What did you do with your flock today?

[The Birb King]

MY FIRST ONE HATCHED!!! Not even the one who pipped first. It still has some yolk attached to it but so far it’s the only one out of its shell. It’s lively and chirping away.

Nice! My eggs still have 11 days to go until they hatch but im exited

 

[PopoMyers]

Thats amazing! Absolutely beautiful Did you ever take cooking classes or just learned from experience?

Feels like forever sometimes when they hatch eh?

I am self taught, have loved cooking and baking since my mom turned me loose in the kitchen at 8, she helped teach me.

 

[Shetland lover]

@PopoMyers OMGeeze that looks amazing!!! Drool city Herr!
So glad Pepper is improving!
@kurby22 those babies are absolutely gorgeous! I would go nuts at a show like that! The only show I've ever been to in my life remotely similar was a cat show and of course I came home with a Persian that never liked me and I adored her!!!
I better live vicariously through you going to the shows!!!
Bambi spent the night in with the others and I went down to check her crop...still got something in there but nowhere near as bad as the last 2 days. I get the feeling she may have eaten the nesting materials which are I believe aspen from Eaton.
Gave her another docusate sodium 100mg as well as coconut oil and water and massaged...sure hope this passes asap!
Oh and how do yall break your broody girls?
Someone said I won't have any luck until they are standing on a wire cage? I don't get that part.

The theory is that the air flow under the body from standing on wire cools the broody down and stops them being broody. Plus, I suspect it's uncomfortable too. NOTHING breaks Pru and Penelope when they go broody! I have literally tried everything. I just let them get on with it now. I figure it can't hurt to give their reproductive systems a rest. The main worry (apart from them going off lay) is that they can starve and suffer dehydration while on the nest. To combat that, they get 3 times a day room service, extra vits and are forced to leave the nest for at least 10 mins twice a day. I also remove any eggs daily - not that it worked last time Pru was broody. She hid Stan's egg in the bedding or under her wing until the day he hatched! Sneaky little madam

 

[Shetland lover]

Ok so I guess the idea is to make it uncomfortable.
I've got an ice pack under her cuz I read that would help cool her down but she's happily just hatchin the ice now.

Oh and she just and definitely looks like she ate the nesting materials...so hard and still got little more in her crop.
Should she go the whole day again with no food and just water and coconut oil?

I'm laughing as my girls also try to hatch ice... and hot water bottles filled with ice water!
I'd still withhold food and continue treatment with Bambi until the compaction has fully cleared.

 

[Shetland lover]

I would. Letting her eat will slow how long the bad stuff takes to clear and increases the chance it won't clear. The only exception I know of is papaya which can help it clear... usually home made from fresh papaya puree and massage is used for that.

Maybe @Shetland lover can give you a better answer for how long a chicken can go with just oil and water. With parrots if it hasn't cleared in 24 hours it's usually a bad sign but still not a lost cause. Think chickens can handle the bad bacteria that can start growing in the crop impaction better than parrots do.

Editing to add that wood beddings probably not a high risk for bad bacteria. I wouldn't think it is at any rate.

Hope she's doing good!

Chickens can go a maximum of 4 - 5 days without food before showing signs of malnourishment so I'd aim for a maximum 3 days treatment to clear impacted crop.

 

[Shetland lover]

So on top of everything….I got some horrible news today. My friend who’s Call ducks I’m helping her hatch, lost 3/4 breeding pens. She lost so many and completely devastated. So once these guys I have hatch and are ready to go into the brooder, I’m cleaning it up and getting some more Call eggs for her. At least it’s during breeding season and she has their babies. But to go through all of that is so hard. My husband and I had volunteered to help her build a new enclosure for them when we picked up these guys I have in now. The weasel got into their barn where she had them. My heart is just breaking for her right now. You all don’t have to pray for these hatches but I would appreciate at least positive thoughts for these guys!

Oh no! That's so heartbreakingly awful!I absolutely will pray for her.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Oh no! That's so heartbreakingly awful!I absolutely will pray for her.

Thank you!!

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Question ya all. I’m not 100% worried but slightly. The one to first pip hasn’t moved much. Partially zipped, still breathing, and there really isn’t mouth movements that I’m seeing. After seeing this one hatch I’m wondering if she just wore herself out because instead of just breaking the shell and “zipping”, she broke the shell and took out the membrane too.

The first external pip happened around 5am give or take on Saturday morning. She started “zipping” about 11:10am. She got as far as she did about 6:20pm. I’m attaching pictures…the first is last night about 6:20. The second is right now. When should I help her or what should I do? It’s now 1:32pm on Sunday.

 

[PopoMyers]

@PopoMyers OMGeeze that looks amazing!!! Drool city Herr!
So glad Pepper is improving!
@kurby22 those babies are absolutely gorgeous! I would go nuts at a show like that! The only show I've ever been to in my life remotely similar was a cat show and of course I came home with a Persian that never liked me and I adored her!!!
I better live vicariously through you going to the shows!!!
Bambi spent the night in with the others and I went down to check her crop...still got something in there but nowhere near as bad as the last 2 days. I get the feeling she may have eaten the nesting materials which are I believe aspen from Eaton.
Gave her another docusate sodium 100mg as well as coconut oil and water and massaged...sure hope this passes asap!
Oh and how do yall break your broody girls?
Someone said I won't have any luck until they are standing on a wire cage? I don't get that part.

Glad Bambi is improving. Pepper laid an egg this morning, no blood on it. The prolapse shrank some more. Never thought I'd be so happy to see more poop, but there was more. Noticed she is not straining to poop at all. This is a light at the end of this tunnel. Still going to keep on with the Prep H. She's eating and drinking normally, although she didn't eat straight away this morning, her food was nearly gone by the time I check on her at 1:00. Been giving her wet food so she doesn't flick it everywhere.

My broody breaking: 1 wire cage, raised off the ground in the sheltered run area. 1 2x4 piece of lumber that fits inside it, for a roost. Food and water. 1 broody gal. 3 days. More if not broken. ( Let her out. If she goes and sits back in the nesting box, put her back in jail. Repeat test each 24 hours..)
I happen to have a rabbit hutch to use for this, and for Pepper's hospital room. I have repeat offenders. One Welsummer Ginger, and Xena, a barnyard mix, whom successfully brooded and raised 4 chicks for a month until a coyote got her.

Have successfully broken them multiple times using this. Always in the summer, so made sure they were in the shade.

 

[PopoMyers]

For sure. I feel like I’m stuck in time. I check the clock and it’s moving but they aren’t. Lol

Incubated eggs are like pots. Watched ones never boil/pip?