setting eggs tonight!! anyone else?

[cowchick11]

Hope you got that little booger of a leghorn stopped!
My Speckled Sussex are almost 11 weeks and my black and lav orps are almost 9 weeks old.
Are you hatching yet???

 

[LaynaDon95]

No, they are due to start hatching tomorrow. I'm SO excited. I keep walking in there hoping one of them (or, ya know, all of them. =P) has decided to start hatching early.

I haven't told you my most recent news. My.

Chickens.

Have.

Fowl pox!! GRR! They could not have chosen much of a worse time. I have a lady talking about buying some chickens from me, babies hatching (some of which were promised to friends/family who can't take them now for risk of infecting their flock) and it's slaughtering time! Ugh! If the babies catch it they have a high risk of dying. My friend's flock recently came down with it, right after her hen hatched some babies. They ALL died but 1. I'm going to move the duck as soon as the babies hatch, and shove electrolytes/vitamins down their little beaks/bills if I have to. If I can prevent them from getting it for just a few weeks, it should be enough to help them survive. If nothing else, I can try to strengthen their immune systems so that if they do get it, they'll be able to fight it off.

So anyways. The leghorn seems to have stopped laying for the time being. (maybe she's moved where she lays, or maybe she really isn't laying because she has fowl pox.) I'm trying HARD to keep the chickens out of her nest, because they are sick and I really don't want her to get infected. If she gets sick, then there's no way I can keep the babies from getting it.

I'll update as soon as something exciting happens in my incubator. I'm so anxious.

 

[cowchick11]

How do you treat fowl pox? Praying for the best for you, the big chickies, and the little chickies too! And the Swans!

 

[LaynaDon95]

You can't treat it. -_- You just have to let it run it's course. You can give them things like electrolytes and vitamins to boost their immune system so they handle it better, but you can't treat or prevent it from reaching the rest in your flock. You can vaccinate against it, but it doesn't help for birds who already have it, of course. It doesn't harm the older birds as long as they don't get wet pox. (in their throat, on their tongues, etc.) That can cause breathing/eating problems and is usually fatal. Mine just have dry pox though, so I hope it stays that way. On the other hand, if the babies get it it can kill them. Even dry pox. My only hope is that they don't catch it before they are old enough to handle it. It last for 2-4 weeks per bird, and spreads very slowly. My friend's flock had it for like 2 months or something because it spreads slowly. I'm so annoyed. On the bright side, my older birds (the ones who are laying) all have it right now, so in a couple weeks their laying should increase again.

Also, I have at least 1 internal pip! My babies are coming!

 

[cowchick11]

Laynadon, How are your birds? How did your hatch go? How are you surviving the heat? Did your swans hatch?

I'm crazy! My friend's daughter, age 6, wanted me to try hatching for her one more time before it gets really hot here. She said, "Aunt Pam, I have a whole basket of eggs and you should hatch me some chickies". So now I have 17 serama eggs in the bator on day five. New I should have put it away sooner! Plus, I'm a suuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkker! I will candle them on Tues. or Wed. night when I'm home as long as we aren't haying yet.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Hahaha! Well, it sounds like she's a pretty cute kid to win you over like that.

Keep me posted on how it goes this time 'round as well! Hopefully better that last time.

I got 7 duckling out of the hatch. They are all gorgeous and growing like weeds!

This is them at 1 day old (except Thor who is about 1 week in this pic)


A few days old.


Them now! They are so big!! Thor is always on her back like that. I have other pics of him doing this when he was younger. All the ducklings turned out blue/white except 1 who is gonna be all white. He's so cute! Thor is going through his "dinosaur" stage and boy is he ugly!


And my bantam hen hatched out 7 beautiful babies Friday evening. They are so cute! 1 is missing and I think a snake got him. I put apron fencing around the coop this morning to keep that from happening again.


I didn't realize how behind I was on updating this thread until now. I still have some other things to say, but no time now. I'll post again soon!

 

[ManuelsChickens]

Um , Hello I Know This Is Not The Right Time But I Want To Build An Incubator And i Wanted To Know If I Can Use A Baby Thermometer To Know The Temperature ?

Cause I Don't Want To Spend Money On Something That I Already Have At Home

 

[LaynaDon95]

I replied to your message. I'm not sure what you mean by a baby thermometer, but you can actually get a thermometer/hygrometer in one for cheap on Ebay. I'm looking at a couple right now, myself.

 

[CALI CHICK]

Um , Hello I Know This Is Not The Right Time But I Want To Build An Incubator And i Wanted To Know If I Can Use A Baby Thermometer To Know The Temperature ?

Cause I Don't Want To Spend Money On Something That I Already Have At Home

A regular thermometer will not show the correct temperature as the incubator temp fluctuates. You can buy a cheap hygrometer/thermometer at Wal-Mart for under $10, but like Layna suggested you can (and should) buy a better one for more accuracy. I wouldn't risk a good hatch by saving a few dollars.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Omg! It's Cali!