Show off your Delawares! *PIC HEAVY*

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! Hatched 3/8, so they are only 14 weeks-old (they are so big, I was thinking they were older til I checked the calender). That's what they sound like --- an underwater kazoo!
They are unusually vocal boys and it would be neat if it weren't such an annoying sound.
No attempts at crowing yet.
I think I've decided which one is the nearest to 'standard', but I'll get some pics later and ask for opinions.

Lisa

 

[speckledhen]

I used to call Isaac and his last three brothers the Kazoo Band. They were crowing at 9 weeks old, all except one.

 

[kathyinmo]

My chickens are stressed. I know they are. The move into another coop and the extreme heat are very stressful. They all act fine, and seem ok. They still free range in the same areas. But I am worried about them. They are not drinking enough water. I added a vitamin and electrolyte supplement to the water and they wouldn't even drink it. That was yesterday. Today I just dumped it all out and gave them their usual fresh water with ACV in it. Egg production yesterday was only 3/4 what it usually is.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

I accidentally put a Delaware egg in the incubator, which hatched yesterday. The rooster is a Cackle Hatchery Speckled Sussex. I thought it was one of his hen's eggs.

So the chick is Delaware-blond with very faint chipmunk stripes.

Cute Little Mutt.

I'm wondering what it will look like when grown?

The problem with the chicks that are so distinctive when little is the boys tend to make pets of them and I don't really need a Mutt chicken. I already will have to reduce the flock by half come November.

 

[ChksontheRun]

Quote:
Kathy, I know what you mean, the heat is oppressive. I worry so when I go out and see all of their little mouths hanging open, and their wings hanging down. I don't get eggs yet so I don't see that change but I know everyone is cranky. My lap sitters don't want to have a thing to do with a warm lap and the only treat that they seem interested in is cold watermelon or cold yogurt. I know they are craving cool....... I feel so helpless to help them when it is this warm day after day. And the nights are only slightly better.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Hey y'all....just got off the phone with a professor at the Illinios University Dept of Poultry Science. I had sent an email message to the manufacturer of the chick starter I use concerning my recent loss of chicks due to coccin and they had him contact me.

Gonna pass along some quick info so that perhaps y'all will avoid what I didn't.

1. Cocci becomes immune to coccidiostats (like aprolium) that are in chick starter over a period of time. He said amprolium is one of the oldest coccidiostats and that many cocci strains have developed an immunity to it.
2. It CAN be spread by any number of things outdoors....NOT just from contact with the ground. (insects, wild birds, flies, dust, etc, etc)
3. Periods of warm, humid weather cause cocci to grow much more rapidly

He suggested to me that I "switch" starter products and thus coccidiostats every 2 years. The starter I have been using contains Amprolium. He suggested a switch to a product with Coban (monensin) for 2 years. He said several different manufacturers use it, some in their wild bird starter. After 2 years, he said to switch back to amprolium, etc, etc

Said to keep Corid (aprolium concentrate) on hand for emergency use, but to use for emergencies only when using Coban.

Hope this was short enough to be understandable....

Have a great evening

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Thank you sir!

 

[joletabey]

Mine are sopping wet, hot and madder than hornets right now- it's raining, and it is NOT cooling down. Hot rain. Yuck, yuck and yuck! Luke is so mad he bit me. So I know what you mean about stressed chickens, Kathy and Chks- and now I am going to stress about this heat and humidity and COCCI. Bleah!!!

Thanks for the info Scott, if I every have babies again, hah! What can you use besides Corid, if you are to only use that if your starter has Coban?

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Sorry Beth I think I confused you. He said if you use a starter with amprolium in it, using Corid, which is concentrated amprolium, is fine. If you use a starter with Coban then only use Corid in an emergency ( like what I was fighting). He doesnt want us "mixing" the use of 2 coccidiostats. As for worrying about yours....I wouldnt! They should be old enough that cocci would have little to no effect on them. The ages they are most likely to contract cocci are from 4-12 weeks old

 

[joletabey]

Scott, thank you for the clarification- AND for the fact that my kids are probably past catching it- I worry because I got them in November with my run not completed. They never got on the ground to get any kind of immunity till they were almost 12 weeks old.

I just went back out to see if I could lock my poor wet babies up. Luke and his favorite girl are sitting in the doorway of the coop, catching the breeze- they look kind of romantic. I came back in, figured I would let the breeze that has FINALLY sprung up sweep through the coop for a few more minutes. Tomorrow I am going to try to hook a fan up for them.