Teensy Hatch Day 21 Now-Need Input, Veteran Hatchers...

[silkiechicken]

YAY! They both made it! So exciting.

I would say that the mom's condition has a huge baring on the chicks health. Just changing the fatty acid content of the mom's diet by one percent can change hatch rates commercially.

The advantage here though is that they are your hens and you know they are healthy albet worn thin. Plus it is winter. So all went well!

 

[speckledhen]

That BR baby's mother is my worst one with her molt. If she'd only stop laying! Can you believe I just said that? She's a favorite girl and I want her to be well and for her chicks to be just as strong as they usually are.
This is what my poor, poor Lexie looks like right now-and she's laying almost every day!She's usually a beautiful girl, but her sides, top, chest and bottom are so bare:

BUT, I have to be fair to poor Lex-here is her normal appearance-see how bad she's become lately?

 

[LoneCowboy]

Being that I'm an expert.... (cough cough

)

Maybe she needs more protein since she's not stopped laying. Poor things look so bad when they are molting. I always feel sorry for them.

 

[speckledhen]

Their layer is 22% protein with animal protein, plus I also use a breeder crumble that is 21% protein. I promise it isn't a protein issue. Some of my others molted in two weeks, really fast. She's taking a very long time for some reason; probably because she wont stop producing eggs.

 

[Katy]

I'm glad the chick is doing better and that the other finally decided to make his appearance. A couple of my hens..one especially....had a very hard molt this fall. Believe it or not she had less feathers than your Lexie. I blamed hers on wanting to set most of the summer and me not being able to break her broodiness. I've never had a hen continue to lay through her molt....I would think that would be terribly hard on them. Too bad they don't have an on/off switch for us to flip.

 

[65browneyes]

Glad to hear things are looking up a bit for the BR babe, and look forward to more updates on their progress!

I was looking for a bit of enlightenment on your molting issue. My girls are not working into their 11th week of molt. One hen at one point was nearly completely bald (she made Lexi's nakedness look more like a long, flowing mane). They've all pretty much stopped laying (I'm averaging 2 eggs/day from 17 girls).

I appologize, I am not looking to hijack your thread, but have you ever heard of a molt lasting this long? Have your girls normally continued to lay during their molt?

Our daytime temps have been 70's to 80's (Arizona) until this weekend.



Edited: I'd hoped to be able to move this posting into it's own thread. Mods, feel free to do so if you feel it necessary.

 

[BamaChicken]

Cynthia, It is my understanding that baby chicks need to not be on their backs. If they stay that way if will make their heart stop due to the pressure. I read somewhere where someone was saying their chicks would fall asleep in their hands on their back so easily and it was explained why. I have found that if I have one on its back and it doesn't flip quickly like in a few min. I always turn it over. Or if I help one out I always place it on its tummy.

 

[speckledhen]

Julie, thank you for mentioning that! We did finally flip it over the first time and it's been scooting around pretty well, but when it falls on its back again, like when the other chick bowls it over, it can't right itself and we have to do it again. I think it has excess fluid in its abdomen and that is throwing off its equilibrium alot.
As for molting, I've heard it can take months. I have several girls who, the moment I noticed they were molting, suddenly dropped a ton of feathers, immediately quit laying, grew them back in a couple of weeks and resumed laying again. Then I have those few who took a month or so and did stop. Lexie is the only one who hasn't slowed down her laying much and I sure do wish she had an on/off switch.

 

[skeeter9]

You know, I have a SLW who has been in a very hard molt for 2 months now. Her feathers are coming back now, but she looked even worse than Lexie. She did stop laying, though, and still hasn't resumed. I can't imagine her laying during all of this. How in the world does Lexie have any resources for egg laying? Poor baby!! It sure makes sense that her egg quality would be impacted.

Hopefully her chick will be ok. I had one very similar to that in my last batch and I just kept it very warm and by the 3rd day it was pretty much normal. Of course, I had to keep flipping it over onto it's stomache because it threw itself over onto it's back all the time. It's perfectly normal and adorable now.

How's the chick doing now?

Lori

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for asking. The little tyke and its hatchmate are in the brooder with the other 12 chicks from the last two weeks and doing very well! I'm amazed and astonished, at the baby and Lexie as well. My sweet Lex needs to quit laying, but I just can't find that on/off switch. Poor girl, she and her sister, Ivy, are very special to me and I really want her to be healthy and comfortable and I dont care if she stops laying for six months, if she'd just grow some feathers already!