Silkie thread!

[FishMtFarm]

The flashlight will definately work. The thermometer might work. Try it.

 

[NNYchick]

I have a couple pet quality juvenile silkies available. One buff and one black. They are free so if anyone is interested, pm me. Unsure of sex. Buff has a beak that lines up from top to bottom but the whole thing is crooked so should not be bred. Black is dwarfy and not growing but is thriving. Is four times smaller than it should be.

Here is my dwarfy black from paint I got from you he is really coming into his own. He just became Alfa roo and is trying to figure out how to mount the girls but he tidbits like crazy at the nest boxes and feed dishes and does his happy feet dance for them it’s so cute and he has the best personality. I miss my blue roo Yeti but it is amazing the change in flock dynamics when roo is not stressing the girls out.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Oh wow! He is tiny, but beautiful!

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

I got this thermometer to use in incubator as a backup to what it comes with will this work?
View attachment 1184809
My husband has these flashlights that have a lip in the top and the light beam can be zoomed in and out do you think this will work for candleing or do I need to buy something special?
View attachment 1184810 View attachment 1184812

Re the thermometer, if this one doesn't work you can buy a digital thermometer with a probe at any aquarium or pet shop. That way the thermometer won't be inside the incubator. But, I think the one you bought should be OK.

Re the flashlight, I've found that almost any bright LED flashlight will work for candling. I've never tried the zoom feature, my only flashlight that has it is a UV flashlight.

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

Here is my dwarfy black from paint I got from you he is really coming into his own. He just became Alfa roo and is trying to figure out how to mount the girls but he tidbits like crazy at the nest boxes and feed dishes and does his happy feet dance for them it’s so cute and he has the best personality. I miss my blue roo Yeti but it is amazing the change in flock dynamics when roo is not stressing the girls out.
View attachment 1184819 View attachment 1184820

OK - now I want a black Silkie!

 

[FishMtFarm]

OK - now I want a black Silkie!

I sell ya one. Have more! Lol

 

[NNYchick]

It was so nice out today I decided to put a broody pen together. This is for moma and chicks. I still have to put the black bottom tray back in and have hubby cut a piece of wood to lay across top. I put hardware cloth around the bottom 1 foot, man that stuff is sharp. Any other suggestions. I would like to move her in there with the eggs now to free up favorite nest box but afraid that will cause problems.

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

I sell ya one. Have more! Lol

Wish I could, but - Canada.

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

The Divine Saga

Since I got Divine, it's been quite the emotional rollercoaster ride!

I picked her up last Wednesday. Right away I noticed she seemed to have a bit of what looked like blood on one wing tip. Other than that she seemed ok, was active, drinking and eating and peeping incessantly, including doing "cricket peeps" when being cuddled or while falling asleep. Then on Friday morning I found blood stains on her shavings. I watched her poop out more blood and gelatinous material. She wasn't eating or drinking either. I looked up "bloody poop" and found that the probable cause was coccidiosis. I immediately started trying to find somewhere I could get the medication for it. I live in Toronto, no farm stores here and I don't have a car to drive to one. None of the online sellers would get it to me in less than a week. I spent the entire day Saturday scouring the internet to find someplace I could buy some Corid. The only local place is closed until Tuesday.

I've already become quite attached to Divine, she's so sweet, cute and tame. I was heartbroken at the thought of being forced to watch her die because I can't get the medication she needs in time. I know how fast a baby chick can die. I realized I'd better give her supportive care to try and keep her alive until I can get the medication. Her crop was empty. I fed her Kaytee Exact hand feeding food, it's made for parrots and passerines but I've given it to diamond dove chicks before. It's got probiotics in it, which I read can help with coccidiosis because the "good" bugs outcompete the coccidia. The funny part was that once Divine realized she liked the taste of it from a spoon, she saw me dribble a bit by accident on my apron and decided the drops were far tastier than what was on the spoon! So now when I feed her I just dribble it on my plastic apron, and clean it up when we're finished. Once she had some food inside her, she started doing regular looking poops, but every three poops or so would be blood again. I put her to bed, but got up every 2-3 hours to feed her again. I also set up a heat lamp in one corner of her cage, she immediately settled underneath it. I even put my surveillance cam beside her cage so I can keep an eye on her with my phone.

