The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aaggjg]

I took this picture of Tank who has been trying her best to force Popcorn out of the broody nest .... Well it seems to be working ... Today Popcorn came out at breakfast time and stayed out with the girls. Poor small bantam can not compete with the big black orpington for real estate in the nest box! But when I went to collect the eggs .... the one laid in the broody box was being sat on by wee little Popcorn .... and well Tank she is just warming sawdust






Tank telling me to leave her alone!

 

[PeepsCA]

Quote: I do not move them to lock down and off the turner till first pip because I have naturally high humidity. I have never had a shrink wrap, so I have no idea if that will happen eventually or not. It certainly is a possibility. I have no water in my incubator yet my humidity is never below 30.

I agree that shrink wrapping happens after first pip. But I think it is exterior pip. The moisture inside the egg dries if there is not enough humidity outside to support that humidity. Too high of heat dries them out faster. Internal pips for me works out best. I know it is time to boost humidity and lower heat. I move them to the other incubator.

If your eggs are full they have internally piped. It is time to move them.


I'm late chiming in as usual, but since I have a reasonable amount of experience with incubating and hatching (over 2000 keets/chicks/poults/quail chicks combined) I figured I'd add my 2 cents about shrink wrapping and sticky chicks that was discussed a half a dozen or so pages back...

The highest risk of shrink wrapping is after the eggs have externally pipped, have already been in lock down with high humidity... and then the incubator is opened for some reason. If the ambient humidity in the room is lower and the temp is cooler than the humidity and temp are inside of the incubator, (which is often the case) then opening an incubator lets a rush of cool, dry air into the incubator that exchanges with/replaces the warm moist air in the incubator, and does this inside the eggs as well. That is what dries out and shrinks the membranes. The membranes were moist, and then quickly lost moisture and shrank when the cold dry air rushed in. This is why incubator instructions always clearly state not to open the incubator until the hatch is completely over.

Shrink wrapping can also happen to eggs that have only internally pipped, but is a little less likely and less damaging since the air and humidity can't exchange as quickly thru an un-pipped shell. This is why we can get away with waiting to lock down eggs until they have internal pipped and we can also candle prior to lock down without doing damage. (Like Delisha, I also wait until I see internal pips before locking down... I have never had any shrink wrapping issues doing this).

And as Delisha mentioned high temps can also cause shrink wrapping, especially in forced air incubators with fans when there is not enough humidity in the incubator. Moisture is continually being lost at a time when the chick needs a little extra moisture to keep the membrane from becoming leathery/tough, when the chick needs to stay slick enough to spin in the eggs and also when the extra moisture is needed to keep the shell a little softer.

Sticky chicks are usually caused by overly high humidity during incubation that did not allow the chick to grow as large as it should have or let the egg lose enough moisture as the chick developed, so at hatch time those chicks are coated with more liquid (albumen) than they should be. A sticky chick's movement is restricted, tho the stronger chicks usually manage to hatch ok (just extra sticky), but the weak chicks will expire trying to hatch because they just don't have the strength. if they can't spin, and can't zip, they expire. Sometimes tho that extra sticky liquid can clog the chick's nostrils (aka drowning the chick), and the sticky liquid can also cause the opening of the internally pipped membrane to glue down onto the chick's nostril shortly after they have pipped internally, suffocating it.

 

[aaggjg]

I was just thinking that this was the first day in 3 days that I did not see the hawks being chased away by the crows when I hear a pterodactyl like call from the sky ... I ignore it as I was working and think good thing the chickens are locked up.... Well a little while later I went out on my balcony for better cell reception and I look up to see 3 HUGE HAWKS being chased by 2 crows.... The crows looked so small next to those hawks it is amazing that they can chase them off but thank goodness they can! There has to be a nest near by every day more hawks are circling .... UGH

 

[Ashdoes]

I started the ducks FF today. They should be here next tuesday or wednesday, so this gives me enough time for the FF to bubble good and for me to add more feed and thicken it up. I used buttermilk as a starter, can i also add some ACV? I messed up a little and forgot that i read to get GameBird starter for the Niacin level the ducks need, got unmedicated chick starter instead. So i'll just make sure they get the extras Delisha told me about. I'm very excited for them to get here, our girls kind of know we're getting ducks but have no idea when, so it'll be a fun surprise after school.
I'm thinking about getting my Cochin girls some saddles, so their backs are protected. I really don't like their backs right now, and i'm afraid i might end up having the same problem i had with my splash girl. Is there a special sizing system? or is it like one size fits all?

 

[aaggjg]

Hi Everyone!

I need some advice/help.

I planned on leaving them inside all day tomorrow so the two new members of the flock learn that this is now home base, but worried now. Should I worry, or is this just the way it is when introducing new birds?

thanks for any information guys, I appreciate it!

