Search results for query: *

Thank you! I had 21 days firmly in my head, but then one of the people watching the animals for me asked, "What do I do if they hatch while I'm here?" and it suddenly occurred to me that I'd just assumed they wouldn't hatch before day 20-21. You mention moving the food and water further away...

I have a hen who is sitting on some eggs. They are a mix from different hens, so they were all laid either the day of or the day before she started sitting. I will be out of town days 15-18. What, in your experience, are the odds that any of the chicks would hatch on Day 18? I have prepared a...

Thank you. Yes, it was a terrible feeling. I successfully candled like 10 eggs without incident years ago when using an incubator. I think that being crouched by the nest, at night, trying to hold the flashlight and the egg it was just a bad set-up. I should have been more patient and thought...

A big thank you again to the people in this thread giving advice. I set out just regular layer feed and water. As of today there is a more normal looking broody poop, so clearly she was eating more than just the treats I was offering. Though (and I feel TERRIBLE about this) when I candled her...

The day I moved her into the barn she did one of the monster poops. (It was . . . truly epic). But then nothing until this morning when I made her get off of the nest for a few minutes, and the quantity was like a third of that original poop. I know that my downfall as a pet owner in general...

Fair. I'll reign in offering treats and just make sure she has her regular food. My reason for offering the fruit and my main concern was dehydration. Maybe soak some of her regular feed in water to offer her a mash?

I have a similar issue. I have a broody hen. She is on her own in a dog kennel in my barn sitting on about 5 eggs. She pooped on Day 2. Yesterday was Day 5 and she pooped when I made her get off of the nest, but had not pooped between. The Day 5 poop was pretty loose and not like the big solid...

I have a hen who has eaten two of her eggs. My issue is that she will not leave the nest to eat. I read in another article that hens will sometimes not know they can leave the eggs, but then they get so hungry that they eat an egg. I'm off to another thread for help solving the "won't leave...

Just another person saying THANK YOU for posting this link!!! I was in a panic after finding two different poops from otherwise healthy seeming young chicks that sort of looked like raspberry mousse (sorry for the visual!!!), but it almost perfectly matches the picture with the intestinal lining...

Thank you all so much for the replies! This is my first time raising chicks outside, and I also haven't raised chicks in a few years. I read several threads---here and in other places--about raising them outside and was very inspired, but it has introduced some new elements/worries for me.

I have some chicks who are about 3 weeks old (they will be exactly 3 weeks on Tuesday). My plan was, for the first time ever, to raise them outside from the get go. Thanks to both me and another pet having some serious medical issues, that did not happen and I had to start them in a little chick...

I just wanted to give an update in case anyone else experiences something like this. First, the chicken is doing very well. While she seemed to be improving after the Elector treatment, I always second guess myself. I was able to get an appointment at a vet, and my parents generously took her...

A little update: Her balance is definitely better. She is still a bit wobbly when she has to twist (like to groom) but she is standing up straighter and in the little quarantine coop there is an outside roost and she was up on it this afternoon. The Elector hadn't arrived this afternoon...

Thank you all so much for the advice and encouragement! She was still in bed when I left this morning (it's been hard because I leave before the sun is up and come home at sunset, so I don't get to observe her through the day). She was up in the nesting box when I got home, but when I called...

They eat Kalmbach crumbles (this one, I think: https://shop.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/16-all-natural-layer-crumble). A few times a week I bring them a treat like apple pieces, cabbage leaves, etc. I try to get them out for free range time a few days a week (LOTS of predators where I live...

Hi all, could really use some advice. So back during the pandemic I made a choice I might not have normally made: a farm I trust was clearing inventory and was selling Delaware pullets with crooked toes at a big discount. I got 4. Honestly, they've done really well for the last two years. In...

I used to use a heated dog bowl, but it would get so dirty SO FAST. It was really gross. And because of the large exposed surface area, it would still freeze when it got really cold. Now I use this waterer (https://rentacoop.com/products/5-gallon4-horizontal-nipples-chicken-waterer) in...

I wanted to update this thread. After her skin not looking any better after two weeks had passed and her other feathers had grown back, I took her to the vet. I wish I'd taken her earlier, but her behavior (eating, drinking, roosting, energy, etc) has been very normal. The vet was sort of...

Yikes, thank you for the warning on the olive oil. Thankfully I only gave her one dose so far, about 0.3mL this morning. I'm going shopping tonight, so I'll pick her up some yogurt (I am non-dairy, so I never have it in the house!). I'm encouraged by her appetite, but I always freak out a bit...

Thank you for the reply. I've seen real redness from a freshly plucked chest (unfortunately my Delawares seem to go broody about twice a year, and since I work all day I sometimes don't get to them until the evening). I've also seen redness from a hen laying on eggs for several hours. But at...