I had bought a ticket to the Royal Winter Fair, which is one of the biggest agricultural fairs in Canada. I was planning to see the bird show with chickens, pigeons etc. All of the bird shows I attended before had vendors who sold bird products including medications. I thought for sure there'd be vendors selling supplies for the rest of the livestock as well. Unfortunately, when I got there and spent over 2 hours fighting through the crowds searching all of the stalls, there wasn't a single one with any kind of agricultural supplies, it was all trinkets and clothing and horse tack and jewelry and food. I stopped a few times (well, more than a few) and checked my phone to see how Divine was doing. She was lethargic and reluctant to eat when I tried to feed her before I left, so I fully expected to find she had died before I could get home. To my surprise, she had come out from under the heat lamp and was wandering around scratching and pecking like any ordinary chicken. She was peeping a lot louder, too (my cam has a mike and speaker, I use them to yell at the cats remotely when they're up to no good).

I felt better once I saw that Divine was looking better, so I took the chance to go to the bird and rabbit show. It was fascinating to see a lot of the chicken breeds I had never seen in person. I didn't realize that "large fowl" were so HUGE! The kids were all giggling every time a roo crowed. A parent was letting their toddler poke his fingers at the geese, I warned them "geese can bite HARD!" but they ignored me of course, and next I heard a kid shriek and start to cry. People are pretty stupid, there were signs all over the place warning people not to touch livestock, and parents all over the place telling kids to stick their hands and fingers in the animals' faces.

My favourite part was seeing the Silkies. A lady exhibitor brought her huge (fluffy) white roo out of the cage and immediately there was a crowd of curious kids and adults wanting to touch it. Most didn't realize it was a chicken! She was good and patiently let kids and their parents touch the roo while answering their questions. I saw nice Partridges and whites, but not a single black one. No Showgirls either. Lots of ducks, including some beautiful Indian ducks that were a gorgeous black with a green sheen. I went to see the rabbits because I've got four of them (two Flemish, a Netherland dwarf and a Lionhead). I had to laugh at the crowd around a Flemish male, oohing and ahhing at the size. He was half the size of my female, who's nearly as big as a Labrador dog.

So I rushed back home, even though Divine still looked good according to the cam. Before I left I had changed her shavings because I wanted to monitor her poops. When I got back - no blood anywhere! And I was gone for several hours. I saw her poop again and immediately picked it up with a kleenex. It looked good, no blood, greenish with white urates and clear fluid. Divine was marching up and down the cage, peeping loudly and scratching around. Her crop looked empty anyway, so I gave her another feeding of the Kaytee. Once again she insisted on eating it from my apron. She pooped a couple of times after eating, again there was no sign of any blood. She doesn't sit right under the heat lamp anymore, just sits near it or wanders around the cage. Since I got home I've seen her pecking in her food dish and scratching in the shavings, so she's showing interest in food at least.

I did read that bloody poops can also be caused by stress from a move or change of home. I'm wondering if that was the real cause. I don't think she's "cured" yet. I'm still watching her closely and I will continue feeding her every few hours until she's filling her crop on her own. I'm still planning to get the coccidia medication on Tuesday, or tomorrow if I can find it. I'm going to phone a few vets including avian vets tomorrow to see if they will sell me the medication. It's probably a good medication to have on hand in the future.

 

[Hinotori]

The Divine Saga

Since I got Divine, it's been quite the emotional rollercoaster ride!

I picked her up last Wednesday. Right away I noticed she seemed to have a bit of what looked like blood on one wing tip. Other than that she seemed ok, was active, drinking and eating and peeping incessantly, including doing "cricket peeps" when being cuddled or while falling asleep. Then on Friday morning I found blood stains on her shavings. I watched her poop out more blood and gelatinous material. She wasn't eating or drinking either. I looked up "bloody poop" and found that the probable cause was coccidiosis. I immediately started trying to find somewhere I could get the medication for it. I live in Toronto, no farm stores here and I don't have a car to drive to one. None of the online sellers would get it to me in less than a week. I spent the entire day Saturday scouring the internet to find someplace I could buy some Corid. The only local place is closed until Tuesday.

