Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[MargaretYakoda]

Yesterday and the day before our second broody was busy hatching her chicks. She hadn't left her pen for a few days and I knew she had pooped herself. But even so I waited until this afternoon to bother her and clean her pen and her bum.


I booted her and eight babies out, got them settled in a temporary pen, and got to work on her mess. And in the shavings something MOVED. The little guy was still breathing but stone cold, so I ran inside and put him in the dryer, which happened to be almost done with a load of towels.

Then my partner got the incubator and we stuck Shrodinger in there and hoped for the best. An hour and a half later he's still breathing. Mom's been washed, the other chicks have been given some starter feed and I've given little Shrodinger a couple drips of Sav A Chick.

Fingers crossed, but I don't expect much.

 

[Hinotori]

Yesterday and the day before our second broody was busy hatching her chicks. She hadn't left her pen for a few days and I knew she had pooped herself. But even so I waited until this afternoon to bother her and clean her pen and her bum. I booted her and eight babies out, got them settled in a temporary pen, and got to work on her mess. And in the shavings something MOVED. The little guy was still breathing but stone cold, so I ran inside and put him in the dryer, which happened to be almost done with a load of towels. Then my partner got the incubator and we stuck Shrodinger in there and hoped for the best. An hour and a half later he's still breathing. Mom's been washed, the other chicks have been given some starter feed and I've given little Shrodinger a couple drips of Sav A Chick. Fingers crossed, but I don't expect much.

I wish you luck. I've saved some and lost some that have gotten to cold. Once warm the ones that made it perked right up

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I wish you luck. I've saved some and lost some that have gotten to cold. Once warm the ones that made it perked right up

Nope. Sad to say, Shrodinger just passed. But we tried.
I think mom may have sat on him or something.

 

[Hinotori]

Quote:
I'm sorry to hear that. It always sucks to lose any

 

[MargaretYakoda]

I'm sorry to hear that. It always sucks to lose any

Thank you, Hinotori. Yes. It does suck. This little one didn't look good from the moment I found him in the wood shavings. He never even opened his eyes. So I was prepared to lose him. The fact he hung on for a couple of hours had me almost believing ... Almost.

But there's eight more chirping away in the coop now. And we've already buried Schrodinger in the garden.

And so it goes.

 

[Duck Drover]

My mama hen keeps scratching through the shavings and she has stepped on her chicks as they stand there looking to see what she uncovered. I found some of her chicks under a couple other broody hens because they can fit through the dividers I am using to keep the hens off the nests that the brooding hens are incubating. I am going to have to figure out a better set up for hens and chicks until they are old enough that the crows won't grab them. I have a Silkie with Orpington chicks in a Soil Saver compost bin that I am able to use as a night time coop for her and the chicks while also propping the door open enough to make a creep feeder for the chicks (and some Silkie chicks I put outside as well). I will need to come up with an area for hens and chicks since I have two more hens on nests and another one going broody.

I did an assisted hatch on an Orpington egg and ended up with a chick with a curled foot. I don't expect it to live but I can't bring myself to kill it yet. I thought the toes would uncurl but it is more of a club foot that will be a permanent disability if it lives. I may have to put it in a sandwich bag and freeze it. As long as it keeps trying to stand, I am letting it try to get on its feet but the prognosis is not good. I tried taping and putting it in a container to get it standing but the foot is too deformed. This is the first one I hatched like this so I don't know if it is genetic or an incubator issue but if I had not helped it hatch it would have died in the shell so at least I know I did what I could.

My hen duck lost 3 ducklings outside (one was on top the coop so I know the crows are to blame), she has two ducklings under her, and I hatched two of the three eggs I brought in from the nest she left. The problem is that I have more ducklings hatching in the incubator at the same time so I don't even know which ones are hers. If it was warm outside, I would try giving her all the ducklings that hatched but with it being cold and rainy I don't want to chance having ducklings wander off and die from the cold. I have to decide if I will let her keep the two she has or if I will take them from her to raise with the rest. My first hen that lost her ducklings is sitting on another nest so this hen would probably start again if I take her ducklings. For now they are all together in the safe pen until I decide what to do.

 

[MargaretYakoda]

... I did an assisted hatch on an Orpington egg and ended up with a chick with a curled foot. I don't expect it to live but I can't bring myself to kill it yet. I thought the toes would uncurl but it is more of a club foot that will be a permanent disability if it lives. ...

A few weeks ago I had a JG hatch with feet completely curled under in little balls. I taped the feet to a little wire shoe and readjusted it a few times over about four days? Anyhow it worked BEAUTIFULLY. For the first few weeks I could see where her middle knuckle on her right foot was still a bit curled, but it's impossible to tell she ever had anything wrong with her feet now. You might want to just keep trying. What would you have to lose?

 

[elizmartin]

I had an issue with the temps on the east side of the mountains last weekend and it wasn't any where near 104. I can't imagine how horrid that sudden high temp was for him.

Well if it was Cal, then the heat is going to be much dryer but can be depressing too….I wilt but will miss the sun but can survive the cold much better….same with the chicks…I was having the yearly chick die off in the barn because of being too young in the hot humid days - cold nights, and finally gave up and threw them outside in a sheltered pen….now everyone is fine, growing like a weed. Had to chuckle….its 3/4 covered with an added nesting box but last night when i went out to check on them, they were piled in the corner ***in the rain***, shoved them back under the shelter and stayed till they laid where it made sense.

 

[Duck Drover]

A few weeks ago I had a JG hatch with feet completely curled under in little balls. I taped the feet to a little wire shoe and readjusted it a few times over about four days? Anyhow it worked BEAUTIFULLY. For the first few weeks I could see where her middle knuckle on her right foot was still a bit curled, but it's impossible to tell she ever had anything wrong with her feet now.  You might want to just keep trying. What would you have to lose?

I have made slippers for Silkie chicks before but that was for a curled toe and not a club foot. The toes are shorter on the curled foot and clenched tight. If I can get it to balance better in a cup, I will try making a slipper for it. Right now it is not able to get its legs under it to stand so I am afraid a slipper won't help at this stage. It basically lies on its belly with its legs stretched back unless I prop it up in a cup. I tried taping its legs under it but it has no balance so that did not help. There is no way it will be able to eat and drink in the condition it is in now so without significant improvement I don't expect it to survive. The egg was one that another hen layed in a broody hen's nest so I pulled it out (I write start and expected end dates on eggs) but I did not know when it would hatch. I wonder if moving it from a laying down position to an upright position caused the club foot but I may never know what caused it. It is the only chick with the defect so hopefully it is an isolated incident.

 

[Chickielady]

Yesterday and the day before our second broody was busy hatching her chicks. She hadn't left her pen for a few days and I knew she had pooped herself. But even so I waited until this afternoon to bother her and clean her pen and her bum.


I booted her and eight babies out, got them settled in a temporary pen, and got to work on her mess. And in the shavings something MOVED. The little guy was still breathing but stone cold, so I ran inside and put him in the dryer, which happened to be almost done with a load of towels.

Then my partner got the incubator and we stuck Shrodinger in there and hoped for the best. An hour and a half later he's still breathing. Mom's been washed, the other chicks have been given some starter feed and I've given little Shrodinger a couple drips of Sav A Chick.

Fingers crossed, but I don't expect much.

WoW !!!