The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Toast n Jelly]

Yesterday I picked up my SFH babies from a good friend who hatches for me (these were shipped eggs from another breeder so I can expand my bloodlines) - I was so excited - even though one of them wasn't doing so well. The last to hatch has an oozy umbilical and badly curled feet. There was a humidity issue in the hatcher because she had to take the rest of the chicks out and the humidity didn't come back up for some reason afterwards... Poor little thing wasn't doing well at all.

I took them all home and situated the "special needs" baby in my hatcher to keep it separate and put the others in my baby pen in my trailer coop. It's heated and there is there is a heat lamp in the brooder part. They all settled right in with my 2 home-grown SFH chicks (2 weeks old) and a Dark Cornish chick that hatched the same time as my 2 SFH.

Then tragedy struck...

Some time last night the part of our house wiring that powers our refrigerator, the kitchen and the power line that runs out to the coop went out. We had no idea because the rest of the power was on.

When I went out to the coop this morning, my 2 older SFH chicks were barely upright, but the rest of the brooder was littered with tiny, fluffy bodies. I can't even tell you how broken-hearted I was to find this!

I scooped up the live babies and all the bodies and took them in my house. I got the upright ones into the hatcher with the "special needs" baby and then checked each little body. 4 (including my 2-week-old Dark Cornish and 3 SFH chicks) were ice cold and stiff. Three more of the SFH chicks were still floppy but very cold and unresponsive. I put those three in the hatcher right away... just in case.

Every few minutes I would go and rub the 3 little unresponsive bodies. Amazingly one of them started to breathe!

I had to go check on the rest of my flock - had some 4-5 week-olds (H/RIR and PR) that lost power too. Luckily the older ones were OK. When I came back in after feeding and checking, all 3 of the unresponsive SFH chicks were moving!

It has been a few hours now, and all 3 are eating and drinking (and staying in the laundry room). The little special needs baby is still not doing well, but I'll keep trying with it. Normally I would have given it until today at noon-ish and then culled if it wasn't improving, but now it seems personal. I realize I may lose this one too, but the idea bothers me more now than it did yesterday.

Please keep your fingers crossed that my remaining SFH chicks survive and thrive. I so appreciate your thoughts and well-wishes for these tiny little babies!

I'm in awe that the 3 babies came back to life! Felt sick when I heard of your disaster, if the remaining chick has a chance I'm sure that your care will save him.

 

[delisha]

Oyster sells is for calcium
Grit is for help in grinding

 

[Bulldogma]

All 4 new babies are still alive. The special needs baby peeps but really doesn't eat unless I hand feed it (something I am doing every hour). The other 3?

I'm rather amazed to say they are running all about and eating like little pigs. I'm thrilled beyond words that they seem to be coming through this event so well. Mother Nature must give them some sort of built-in protection in the event they come out from under mamma hen in the cold. I had thought for sure I had lost them all!

I'll be posting pictures in the next few days - its so gloomy, snowy and nasty today that there is too little natural light to work with for good shots.

Keep those fingers crossed for my special baby. It seems to be a fighter... it just has an uphill battle in front of it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

BDM - been rooting for you this afternoon!

So good to hear that the cold babies are bouncing back

 

[delisha]

BDM..good luck to you!!

Good save on the chicks!

 

[Pullet Surprise]

All 4 new babies are still alive. The special needs baby peeps but really doesn't eat unless I hand feed it (something I am doing every hour). The other 3?

I'm rather amazed to say they are running all about and eating like little pigs. I'm thrilled beyond words that they seem to be coming through this event so well. Mother Nature must give them some sort of built-in protection in the event they come out from under mamma hen in the cold. I had thought for sure I had lost them all!

I'll be posting pictures in the next few days - its so gloomy, snowy and nasty today that there is too little natural light to work with for good shots.

Keep those fingers crossed for my special baby. It seems to be a fighter... it just has an uphill battle in front of it.

Go babies GO!!!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

At what age can I toss in a little scratch grain? At this time do I introduce chick grit or oyster shell? The oyster shell I get looks awfully big. I've read where you feed their own shells back to them but you heat them in the oven? Is it to kill bacteria? What temp and for how long? The teen chicks were not happy with their new accommodations. We opened the door to the run but only a couple peeked out. (Temps still very cold. Should get above freezing today.) That's where I thought I could throw just a little scratch.

Love, love, love the flags. Aren't DH funny sometimes. sue

They have chick grit available in small bags--the age is on the bag. I bake my egg shells at 220 degrees for about 10-15 minutes to make them brittle so that they break easier in a baggie with a jar to squash them. It dries them out too so you can store them in a plastic ziplock bag. I think the commercial oyster shell has too big of clumps. My chickens will eat the smaller pieces. I've even tried to smash them with a hammer, but It takes up too much time. As far as feeding scratch to the little ones, I have been avoiding it until they are a month or so old. I only give it as a treat, and it comes in handy to get everyone into the coop and run if I need to pen them up.

Bulldogma, so sorry about your loss--glad some of your chicks were saved.

 

[dcba flock]

Bulldogma hope they pull through!

 

[loanwizard]

All 4 new babies are still alive. The special needs baby peeps but really doesn't eat unless I hand feed it (something I am doing every hour). The other 3?

I'm rather amazed to say they are running all about and eating like little pigs. I'm thrilled beyond words that they seem to be coming through this event so well. Mother Nature must give them some sort of built-in protection in the event they come out from under mamma hen in the cold. I had thought for sure I had lost them all!

I'll be posting pictures in the next few days - its so gloomy, snowy and nasty today that there is too little natural light to work with for good shots.

Keep those fingers crossed for my special baby. It seems to be a fighter... it just has an uphill battle in front of it.

Reminds me of the ones I left out in the rain and ended up blow drying. Resilient little creatures...

Good Luck,

Shawn

 

[loanwizard]

OK, I'll play. Scratch Grain is the 50 lb bag that I buy at Tractor Supply that says in big letters "Scratch Grain". But you already knew that. I guess I was understanding that chickens needed something to help grind up food and that was where the oyster shell came in as these are in an enclosed pen (along with the calcium when they started laying) Not taking any more time on this.


Bulldogma-I'm so sorry. That's something I've been worrying about here this winter as it's been very cold and windy. I hope the little special needs baby makes it.

Lawdy Sally, don't get offended.... I am male and sometimes just spout off.

I have an idea what scratch is, but since about 6 months after I started when chicken math started to take over, I forgot. I just don't use it. Remember, I am the guy that feeds his birds hog feed.

I have a constant supply of oyster shell around WHEN I fear soft eggs. If I am gathering eggs and they break in my hands, time for a bag. Grit is for the gizzard. I don't use because I free range. You should, but the point of my rant was/is... They are chickens and adapt so well, even when the heat goes out.

Shawn