South Carolina

[huckleberryfarm]

Sorry about your chick, Beth! I've been hatching and keep them on my dining room table under a heat lamp for about 2 weeks (if they'll stay put that long!). Then I've been taking them out to the farm in a closed coop with a heat lamp for another 2 weeks or so. Then I've opened up the pop door to the rest of the world. So far, so good. It's hard to have chicks right now. Especially with the horribly cold temps. I go out every day hoping mine are okay! Hard to count everyone but I don't see any bodies, so I think we're good. Hope the rest do great!

 

[thewilson6]

Awww Beth! That is so sad about your chicks. I hope the others make it ok.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

This time of year is hard on babies. I hate to lose one and I know you hate that you lost one but it happens. I lost another last night. They just all crowd together to stay warm and someone gets squished. I usually find them when I am cleaning a brooder and they are in the middle, gone or nearly gone. I think the ones on the outside of the heat circle keep trying to get into the circle and someone in the middle can't get out.
Six of my brooders are totally covered except for an air hole at the cool end and right above the light. That allows fresh air to circulate without all the heat leaving but remarkably the ones on the floor brooders with smaller heat lamps do much better. Of course, they are also older by a few weeks. It was 45 on my thermometer in the brooder room at 7 this morning.

It was a miserable 19 here this morning! I went through and filled 27 water containers and as soon as the last one was filled I went back through and busted off the ice that was already formed. Geez, I don't know which is harder on me and the birds....summer or winter! I am desperately trying to remember how hot it was at 7 am during the summer so I can feel a bit better about winter.

 

[snick]

Hi all glad to see such an active SC thread....and yes it was cold this am! Went out to feed the horses and llamas and swung by the coop and found my hens ice skating on their water dish! Then ran down to Aiken to pick up some cute little frizzles from Dipsy and back home to get them settled into the laundry room...and tomorrow I am suppose to be getting some eggs in the mail..bator is ready but I am not sure I am since this will be my first attempt at a hatch.

I think I have lost my mind.

 

[FarmerJohn3285]

Snick, let me know how the bator goes! I was thinking about getting one for the spring. The one here at Country Boy is the Hovabator with egg turner. Which do you have?

 

[snick]

I am using a little giant with fan and turner...(borrowed from a friend) I had a hen that has been broody for the last 3 months I swear but I knew if I relied on her she would decide it was time to get up.(and eggs are due here tomorrow and sure enough she was off the nest today) Anyway I figured I would try this one but I was looking at the hovabator also....we will see....I thought Country Boys had closed...maybe I am thinking of a different store by the NC/SC state line....

 

[HardLuckHill]

John, those LF chicks are supposed to hatch this weekend. My exchequers should be pure, I've got a roo and two hens; he's the most active roo out there. The two silkie roos are active with the silkie hens, but I have yet to see the BLRW and the BWA roo get busy, haha. I'm thinking there should be Easter Eggers, white silkies, and exchequer leghorns.

More bad news with my serama babies! I had a chick get hung in Mom's wing feather last night, had to cut the feather off to get him free. Then this morning, there was a limp baby stuck to Mom's underside. I feared the worst. I un-stuck him and put him under the lamp and he perked up after a few minutes. I texted my mother (I had to get to work and she had the day off), I told her come get Momma, she's gonna end up doing more harm than good! So Momma went back to the coop and the babies are hanging out by themselves. Got a call at 5 when Honey got home, said there's one that's not doing so well. He's not real keen on the chickens, especially the house. I'm prepared for the worst when get back to the house. I come in to see Honey crouched beside the table, cradling one of the chicks in his hand. He'd been holding it since he'd called me, almost an hour. That's pretty good for not liking chickens!! Turns out the power had gone out sometime between noon and five, and it had gotten down to 55 in the house. So, I warmed up a sock full of corn and stuck in the aquarium, and the all immediately glued themselves to it. It was cute, in an awful sort of way. They've got two lamps on top of the cage, and we're back up to 83.5. The babies have perked up and are running around, eating and drinking. The sickly one is still a bit wobbly, but that may be because Honey said he took a leap or two off the couch. I'm seriously contemplating taking these guys to work with me tomorrrow!!

Welcome to BYC, Snick! And don't worry about losing your mind, we've all done it! It's just easier to succumb to the urges.

 

[FarmerJohn3285]

Quote:
Oh okay. Cool. Country Boy is in North Augusta (ga/sc line) right off exit 5 on I-20.

 

[snick]

Egg shipment has arrivede: All in good shape but cold so have them laying out and staring at them wondering what surprise may be inside them....

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I have eggs due to arrive in the next day or so, too. Just when I thought perhaps I could shut down the big 'bator. I needed more bloodlines added to my Marans flocks so off I go hatching again. there must be something wrong with me somehow.....I have about 300 chicks now that would like to have more room and more heat and here I am still hatching.

But chicks are so much fun and I love the work!