I've already become quite attached to Divine, she's so sweet, cute and tame. I was heartbroken at the thought of being forced to watch her die because I can't get the medication she needs in time. I know how fast a baby chick can die. I realized I'd better give her supportive care to try and keep her alive until I can get the medication. Her crop was empty. I fed her Kaytee Exact hand feeding food, it's made for parrots and passerines but I've given it to diamond dove chicks before. It's got probiotics in it, which I read can help with coccidiosis because the "good" bugs outcompete the coccidia. The funny part was that once Divine realized she liked the taste of it from a spoon, she saw me dribble a bit by accident on my apron and decided the drops were far tastier than what was on the spoon! So now when I feed her I just dribble it on my plastic apron, and clean it up when we're finished. Once she had some food inside her, she started doing regular looking poops, but every three poops or so would be blood again. I put her to bed, but got up every 2-3 hours to feed her again. I also set up a heat lamp in one corner of her cage, she immediately settled underneath it. I even put my surveillance cam beside her cage so I can keep an eye on her with my phone.

I had bought a ticket to the Royal Winter Fair, which is one of the biggest agricultural fairs in Canada. I was planning to see the bird show with chickens, pigeons etc. All of the bird shows I attended before had vendors who sold bird products including medications. I thought for sure there'd be vendors selling supplies for the rest of the livestock as well. Unfortunately, when I got there and spent over 2 hours fighting through the crowds searching all of the stalls, there wasn't a single one with any kind of agricultural supplies, it was all trinkets and clothing and horse tack and jewelry and food. I stopped a few times (well, more than a few) and checked my phone to see how Divine was doing. She was lethargic and reluctant to eat when I tried to feed her before I left, so I fully expected to find she had died before I could get home. To my surprise, she had come out from under the heat lamp and was wandering around scratching and pecking like any ordinary chicken. She was peeping a lot louder, too (my cam has a mike and speaker, I use them to yell at the cats remotely when they're up to no good).

I felt better once I saw that Divine was looking better, so I took the chance to go to the bird and rabbit show. It was fascinating to see a lot of the chicken breeds I had never seen in person. I didn't realize that "large fowl" were so HUGE! The kids were all giggling every time a roo crowed. A parent was letting their toddler poke his fingers at the geese, I warned them "geese can bite HARD!" but they ignored me of course, and next I heard a kid shriek and start to cry. People are pretty stupid, there were signs all over the place warning people not to touch livestock, and parents all over the place telling kids to stick their hands and fingers in the animals' faces.

My favourite part was seeing the Silkies. A lady exhibitor brought her huge (fluffy) white roo out of the cage and immediately there was a crowd of curious kids and adults wanting to touch it. Most didn't realize it was a chicken! She was good and patiently let kids and their parents touch the roo while answering their questions. I saw nice Partridges and whites, but not a single black one. No Showgirls either. Lots of ducks, including some beautiful Indian ducks that were a gorgeous black with a green sheen. I went to see the rabbits because I've got four of them (two Flemish, a Netherland dwarf and a Lionhead). I had to laugh at the crowd around a Flemish male, oohing and ahhing at the size. He was half the size of my female, who's nearly as big as a Labrador dog.

So I rushed back home, even though Divine still looked good according to the cam. Before I left I had changed her shavings because I wanted to monitor her poops. When I got back - no blood anywhere! And I was gone for several hours. I saw her poop again and immediately picked it up with a kleenex. It looked good, no blood, greenish with white urates and clear fluid. Divine was marching up and down the cage, peeping loudly and scratching around. Her crop looked empty anyway, so I gave her another feeding of the Kaytee. Once again she insisted on eating it from my apron. She pooped a couple of times after eating, again there was no sign of any blood. She doesn't sit right under the heat lamp anymore, just sits near it or wanders around the cage. Since I got home I've seen her pecking in her food dish and scratching in the shavings, so she's showing interest in food at least.

I did read that bloody poops can also be caused by stress from a move or change of home. I'm wondering if that was the real cause. I don't think she's "cured" yet. I'm still watching her closely and I will continue feeding her every few hours until she's filling her crop on her own. I'm still planning to get the coccidia medication on Tuesday, or tomorrow if I can find it. I'm going to phone a few vets including avian vets tomorrow to see if they will sell me the medication. It's probably a good medication to have on hand in the future.

Im glad she's doing better. I keep Corid on hand just for emergencies. It lasts a long while.

The Kaytee baby parrot is kept in my freezer as you can tube a chicken and force feed them it if needed since it is smoothe and flows. It's perfectly fine for chickens as there isn't the extra calcium some of the foods have.

Ive tubed a bird with Ensure before because it was all I could get on short notice. Omg the smell of the poop about killed me. It's why I keep some of the Kaytee stuff in the freezer now.