Set eggs 3/5. Looking for others to hatch with!

[wholewheatchicken]

They are blue slate/royal palm mix turkeys. I love ducklings, and I think pekins are beautiful. They are messy messy messy though. Just make sure you either feed them gamebird feed or supplement them with niacin. They need it for strong legs, especially pekins which grow fast. I feed gamebird feed, but ask in the duck section and they'll tell you how much if you use the niacin supplements.

What do you do with the turkeys?
I am feeding them flock starter. That was the biggest recommendation I got over in the duck section. I read you should supplement with niacin in the form of Brewer's yeast, but then everyone said I didn't need it. It's like everything else...you get an answer for every person who answers! How much niacin do they need? I could look at the flock raiser and see how much it has in it.
Yes, they are messy. They have been in their little water pen we made for them for two days now and it had turned into a nasty swimming pool. I had to go down and get all the water out of it and the poop and wet food! But I love them and wouldn't trade them for anything....I will just be glad when they live outside and not in my basement, LOL!
Lockdown is on Wednesday for me. It might have actually been tomorrow. I always set my eggs so late on the first day that I start day 1 on the second day after. Like if I set them at 10:00 Friday night, I count Sunday as day 1. I never manage to get my eggs set at a decent time. I haven't figured out why that is yet. I think I spend the whole day playing with the chickens and dogs and teaching the kids and that is the first break I get in the day.

 

[JulieNKC]

What do you do with the turkeys?
I am feeding them flock starter. That was the biggest recommendation I got over in the duck section. I read you should supplement with niacin in the form of Brewer's yeast, but then everyone said I didn't need it. It's like everything else...you get an answer for every person who answers! How much niacin do they need? I could look at the flock raiser and see how much it has in it.
Yes, they are messy. They have been in their little water pen we made for them for two days now and it had turned into a nasty swimming pool. I had to go down and get all the water out of it and the poop and wet food! But I love them and wouldn't trade them for anything....I will just be glad when they live outside and not in my basement, LOL!
Lockdown is on Wednesday for me. It might have actually been tomorrow. I always set my eggs so late on the first day that I start day 1 on the second day after. Like if I set them at 10:00 Friday night, I count Sunday as day 1. I never manage to get my eggs set at a decent time. I haven't figured out why that is yet. I think I spend the whole day playing with the chickens and dogs and teaching the kids and that is the first break I get in the day.

I have a pet midget white hen so I hatched these so she could have a friend. I'm just keeping one, I'll be selling the rest.
Brewer's yeast should work. I wouldn't worry about it, except that pekins are meat ducks and grow fast so I don't think it'd hurt to give, just in case. They don't need heat as long as chicks either. My youngest ducklings are 3 weeks old and have been kicked outside for a week already. I bring them in if it gets to 50 or below, but they are doing good out there and I'm a lot happier with them out there.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

I have a pet midget white hen so I hatched these so she could have a friend. I'm just keeping one, I'll be selling the rest.
Brewer's yeast should work. I wouldn't worry about it, except that pekins are meat ducks and grow fast so I don't think it'd hurt to give, just in case. They don't need heat as long as chicks either. My youngest ducklings are 3 weeks old and have been kicked outside for a week already. I bring them in if it gets to 50 or below, but they are doing good out there and I'm a lot happier with them out there.

LOL!! That is too funny. I guess that's why my little ducklings look so incredibly happy sitting in their little homemade water pen on top of their island ( a Tote lid ) under their brooder light!!!! Little spoiled things. But it has been chilly here and there are still freezes so I guess I shouldn't feel too guilty about having them in the basement! One of the ducklings we bought was two days old on Friday so by the time it gets old enough to go outside the weather should be warm enough during the nights.
Do you eat your Pekins? No wonder when I Googled Pekin ducks I kept getting Chinese recipes!
Would you use Brewer's yeast like you get at the grocery store?

 

[JulieNKC]

LOL!! That is too funny. I guess that's why my little ducklings look so incredibly happy sitting in their little homemade water pen on top of their island ( a Tote lid ) under their brooder light!!!! Little spoiled things. But it has been chilly here and there are still freezes so I guess I shouldn't feel too guilty about having them in the basement! One of the ducklings we bought was two days old on Friday so by the time it gets old enough to go outside the weather should be warm enough during the nights.
Do you eat your Pekins? No wonder when I Googled Pekin ducks I kept getting Chinese recipes!
Would you use Brewer's yeast like you get at the grocery store?