MB

MB I like chicken harmony.... So I do a slow integration process ... I let them see each other walk up to the coop and fluff up their feathers, peck at each other through the fence etc etc. After a few times(days...week) they they start to ignore the other group... then I let them free range together and watch what happens ... there are usually a few fights but I don't intervene unless it gets really bad... I have read about people putting them together at night with great success but I decided not to try that.... On the rooster pecking order issue. I had a silkie who turned out to be a roo... well he had to come sleep in the house at night until I found him a permanent home. His BFF since he was a day old in my flock was the GLW ... well one morning he came down and those 2 went at it ... NO get your mind out of the gutter LW

it was a blood drawing brawl! I was shocked as they had only been separated a few hours .... but in establishing the pecking order he would fight with each hen until they would submit to his advances ... My GLW was having none of it and she let him have it! They all eventually come around ....

Good Luck! Its always stressful integrating new flock members..... and as for bio-security, as you have already integrated them I would up their intake of garlic ACV etc etc to boost their immune system.

 

[pigeonguy]

As far as oats and runny poo I have no problems with it. As you can see above my feed is 33% oats. On the other hand I don't raise by the book I raise by what I have seen others do for years.

As for Bio security when I bring 1 or several new bird or birds of any kind on my place I put it or them in a large pen. I then get one of my own birds and put in there with them on the first day. I leave them till I feel comfortable then turn them loose. Comfortable could be from 1 week to 4 weeks depends on my gut. If my gut had not said they were healthy in the first place I would not have brought them home so it depends.
I went to a house last year to get some chickens noticed they had lice. Just happened to have a garbage bag in my car stripped my cloths off to my skivies put them in it when they ask what I was doing I said not taking home lice. Went to the Laundromat washed my cloths and shoes went in the bath room there and checked everywhere found non went out got my cloths put them on wet. WAS scared enough of getting busted doing laundry in my skivies so I did not want to take time to dry came home my chickens did not get lice.
Moral of all this follow your gut (gizzard)

 

[delisha]

Ash,

I am sorry I have no advise for you. I have never seen them or even heard of such a thing until I came on here. I hope someone else can help you.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Tonight I am angry at the "chicken world" and I want to vent.

(And I don't mean chicken butt.)

But I don't just want to vent for venting sake. I want to vent to put an exclamation mark on what Delisha has said about how to introduce new birds into your flock.

In the past WEEK I have conversed with TWO people who picked up new "started birds". This is the story of those 2 people.

Story 1
A young lady who is in Indiana and is in High School still. She is young and loves all animals. She has started a flock of chickens and they are a great hobby for a young lady. She got some beautiful new chickens as a breeding pair and an extra. Everyone on the Indiana thread of BYC encouraged her to keep them separate even though she thought they looked healthy and happy. We explained to her the issues that Del just mentioned. Thank God she listened to us.

Within a day or 2 and more contact with these birds, she found vent gleet on one, bumble foot and a very infected toe on another.... There were several other issues as well. Although we encouraged her to return them she wants to "rescue" them. The rest of her flock is likely in danger from these birds condition.

Story 2
Some friends here in my area wanted to get some "pet chickens" but they didn't want to start w/chicks...they wanted started pullets. Found a "family hatchery" that sounded good on their website. Good lines of birds, etc. Drove 3 hours 1 way to pick up 6 14 week olds. They didn't know what to look for, just trusted the people.

Got home and several days later found lice or mites (not sure which yet), bare spots and irritation in various places, and a suspected case of vent gleet on one (hasn't been confirmed yet). They haven't examined the feet and legs yet so I don't know what they'll find there. I think they'll do full exams tomorrow.

****
The lack of integrity and just plain unethical behavior that I keep hearing about in the "chicken world" feels rather deplorable. Adding that to what Aoxa, Del, Mumsy, and others have shared with us that goes on at swap meets, and I'm just plain wary of purchasing chickens from "so-called-breeders" unless someone I know recommends them personally.

Vent over. (Or...to LW...BOTTOMS UP!)

 

[dcba flock]

Some of you want to know and understand your chickens better..how about if we start with..

Why does it seem that all of my hens want to lay in the same nest box when I have so many?

How about if we have people answer that question on why you think they do.

I would say the same reason they chase each other when u put out a bowl of treats when there is plenty for everyone! Just like kids they all want what the others have including the 'warmed up' nesting box! Haha just a thought!

 

[kian]

Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to the sex of these two? They're the same as I've posted before, but I am more confused than ever about them. I have a feeling I'll know when I see an egg (or not LOL). They are now 9.5 weeks old.


This is the one that I had previously thought was a girl:



same bird as above. Tail is usually up a bit more and is longer than the other one's.



This is the one that I had previously thought was a boy:


This is the first bird, better shot of the most bedraggled tail I've ever seen:



bird number 2


bird number 2 again:



This photo has nothing to do with the sexing, I just like how Feather (the SLW) looks like an emu and how Snow (the New Hampshire) is checking them out.



Thanks!