Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LhickenChicken]

And... lost two more. I only spot them when they are all droopy. There was one batch of four sick chicks that I was working with this afternoon. They even got names: Floppy, Droopy, Soaking Wet, and Dripping Wet. Soaking Wet and Dripping Wet, as you may guess, found some convenient way to get themselves soaking and dripping wet. Floppy and Droopy were droopy. Both Floppy and Droopy have died now. Soaking Wet got dry and energetic and went back in the brooder, but an hour later he was wet again. Dripping Wet is prostrated on the floor and will likely never get up.

I've also noticed some bloody poops and bought some medicated starter in case it is coccidiosis. I've seen two of them so far, and thought the first one was only normal intestinal shedding, but it's not.

 

[Ponypoor]

I need advice
I was hoping to break down the broody jail this afternoon while everyone was out pruning the artemisia, but I have left it in place because I think Sylvie has gone, or maybe is going, broody.
She went into the nest box at 10 this morning and did not come out all day. I kept waiting on her so I could collect eggs. Eventually this afternoon I booted her out and found 21 eggs and one broken one of Tassels.
It took me a while to work out how there could be so many eggs. But then I remembered that the lady who cared for the chickens couldn't get to any eggs on Tuesday because there were two chickens in the nest box when she came, and then she didn't come yesterday.
Anyway, lots of eggs underneath Sylvie.
Sylvie is not as obviously broody as Tassels was. So far no puffing up, (well not more than it takes to completely cover nearly 2 dozen eggs!) and no characteristic bok-bok-bok. But she is not roosting tonight and when I booted her off the nest to gather the eggs, she went straight back in.
So here is where I need advice:
- Is it better to put her in the broody jail now when she has been at it for only 24 hours or so? I am wondering if it will be easier to break her broodiness if I try early on in the process or leave her to sit for a while.
- What should I do about the egg yolk sticking to her undercarriage? Will she preen it off in time (particularly once she snaps out of being broody)? Or do I need to bathe her? Egg is tough to wash off at the best of times so I am not looking forward to trying to wash it off!
Any advice most welcome.
In case it helps on my first question, she laid an egg this morning - I am pretty sure it was part of the clutch she gathered.

Wow they sure are industrious!

Can’t comment on the broody bit.

As for the yolk on the feathers, I trimmed off Larry’s belly/breast feathers last summer they were caked with yolk from her sitting on her broken eggs.

If there isn’t too much gunk on them a good dust bath and some preening may solve the problem.

Only thing I will say is if you have flies around I would wash it off you do not want fly strike, that was just nasty last year with poor Red (I still bawl when I think of it).

And if you are not comfortable with dealing with it on your own it can cost a fortune to take to the Vet to deal with. I can tell you - I feared for Red’s life.

I would trim or wash.

 

[janiedoe]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Stooges#:~:text=Six total Stooges appeared over,Samuel Horwitz), Curly Howard (
Six total Stooges appeared over the act's run (with only three active at any given time); Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz) and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg) were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run, while the "third stooge" was played in turn by Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz), Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz), Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser, and "Curly Joe" DeRita (born Joseph Wardell).

Wow! I had forgotten there were two Curlys. I used to watch them pretty regularly in the mornings before school.

 

[Ponypoor]

The neighbour that I ordered the Cornish from kept pushing the date for pickup back so much that they are now hogging my only high-capacity brooder. As a result, their setup is not what I'd expected. About 30 (used to be 40) are in the small drawer brooder, and 20 are in a box. The box initially was by the wood stove, and, seeing as I had a cookout if I kept the wood stove on all the time, I had to use a seedling mat. The drawer brooder had a yellow brinsea brooder plate. Unfortunately, I am experiencing many deaths with those, mostly owing to the fact that half of them are undersized and underweight.

They have food, they have water, except for they're so stupid that they jump in and roll around in the water, resulting in them being soaking wet and they start screaming. The water is shallow, except they crawl into the pan and sit down in it. Which brings a lot of yelling.

I'm really disappointed with this chick order. I left a review on the facebook page. According to someone over there, when they got their chicks they had a heat lamp and feed and water. Unlikely. Ten of mine have already died, and there's five more that are likely to follow. I talked to them and they said they'll give me a refund.

If you use a bowl or pan for water put rocks or other items in the bowl so they can’t get into it like that. They can still access the water just not go swimming. I did this with my first ever chicks I got, work great. Silkies are so tiny they would get in the water bowl. Also just put an inch in there.

If you have access to a water trough your not using those make great brooders, that’s what I used last year, and will likely go to next week with this lot. A heat lamp with the trough walls will help hold the heat in.


Expect a 2 - 4% mortality rate from chicks at any time. So with 60 chicks that’s around ~4 chicks any more, then you need to look at other factors.

Once you get them past that first few days they should start to do better. They sure are fragile those first few days.

 

[LhickenChicken]

If you use a bowl or pan for water put rocks or other items in the bowl so they can’t get into it like that. They can still access the water just not go swimming. I did this with my first ever chicks I got, work great. Silkies are so tiny they would get in the water bowl. Also just put an inch in there.

If you have access to a water trough your not using those make great brooders, that’s what I used last year, and will likely go to next week with this lot. A heat lamp with the trough walls will help hold the heat in.


Expect a 2 - 4% mortality rate from chicks at any time. So with 60 chicks that’s around ~4 chicks any more, then you need to look at other factors.