No, if I eat duck I get it from the store. Not that I have anything against people eating their ducks, but I'm not about to pluck all those feathers.

I had a heat lamp the first few days I put the ducklings in their outside brooder, but I didn't see them anywhere near it even once so I figured it wasn't worth the fire hazard, lol. Brewer's yeast from the grocery store should work fine, or even just making sure they get some greens each day.

 

[wholewheatchicken]

No, if I eat duck I get it from the store. Not that I have anything against people eating their ducks, but I'm not about to pluck all those feathers.

I had a heat lamp the first few days I put the ducklings in their outside brooder, but I didn't see them anywhere near it even once so I figured it wasn't worth the fire hazard, lol. Brewer's yeast from the grocery store should work fine, or even just making sure they get some greens each day.

Can they eat kale and how do I put grit out for them and will chick grit work okay?

I don't know how you give the little buggers anything, LOL! Every time I fill up their waterer they go crazy and guzzle it all down and splash it out. Do they ever take a break from drinking like crazy? I guess they must because when I go in to see them and see their water is down low they aren't drinking, but as soon as I fill it up and set it down, they are on it like they've never seen water.

 

[CALI CHICK]

Hey guys, one of the chicks is doing really bad.

I think his brain is swollen from having a difficult hatch. It may be wry neck. Poor thing hasn't eaten anything-this is his 4th day alive. The others have been eating and drinking for 2 days. It's one of the little partridge chicks. I know these guys all have the vaulted skulls and his little brain must have gotten some kind of trauma. It was probably one I had to help out. It just hangs it's little head down and tries to sleep. I know it needs put down, but even my DH can't do it.

We keep hoping it will just die, but I hate to see it suffering.

My friend has offered some Prednisone. I could pick that up and try that treatment to reduce the infection/swelling in its head. I also plan to contact some 4-H people and see what they would do. If they would kill it, I'll ask them to just come do it so my DH doesn't have to. (We're a bunch of softies, I guess) What would you guys do?

Here's a picture of the little guy. We call him Big Head....poor thing:

 

[JulieNKC]

Can they eat kale and how do I put grit out for them and will chick grit work okay?

I don't know how you give the little buggers anything, LOL! Every time I fill up their waterer they go crazy and guzzle it all down and splash it out. Do they ever take a break from drinking like crazy? I guess they must because when I go in to see them and see their water is down low they aren't drinking, but as soon as I fill it up and set it down, they are on it like they've never seen water.

Mine love kale, And no, everytime they see water it's like their first time. My older ducks fly out to their pool in the morning like they haven't had water in days.

Hey guys, one of the chicks is doing really bad.

I think his brain is swollen from having a difficult hatch. It may be wry neck. Poor thing hasn't eaten anything-this is his 4th day alive. The others have been eating and drinking for 2 days. It's one of the little partridge chicks. I know these guys all have the vaulted skulls and his little brain must have gotten some kind of trauma. It was probably one I had to help out. It just hangs it's little head down and tries to sleep. I know it needs put down, but even my DH can't do it.

We keep hoping it will just die, but I hate to see it suffering.

My friend has offered some Prednisone. I could pick that up and try that treatment to reduce the infection/swelling in its head. I also plan to contact some 4-H people and see what they would do. If they would kill it, I'll ask them to just come do it so my DH doesn't have to. (We're a bunch of softies, I guess) What would you guys do?

Here's a picture of the little guy. We call him Big Head....poor thing:

What a cutie, hope he makes it!

 

[wholewheatchicken]

Hey guys, one of the chicks is doing really bad.

I think his brain is swollen from having a difficult hatch. It may be wry neck. Poor thing hasn't eaten anything-this is his 4th day alive. The others have been eating and drinking for 2 days. It's one of the little partridge chicks. I know these guys all have the vaulted skulls and his little brain must have gotten some kind of trauma. It was probably one I had to help out. It just hangs it's little head down and tries to sleep. I know it needs put down, but even my DH can't do it.

We keep hoping it will just die, but I hate to see it suffering.

My friend has offered some Prednisone. I could pick that up and try that treatment to reduce the infection/swelling in its head. I also plan to contact some 4-H people and see what they would do. If they would kill it, I'll ask them to just come do it so my DH doesn't have to. (We're a bunch of softies, I guess) What would you guys do?

