Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Wishing4Wings]

LOOK AT ALL THESE BABIES!!!!!!

How wonderful! Harriet must be happy too. Got 5 of each color, but hopefully all pullets!




Cheeka, after that last pic, not sure if Brutus loves or OWNS you!!

Maybe it's one and the same with chickens.



So, bad news for my new pullets, they have come down with something respiratory.

Smallest chick started sneezing a bit the first night home (Sat), but I put that down to being on new shavings. Next morning (Sun), she had a wet cough/sneeze thing going, so I started some medicated water for them. Now Mon morning, the Orpington pullet has an eye closed. The smallest pullet is not worse, which is good, and the third girl has no symptoms. Whatever it is, it seems pretty mild so far. Hoping I caught it early enough. Now to keep it from spreading to my other chickens. I will wear different clothes for the sickies in the garage, and no one else can touch them. This medication makes the water bitter, so today I will make sure the Orp gets some via syringe. The others drank a lot last night, but not her. Always quarantine new birds!

 

[Scrambles55]

I have one rockin' and rollin'!!!

 

[Scrambles55]

How wonderful! Harriet must be happy too. Got 5 of each color, but hopefully all pullets!




Cheeka, after that last pic, not sure if Brutus loves or OWNS you!!

Maybe it's one and the same with chickens.



So, bad news for my new pullets, they have come down with something respiratory.

Smallest chick started sneezing a bit the first night home (Sat), but I put that down to being on new shavings. Next morning (Sun), she had a wet cough/sneeze thing going, so I started some medicated water for them. Now Mon morning, the Orpington pullet has an eye closed. The smallest pullet is not worse, which is good, and the third girl has no symptoms. Whatever it is, it seems pretty mild so far. Hoping I caught it early enough. Now to keep it from spreading to my other chickens. I will wear different clothes for the sickies in the garage, and no one else can touch them. This medication makes the water bitter, so today I will make sure the Orp gets some via syringe. The others drank a lot last night, but not her. Always quarantine new birds!

Oh my... poor babies. I hope they all make it.

 

[lindz8504]

I'm sure hoping for better numbers with this group that's for sure! I hope at least half are pullets. All would be great but knowing my luck that's not going to happen. Lol.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Thanks Scrambles!


Lindz, I was reading something about the timing of the hatches, a theory about more pullets in early spring. Seems if it was true, we all would be doing that of course! Wouldn't it be great if it was that easy? Some hens throw more boys, some girls. If you can track who lays what, then you can breed for more pullets. Too much work for me, though! It all averages to 50/50 over time. You are certainly due some extra pullets this hatch. Fingers crossed!

 

[lindz8504]

That may be true! The first ones I hatched for my aunt was about 50/50. The later in the season seems to be more cockerels. It doesn't help that I have lost several babies this year. We lost 2 whole clutches between 2-5 weeks old, so that really hurt too. I should be ok for eggs this winter with what I have as long as demand doesn't go up. I'm going to have several cockerels and culls in the freezer as well so that isn't a bad thing either.

 

[Scrambles55]

When Rumples hatched eggs, they were 50/50. 4 out of 7 hatching.

Only one egg so far and it is from Nugget... who else?? Penny keeps going into the coop, but nada.

 

[mortie]

Let's see...my hatch was in the spring and it was

5 red pullets

2 male sex links

1 female sex link

4 ameracauna pullets

3 ameracauna roos

So 5 boys and 10 girls

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Well, heard back from the breeder regarding my sick pullets, and he found the source of the problem with some recently acquired birds and hired help that did not fully understand the meaning of "quarantine pen." He's culling and sending some in for necropsy at the university, so I should know what I'm dealing with in a few days. If it doesn't spread to the rest of my flock, I will get rid of these youngsters, cull if I can find the nerve or ship back to the breeder for him to cull (he offered). If it does spread to my other birds, not sure what I will do. Probably just close the flock. That means no more Serama breeding.

Anyone have any ideas on culling techniques for wimps?

 

[Scrambles55]

W4W... that is horrible. I don't think that I could cull one of mine. I can shoot one, but..... hands on killing, nope. DH does that to my sick birds while I am at work.