Once you get them past that first few days they should start to do better. They sure are fragile those first few days.

The water pan is not even an inch deep though. And since I'm starting out, I don't have very much on hand (except for a lot of cardboard boxes). Heat lamps use a lot of power... that's why I am using a brinsea ecoglow brooder plate that doesn't use a whole lot. When I got the chicks there were lots that were lethargic and not responding to anything. They'd just sit there and get trampled on. I think that's partially why they are dying, because they were transported cold and stressed out, sitting on a shelf with no heat, food, or water. I don't have a heat lamp on hand either, because if I did I would use it. The chicks in the box-brooder seem to be all right, though some of them complain because they got wet.

 

[Ponypoor]

The neighbour that I ordered the Cornish from kept pushing the date for pickup back so much that they are now hogging my only high-capacity brooder. As a result, their setup is not what I'd expected. About 30 (used to be 40) are in the small drawer brooder, and 20 are in a box. The box initially was by the wood stove, and, seeing as I had a cookout if I kept the wood stove on all the time, I had to use a seedling mat. The drawer brooder had a yellow brinsea brooder plate. Unfortunately, I am experiencing many deaths with those, mostly owing to the fact that half of them are undersized and underweight.

They have food, they have water, except for they're so stupid that they jump in and roll around in the water, resulting in them being soaking wet and they start screaming. The water is shallow, except they crawl into the pan and sit down in it. Which brings a lot of yelling.

I'm really disappointed with this chick order. I left a review on the facebook page. According to someone over there, when they got their chicks they had a heat lamp and feed and water. Unlikely. Ten of mine have already died, and there's five more that are likely to follow. I talked to them and they said they'll give me a refund.

I would shift the older chicks to different housing they are over that initial 72hrs so they will be better able to handle a bit more rough conditions - put the newbies in your high capacity brooder.

If not then try to make the housing for the new lot smaller so the heat stays more contained.

It just sounds like they are getting cold from getting wet. Correct the water situation first then work on a better solution.

It were me I would split them up into multiple small groups of say 10 each, in simple cardboard boxes with a brooder plate or heating pad as a ‘mama’ like rural mouse does, till they are a good week old and able to handle more rougher conditions.

Once they get to a week old they are smart enough and mobile enough to not get into trouble.

Good luck! And hope the snow goes away and it warms up for you

 

[Ponypoor]

And... lost two more. I only spot them when they are all droopy. There was one batch of four sick chicks that I was working with this afternoon. They even got names: Floppy, Droopy, Soaking Wet, and Dripping Wet. Soaking Wet and Dripping Wet, as you may guess, found some convenient way to get themselves soaking and dripping wet. Floppy and Droopy were droopy. Both Floppy and Droopy have died now. Soaking Wet got dry and energetic and went back in the brooder, but an hour later he was wet again. Dripping Wet is prostrated on the floor and will likely never get up.

I've also noticed some bloody poops and bought some medicated starter in case it is coccidiosis. I've seen two of them so far, and thought the first one was only normal intestinal shedding, but it's not.

It could also be from stress. Try to remove the water so they get dry, and warmed up.

Putting rocks in the pans so the are not siting standing or laying in the water will help. They will learn to drink between the rocks (make sure they are clean rocks ).

 

[LhickenChicken]

I would shift the older chicks to different housing they are over that initial 72hrs so they will be better able to handle a bit more rough conditions - put the newbies in your high capacity brooder.

If not then try to make the housing for the new lot smaller so the heat stays more contained.

It just sounds like they are getting cold from getting wet. Correct the water situation first then work on a better solution.

It were me I would split them up into multiple small groups of say 10 each, in simple cardboard boxes with a brooder plate or heating pad as a ‘mama’ like rural mouse does, till they are a good week old and able to handle more rougher conditions.

Once they get to a week old they are smart enough and mobile enough to not get into trouble.

Good luck! And hope the snow goes away and it warms up for you

The snow has been melting like crazy, though there is no puddles. The land has been absorbing it all.

I would split them up into groups of ten if I could, but I don't have lots of heating pads. The Cornishes are leaving on Saturday, when the 7-week-olds are leaving for the meat chicken coop and the 4 week olds are leaving for the brooder that the 7 week olds left. Then the Cornish can move into the brooder that the 4 weeks left and the red broiler can move into the high capacity brooder. Chicken math. I hope this makes sense to you.

But I am seriously worried if they do have coccidiosis. I will be putting them on medicated feed as soon as they're out of the non medicated stuff in their feeders.

 

[LhickenChicken]

It could also be from stress. Try to remove the water so they get dry, and warmed up.

Putting rocks in the pans so the are not siting standing or laying in the water will help. They will learn to drink between the rocks (make sure they are clean rocks ).

Could I use marbles instead maybe?

 

[Ponypoor]

The water pan is not even an inch deep though. And since I'm starting out, I don't have very much on hand (except for a lot of cardboard boxes). Heat lamps use a lot of power... that's why I am using a brinsea ecoglow brooder plate that doesn't use a whole lot. When I got the chicks there were lots that were lethargic and not responding to anything. They'd just sit there and get trampled on. I think that's partially why they are dying, because they were transported cold and stressed out, sitting on a shelf with no heat, food, or water. I don't have a heat lamp on hand either, because if I did I would use it. The chicks in the box-brooder seem to be all right, though some of them complain because they got wet.

Splitting them into smaller groups will
Prevent them getting trampled.