Here's a picture of the little guy. We call him Big Head....poor thing:

I know you have to give them either the poly visol vitamins without iron that is in the children's section at Walmart or wherever you shop at. If you have a Tractor Supply or farm store, get the nutri drench. It will need it about every hour or so for many days. We use chicken vitamins in our water and you could get a little bread and dip in the water and see if it will eat on its own. You can also take a little chick starter on your finger and dip it in the water to wet it and see if it will pick at it. You may have to get a little droper and gently put a little water on its beak and see if it can drink some. It will need more water than food right now.
If it has wry neck, it will likely affect it the rest of its life. If you keep it, it won't be as big of a deal as its life will perhaps be less stressful. Anytime the bird is stressed, it will be prone to having the wry neck coming back out and it will require the same treatment and it is subject to dying from it later in life. It will be somewhat of a special needs bird so that is a decision only you can make. I don't know if anyone really understands if wry neck is genetic or injury, but I think many people think it can come from both. So if you thought it was genetics, you would have to really think about that if you want to breed it.
If you need to put it down, we have found putting the bird in a small bucket and running a hose from the car into the bucket makes them go to sleep and we did that one time. Now my DH uses starting fluid for cars and he puts it on a rag and gently puts it over the chick's beak and they slowly go to sleep. We are not the kind who can cut heads off.
Good luck. I've been where you are and I know it is very difficult to go through. Whatever you decide to do is going to be the right choice for you. And if you try your hardest, you may not be able to save it. It may not have been anything you did at hatch time so don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[CALI CHICK]

I'm already giving it Poly-Vi-Sol and Sav-A-Chick (electrolytes/vitamins) as well as human Vit B, Vit E, etc, etc. It does not want to take anything I offer and I try hourly. I've tried softening food and egg yoke but it will not eat. It literally tries to back up (into the palm of my hand) away from food and liquids. I really think it wants to die.

My DH couldn't kill it this morning when I asked him. He actually called in to work to see if he could come in early. I'm hoping it will just die so we don't have to do it. Maybe he can try the car exhaust way. (Is that what you do?.......hold the chick by the tail pipe and let it breath the fumes?)

Another thing, I planned to sell it because it isn't a BBS so that wouldn't be fair to the buyer to have to deal with a sickly chicken (even if it got better temporarily).

My other weak chick seems to be doing better. It was the surprise hatch on Saturday morning (by itself). It just seemed lethargic and didn't thrive. I had been giving it the same special treatment as Big Head. But this chick responded to feedings by pecking and drinking out of the dropper. And when Big Head wouldn't eat the egg yoke/yogurt/scratch mixture this little guy dove in and let me put scoopfuls in his beak. I think that was his first real meal. And now when I look in the brooder, this little guy eats and drinks with the other chicks. I still give it "vitamin feedings" daily.

I don't know. Maybe I'm too sensitive for this.

Wish us luck.

I know you have to give them either the poly visol vitamins without iron that is in the children's section at Walmart or wherever you shop at. If you have a Tractor Supply or farm store, get the nutri drench. It will need it about every hour or so for many days. We use chicken vitamins in our water and you could get a little bread and dip in the water and see if it will eat on its own. You can also take a little chick starter on your finger and dip it in the water to wet it and see if it will pick at it. You may have to get a little droper and gently put a little water on its beak and see if it can drink some. It will need more water than food right now.
If it has wry neck, it will likely affect it the rest of its life. If you keep it, it won't be as big of a deal as its life will perhaps be less stressful. Anytime the bird is stressed, it will be prone to having the wry neck coming back out and it will require the same treatment and it is subject to dying from it later in life. It will be somewhat of a special needs bird so that is a decision only you can make. I don't know if anyone really understands if wry neck is genetic or injury, but I think many people think it can come from both. So if you thought it was genetics, you would have to really think about that if you want to breed it.
If you need to put it down, we have found putting the bird in a small bucket and running a hose from the car into the bucket makes them go to sleep and we did that one time. Now my DH uses starting fluid for cars and he puts it on a rag and gently puts it over the chick's beak and they slowly go to sleep. We are not the kind who can cut heads off.
Good luck. I've been where you are and I know it is very difficult to go through. Whatever you decide to do is going to be the right choice for you. And if you try your hardest, you may not be able to save it. It may not have been anything you did at hatch time so don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[Ryan Moorefield]

Okay so I checked the incubator today and there was a funny smell coming from it. So I checked the temp. and it was a little high so I candled a few eggs and they were all right. Should I be worry?