Texas

[SlipsWife]

I thought I responded to you late last night.

It looks like Omphalitis, an infection of the navel usually caused by unhygienic hatch conditions or a bacteria entering a yolk that wasn't absorbed enough at hatch. Basically it is an infection of the yolk sack.

The crop will be empty because the chick isn't eating. It is sustaining itself on its yolk and will probably go down hill when it runs out of food and the infection over takes it. The prognosis for this is very, very poor even if a vet were working on it. They can take a long time to die and they suffer a lot. If it starts to go downhill, please just euthanize it. You won't save it. Chicks are really easy to put down--lots of people just take a pair of sharp garden shears or kitchen scissors and just cut the heads off. Don't be alarmed if the chick's headless body moves a lot (remember the saying, running around like a chicken with its head cut off????). Do the right thing by this chick.

I had a chick that probably had this and I allowed it to die and I was NOT happy with myself. I didn't have the courage to do what I needed to do.

I did notice your response this morning, it might have been about the same time I was responding.

We will probably put down the second chick that I'm 99% sure fits the diagnosis on the link. My only hesitation on the Turken is it appears fine. Its running around and seems perfectly healthy. If it starts showing any signs of distress we will euthanize it. This order of chicks has been so disappointing.

 

[Brookshire11]

I did notice your response this morning, it might have been about the same time I was responding.

We will probably put down the second chick that I'm 99% sure fits the diagnosis on the link. My only hesitation on the Turken is it appears fine. Its running around and seems perfectly healthy. If it starts showing any signs of distress we will euthanize it. This order of chicks has been so disappointing.

Where did you order from?

I'm sorry about your losses.
I lost 9 out of my 15 within 2 days when I ordered. It was awful.

 

[SlipsWife]

Get the Silkies at the same time as the Ameraucana. They will be fine if they start together. It is when you have older chicks and you try to add a new one that there is trouble. There won't be a problem with bantam Sillkies with a LF Ameraucana if they are the same age. A week is a huge difference in a chick.

x2

We have bantams in with our standard girls and they don't care. When they free range the bantams seem to stay together but that's the only time I've notice a division between the groups. I would stay away from one of the larger grumpy girls too, so maybe they're just smarter.

We also brooded them together and there weren't any issues. We have an extremely small bantam this time, we really didn't think it would make it, and its thrived with the rest of the group. We've also mixed groups a much as 4 weeks difference (with observation at first) and had no issues. I do like to brood the new chicks by themselves for the first few days, keep them warm, paper towels in the brooder w/feed, easier to watch for pasty butt. Once they seem healthy and good to go we mix them. I don't use as much 'extra' heat as some people do though. Plus I believe in strength in numbers and with the larger orders of chicks, they don't seem to want/need the heat.

 

[SlipsWife]

Where did you order from?

I'm sorry about your losses.
I lost 9 out of my 15 within 2 days when I ordered. It was awful.

Cackle. We had an order from them last year and only lost 1 out of 40ish, it was the hatchery surprise so I don't remember how many there were exactly. I received an order from them a couple of weeks before this order, Cinnamon Queens and EE, they all did great. We had a lot of losses from our first Ideal order this year too but it was super cold when they shipped out and I just didn't order enough chicks, the next order from them was great.

Its so hard when you have a group that does wonderful and do the same thing and keep having losses. I will say that before I've never had losses after the first 24/48 time frame....this shipment they just kept dying for a week...

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I am fermenting feed!
I bought a 50 pound bag of chick starter and have 2 cups of it fermenting. I wish they had a 25 pound bag.....



It is so windy today! Gusts are over 30mph. And it is a cold wind. I got some tomato plants and herbs for the garden. Not planting them yet. If I do we are sure to have another freeze. I normally would be planting my garden soon. I'm waiting a week or two this year. I don't think my carrots are going to grow either. I had saved the seeds from last year (properly stored) and they haven't sprouted and the ones I have on a wet paper towel aren't sprouting either. I guess I could pick up some seeds and see how they do. I really liked the ones I had last year.

I had talked myself out of getting the silkies this morning while out running around and then I come home and get on here and, enabling is going on! Now I'm not sure whether to get them or not.

I've read my yard (about 7,000 square ft) will be good for 3-5 chickens. The chickens won't have access to the whole yard though. Just the back yard. Not sure how big that is. It's good sized though. Will 5-6 full size hens and 3 silkies be too much for my yard?

 

[Ren2014]

Quote:
Mr Pan sure is pretty. One of our 5 roos started trying to crow at 7 weeks. He's still working on it, lol

 

[Ms Jellybean]

St. Patrick's Day is coming up and what could be better to serve than chocolate mint brownies? They have a lovely minty green layer between 2 layers of chocolate. Oh yes, these are very rich and very yummy!

 

[Ren2014]

Quote:
OMG, sounds delish! I'm going to try these.

 

[hungnguyen]

My Stag

To all my friends: Little Charlie came to life early this morning (2:45am) in Nha Trang, Vietnam, weighing 7:01 lbs. His first word was "happy birthday daddy". The doctor previously predicted Mar 20, my guess was mid March; but Charlie'c choice is Mar 14 so he can have the same celebration with the dad every year. This is a perfect case of "On Time Delivery". The mom did well, starting to have pain as of 4am, went to the doctor at 7am, and let Charlie made his path.

Our plan is awaiting Immigration to approve our application and both of them to come to Texas by the Fall.

A perfect Friday, I may say ... will have pix later when I go home.

 

[Ren2014]

Quote:
Congratulations and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!