Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[BullChick]

I am happy. can you tell?

 

[BullChick]

MC, aren't you worried that they will hoard your chicks? Or maybe lose them in the abyss?

From what I've read from my local hatch-a-holics, you can incubate in winter, but some wait closer to spring because they think the chicks grow better and faster. Their only other concern was the size of the egg. They don't like to use pullet eggs or smaller ones that come when laying starts up after a break. Not enough yolk to produce large, healthy chicks.

The only time I helped incubate eggs was when my dad tore up a quail nest when he was shifting a manure pile around and found 14 little tiny warm quail eggs. My mom put them in a box and incubated the eggs with a heating pad and moist paper towels, turning the eggs every day. Pretty soon there were 12 impossibly small chicks that looked more like little bumblebees. Cutest things ever! If that lady does hatch out your eggs, I sure hope you get to see it.

I thought about them keeping the chicks. I doubt they will. I am trying to trust.
She (and I too) said I could not hatch now because it is so cold. They let their chicks freeze to death last year, but ... Well. You can guess what I an thinking.

 

[BullChick]

Why am I happy you ask? About a week ago I began to get 5 eggs in the nest boxes. Today I got six. Yesterday I didn't get a poop egg (I got one in another new place, so I think it was the same pullet) but today's wasn't too dirty, and thanks to the temps being warmer, it wasn't broken. AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had 11 eggs by 1 P.M. Actually, I collected them closer to noon. That means I have a 90% chance of having a dozen or better today. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!

Today we gave her eggs
Lots and lots of eggs
She gave us good pie
So good we thought we would die
Apples and cinnamon and sugar too
So the pile of eggs grew and grew
The only problem is this
We are glad she is in bliss
But we are not gonna do this again
Even though we can
We will hold out for more of that good pie
Until then she will just have to cry

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Quote:

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Why am I happy you ask? About a week ago I began to get 5 eggs in the nest boxes. Today I got six. Yesterday I didn't get a poop egg (I got one in another new place, so I think it was the same pullet) but today's wasn't too dirty, and thanks to the temps being warmer, it wasn't broken. AND!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had 11 eggs by 1 P.M. Actually, I collected them closer to noon. That means I have a 90% chance of having a dozen or better today. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!

Today we gave her eggs
Lots and lots of eggs
She gave us good pie
So good we thought we would die
Apples and cinnamon and sugar too
So the pile of eggs grew and grew
The only problem is this
We are glad she is in bliss
But we are not gonna do this again
Even though we can
We will hold out for more of that good pie
Until then she will just have to cry

Good luck on the dozen +

My best day possible would be 11..... still waiting.

Haha! I've been thinking that we hadn't had a nice poem in quite awhile. Thank you! Maybe you will inspire us to try some more!

 

[animallover505]

I have been researching quite a bit about the possible gapeworm and it seems that this is fairly rare and frequently misdiagnosed. Is she shaking her head? Wheezing? Hiccups? Have you looked in her mouth and throat? You might need some help and a flashlight. The gapeworms will be in her trachea and are red. If this is indeed what she has, we can narrow down the appropriate wormer and dosage. I believe a fecal sample will show eggs and not the worms, so a float test may not be conclusive.

Chickens are really susceptible to respiratory problems and many things will cause trouble breathing. Check for something in her mouth or throat that could be causing her problems. A lady I know thought the same thing about one of her chickens until she really took a good look and found a piece of plastic bag somehow stuck under the tongue and the rest hanging down the throat.

Also, check her crop to see if she may have an impacted crop or sour crop. Does she have bad breath? Is her crop full and squishy? If so, the crop problem may be causing the gasping, and you'll have to treat for what she has.

Look carefully for any other symptoms. How is her weight? While you are trying to diagnose this, you should give her vitamins and electrolytes in her water. Ask at the feed store if you don't already have some. No matter what the problem, I think this will help her keep her strength up.

Consider isolating her somewhere away from the others in case she is infectious and keep a careful eye on the rest of your flock.

Let me know what you find, and I'll try to help you figure out what to do.

I have no where to isolate her too, and I think she may still be grieving a bit from when I lost Crystal months ago. They were very close. She is now the bottom of the pecking order. If I were to separate her, the others would probably peck her to death when I bring her back. Her crop is near empty, and she won't eat. I don't handle her a lot, and when I tried to look in her throat, she became frantic and wouldn't let me. She wouldn't even eat mealworms, or grass, so I know she feels back. She pecked up a bit of grit, and eventually ate probably 4 or 5 mealworms, but she is kinda just sitting around. She yawns a lot, isn't laying, has very little appetite (I checked their crops the other night and while the rest of theirs were full, hers was nearly empty). I have a tree in their coop (a cut Christmas Tree), and she was just sitting under it. Thanks for your help

 

[BullChick]

One dozen. Apparently the egg I got in the corner yesterday was the new layer's. See? Didn't I say that the new layers start the beginning of the week?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Quote:
I think it would be worth while to give her some vitamins/electrolytes and maybe a broad spectrum antibiotic. She doesn't sound good and these things can't hurt. I don't think a chicken will turn down food unless there's something seriously wrong. Grieving is probably not the cause. What did Crystal die from? Could it be the same thing with your Dominique? There was someone who lost some chickens to mold (Aspergillus). They just sort of faded away. She found the mold source (a leaky automatic waterer), and has has no further problems.

 

[animallover505]

I think it would be worth while to give her some vitamins/electrolytes and maybe a broad spectrum antibiotic. She doesn't sound good and these things can't hurt. I don't think a chicken will turn down food unless there's something seriously wrong. Grieving is probably not the cause. What did Crystal die from? Could it be the same thing with your Dominique? There was someone who lost some chickens to mold (Aspergillus). They just sort of faded away. She found the mold source (a leaky automatic waterer), and has has no further problems.

Crystal was here "sister", another Dominique. Possible the same, I don't really know. I knew very little about chickens, and thought that she was just laid back and lazy, until she died.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

I saved this guys profile. He is a member of BYC and from what I understand is" the go to guy "for sick chickens. Lots of people on here that could teach a vet things about chickens. Might be worth sending him a message or posting in the forum for sick chickens. W4W seems well informed and i'm sure its all good advice. But your time may be limited with that chicken and somebody else might have the same problem or had the same problem and know exactly what to do. Just my two cents and W4W thanks for your contribution thats all good stuff to try. Here is his profilehttps://www.backyardchickens.com/u/19157/dawg53