in feeding herself. This morning, my 6yo said that she ate some yogurt off of a spoon, but I'm not sure how willing she was to do that. I did see her voluntarily drink some electrolyte water this morning, and I made her a scrambled egg and sprinkled some of the grower food in the dish with it (she wasn't interested, but I did finally persuade her to eat a little). 

She is not wheezing or sneezing or any other respiratory symptoms. Eyes look fine, not swollen or sick looking as far as I can tell. Her poop is very watery, but I don't see any blood in it... maybe a  bit mucousy last night.  

I think I'm going to take her back outside with the flock after it warms up today, they have a fresh bit of lawn/garden to work and I want to see if it can peak her interest... she's got to be bored in the tub all by herself. I will likely bring her back in tonight unless she seems much better.

I do need to run up to TSC in the next day or two for more food so I should be able to pick up something there, right? I can definitely see the food competition as a reason she is smaller and more susceptible to illness... I have a bucket waterer with 3 nipples and a bucket feeder with just one food 'port' - they have free access to it and it never runs out of food so I figured a single one would be fine for 8 chickens but I can start filling the little jar feeder again to give a second option. We haven't been doing scratch grains or oyster shells or anything else yet, just grower food and the occasional veggie scraps. Oyster shells are not until they start laying, right? when do you typically start giving scratch grains? My chickies are about 14 weeks.
Click to expand...


Good luck! Sounds likes you are doing a great job!
 
I think my fox. Injured chicken will make it! She seems more alert and responive today. I let her out this afternoon to see how she was, and she ran across the yard to the favorite bathing area and the girls all took a group dust bath. I don't see any signs of infection, and it looks like her wounds are closing up well. I'm feeling pretty positive at this point! :yesss:
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom