Raising Baby Chick-Along

[orrpeople]

QUOTE="orrpeople, post: 18644900, member: 431665"]Nice!! Which breed are these?
Btw, I am so glad I got your splashy kiddos - my Greenfire shipment is growing out with zero splash!! How is that even possible? (I mean, I know how it's possible, I just wonder why they would do that?) And, what's worse is the two I thought were splash are really mottled black which is like having a Wyandotte with a Leghorn comb. Not cool. My opinion of GFF has suffered.

This batch is the Frizzled OE's from GardenWren. She included a couple from a younger hen that laid teal colored eggs. Plus I had a pen of younger teens - boys and girls, and I picked up some laying hens I had sold to someone (they had to give them up). I threw them in with the teens to quarantine, until I could find a new home. They were in that pen for 3 weeks - well the boys weren't crowing, but they were playing. I noticed their eggs were fertile, so I tried hatching a couple.

What's pipped - 1 teal egg and 1 of my EE/???? These are the 2 of the smallest, so that makes sense they are a bit earlier.

I'm so happy that the splash kids made it safely and that they are working out so well. I LOVE the hen I kept. She is laying a dark green tiny little egg. Not sure - I expected them to get bigger, but they aren't. That is strange that NONE of the GFF are splash - what did you order from them?[/QUOTE]
It was a BBS auction. So, you'd think at least 1 S would be in order? And that one I had to bid fairly high to get, because that's a breed I really want to work with! I know if I breed one of the splashes with a blue I'll get 50/50 Blue and Splash, so I can "make" more. It'll just take another generation. Also looking like of the 12 I got from GFF, 8 are male. Haha... my luck this season, my luck.
That is totally cool that you have been able to hatch some of your own chicks!! Hurrah for roosters who are "crow delayed"!!!

 

[AUChickenGal]

My group is two weeks old today! They're really starting to grow and feather in now, athough the Faverolles is still lagging behind the others. They spend much more time on top of their heat plate than under it, except at night. I'm hoping to move them outside in another 7-10 days. They are a VERY chatty group and are getting quite adventurous. They're also starting to practice their flying skills.

 

[orrpeople]

And then there were "only" 14!!
A good day here, as I was able to move 12 little indoor friends to their new outside temporary housing. I kind of have a system where they stay indoors until they can fly up on the edge of their box and make poop messes on my laundry room floor. This earns them a ticket to one of our two grow-out tractors (whichever one is currently not in use because its former occupants have either moved to the bachelor pad or a larger grow out coop). So now I've got 12 new outdoor littles and only 14 left inside!! It's significantly quieter inside today!

 

[rjohns39]

For me, its time to candle and lock down ducks and turkeys...

 

[orrpeople]

For me, its time to candle and lock down ducks and turkeys...

Best of luck hatching your new littles!!

 

[Jessimom]

@orrpeople - good job on getting them moved!! I have to move a bunch, but first I have to rehome a dozen roosters.

 

[orrpeople]

@orrpeople - good job on getting them moved!! I have to move a bunch, but first I have to rehome a dozen roosters.

Ugh. I hear ya. I was just outside looking at all the boys in the bachelor pad, thinking of the 10-12 more that will head that way soon, and knowing I will only be keeping 3 or 4 of them.

 

[orrpeople]

Good morning from "It's finally not 85 degrees in the morning Northern California!" Sad when we say, wow, it was so cool today when the high was 98
Question time!! So, sometimes my brooder has a certain odor. I like things to be pretty clean in my world, but often times that odor is just there! Any ideas for managing brooder odor?

 

[NorthTexasWink]

I've seen others post about using an additive for horse stalls called Sweet PDZ. I've never used it myself. I've heard of folks using cat litter as a layer under pine shavings too. Again, not something I've tried. Honestly I haven't kept chicks in brooders much over 8-10 weeks, and then usually for some reason like injury or failure to thrive. And never kept any in the house for more than a night or two. My new ones are set up to go in a semi open converted sun porch when they arrive. Air flow should keep the dander dust and any other smells at bay.

I do know that birds and reptiles have a peculiar musky scent all their own. Is that what you mean? I've had reptiles and birds as house pets and in freestanding aviaries, and can tell you nothing completely masks that scent, in my experience.

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning from "It's finally not 85 degrees in the morning Northern California!" Sad when we say, wow, it was so cool today when the high was 98
Question time!! So, sometimes my brooder has a certain odor. I like things to be pretty clean in my world, but often times that odor is just there! Any ideas for managing brooder odor?

PDZ is helpful, more bedding is the real answer. The smell comes when there's not enough carbon to absorb the stuff.... A lot of professional growers use peat moss in their brooders, though I have not tried that yet. Generally with the ducks I'll layer PDZ in to help absorb the excess water from their pruning... Clay Cat (I would be afraid of anything other than clay) litter will do the same but is less absorbent IMO.

Edited to add the caution about clay...