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[newchickmama91]

Yes it's the right position.
Sounds like he has pipped a vein yes. How's he doing now?

He hasn't made it

all the others have pipped and are chirping away!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Sorry to hear that

Good luck with the others that have pipped

 

[DancingWthDucks]

He hasn't made it

all the others have pipped and are chirping away!

I'm so sorry for your loss.......

That's great news that the others have all pipped! Good luck and keep us updated

 

[newchickmama91]

I'm so sorry for your loss.......

That's great news that the others have all pipped! Good luck and keep us updated

Well I didn't realise quail were fast at hatching as one is half way out the shell!! I go to eat my dinner come back and it's zipped but it's still in the shell so maybe it hasn't absorbed the yolk yet

 

[rebrascora]

@Yorkshire Coop

Hi Kim

Well done for getting out riding again. and so pleased you have a companion to go out with. I can imagine the muck spreader was a challenging experience. Anything happening the other side of a hedge is twice as scary and muck spreaders are pretty scary things to start with let alone the tractor attached to it. I've been delaying replying in the hope that I would manage to have something positive to report on the riding front but it's just not happening, I have however been doing a little schooling each day with them on the ground either in the yard or in the paddock... so wish I had an arena. I am working towards loose schooling and so far I can get Rascal to trot a couple of circles around me in both directions off the line but there has to be a lot of bribery involved to keep his attention. MeMe will also circle although walk is as good as I can manage with her. Rebel has always been challenging to lunge.... he hates doing circles and it's not because he is stiff... far from it....he just doesn't see the point and gets frustrated..... and will "rebel" when he's had enough, usually after one circle.... and either charge through the middle at you or spin and show you both back feet before trying to gallop off. Normally that's the point that I lose my temper, but my sister is helping me work on keeping calm and setting lower goals and breaking it down into smaller stages and rewarding him by stopping as soon as he does what I ask. He's just a very dominant horse. Anyway, that is going pretty well and hopefully will translate to a more accommodating and safer horse when I do ride him out

Pleased to report I've broken Portia of her broodiness. I did think Daisy was on the brink of taking over but that hasn't happened yet. I got an egg in a dark corner of the run yesterday which suggests someone is looking to build a clutch though. Sadly I've lost a 2 year old exchequer leghorn this morning. The leghorns have been the most difficult to manage through the flu restrictions and have fought quite a bit so I didn't think too much of it when she was roosting a little apart from the others for a couple of nights but yesterday she wasn't enthusiastic about eating and when I watched she was "fake eating"....picking up and dropping it. I brought her home last night and managed to tempt her with some bread and water and scrambled egg and she had a half a banty egg mixed with half a slice of bread. I really thought I might have caught her in time but she died this morning when I went to give her the other half. She was nearly 3 yrs old but I have a gut feeling it's may be Marek's.... a couple of her siblings died of it at about 12 weeks old. I am hoping to open her up and perhaps figure out what went wrong but the stress of being confined could have triggered it, if it is Marek's. Although I'm not in a restricted area, I'm still being pretty cautious about letting them out. especially since there was an outbreak of bird flu less that 20 miles away just before the restrictions were lifted. It's odd that there was no national reporting of it and they didn't postpone lifting the restrictions but I think they were under pressure from the egg industry because of the free range regulations meaning that there would be no British "free range" eggs if the ban continued, even though the birds had been confined for the previous 3 months anyway. You can understand the financial implications of a free range business having to change all their packaging and of course buyers sourcing their eggs elsewhere to meet demand for free range....I wonder if the other European countries where bird flu was a bigger problem, imposed the same restrictions and how their free range egg industry coped.

Anyway, must crack on as I now have a post mortem exam to add to my list of things to do. Hoping to sow some peas later today (I know you love peas!) once I figure out a way to keep the Marans from digging them up and eating them. I guess I will have to try to fence the plot to keep them out because that is simpler than making a pen Marans proof.... those girls will not be contained once they get out of that shed.

Good luck collecting eggs for your hatch a long. I hope they are more obliging for you today!

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[newchickmama91]

Anyone know what to do with weak chicks? Only 5 have survived most of the dead ones had crossed beaks so I don't think they were right anyway. These 5 are pretty week they aren't completly fluffed up but I put them in the brooder. So heartbreaking seeing it

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Anyone know what to do with weak chicks? Only 5 have survived most of the dead ones had crossed beaks so I don't think they were right anyway. These 5 are pretty week they aren't completly fluffed up but I put them in the brooder. So heartbreaking seeing it

How are they doing? I wish I'd seen this earlier

For really weak chicks, I normally feed them a sugar- water mix, using a syringe to perk them up. Keep an eye on them to make sure that they aren't developing poopy butt, and try to encourage them to eat a little chick crumb, or mashed up hard boiled yolk.

 

[newchickmama91]

How are they doing? I wish I'd seen this earlier

For really weak chicks, I normally feed them a sugar- water mix, using a syringe to perk them up. Keep an eye on them to make sure that they aren't developing poopy butt, and try to encourage them to eat a little chick crumb, or mashed up hard boiled yolk.

I've given them sugar water one has perked up a lot it now runs around the brooder! The other is still abit weak. I have some vitamin powder for chicks shall I give it abit of that? Also it slants to one side it can seem to stand up properly is there anything I can do to help this? Thankyou for replying

 

[PaulaMc]

Hi all

Feel so out of the loop!

Back at work now so hours are so limited for socialising with you lovely peeps.

I am so envious about the chicken rearing! Wish I could keep a cockerel but not allowed. Anyway, broody silkies are loud enough ha ha.

Fencing off of half the garden is finally happening from Thursday so will post pictures.

Hope everyone is well xxx

 

[GGBEAR]

Hi

all I'm wondering Ig any of mine are going to go broody this year kinda hoping they do so I can put some duck eggs under them to see what happens.
The weathers turned bad again really windy and rain

although the sand seems to be doing the trick.
My duck's

are not bothered regarding weather they just sit out in in but poor chickens have to retreat to coop and stair out at as though they are locked up and the weather is my fault.