Embryo Vaccinations

[John]

Here is a link to a video showing vaccination of chicks at a large commercial operation.  It\'s good information, just faster than me and my syringe.
http://youtu.be/oDex4fitTWY

Also, here is a link to an article on the subject by Peter Brown.
http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/content/view/17/37/
FYI...Peter had a heart attach back on February 6th.  It slowed him up slightly and and said he was \"under Doctors Orders to slow down and do less\" in an email later that week.  I haven\'t heard anything since and assume he is doing well.

[Mike Gilbert]

I keep my chicks in a shoebox lined with textured paper toweling until they are vaccinated, typically the day after they are hatched.  Don\'t use anything slick like newspaper to prevent spraddled legs.  The shoebox is placed on top of the incubator, which is warm, and the heat radiating through is sufficient to keep the chicks comfortable until it is time to vaccinate.  I punch a small hole or two in the box for fresh air. Afterward, they go back into a clean shoebox and back on top of the incubator until the brooder is warmed and ready for them.  To prevent pasting, I start the chicks on raw oatmeal flakes for the first two days, then gradually change them over to medicated chick starter.  I have also learned to not use cold water at first, as it is too much of a shock to their little metabolisms.  Using lukewarm water seems to be much healthier for them. This helps especially the more delicate bantams.  

[Birdcrazy]

Here is a pretty good down to earth site for explaining mareks vacination for the small flock raiser. http://poultryone.com/articles/mareks.html

[Sharon Yorks]

To prevent pasting, I start the chicks on raw oatmeal flakes for the first two days, then gradually change them over to medicated chick starter.  

This is interesting. Are you talking about the Quaker 1 minute oatmeal you buy in a large round container? I knew about the warm water, just never heard about the oatmeal.

I read the article by Peter Brown. That was very informative and helpful. I didn\'t know he had had a heart attack. I sometime catch him on Mondays on the Chicken Whisperer program, but have missed it lately. Let us know if you hear an update.

I watched the YouTube video. Made me cringe at how those babies are handled. I\'m also hearing that the vaccine lasts for up to 2 hours. I can see how it\'s best to keep the 1 hour plan in mind, but at least I\'ll have a little breathing room if the first few times goes a little slower than planned. And it\'s also good to know the chicks can be vaccinated later than a day old if they don\'t all hatch at once. It seems that my splash pen is a very aggressive hatcher. They are always the first ones out, and last month when my thermometer got messed up and my bator was too high, the splash hatched out (early) anyway. None of the others made it. And another person got eggs from me and didn\'t know a still air incubator was supposed to be set at 102 instead of 99.5 (I didn\'t know either) 4 splash made it out. I\'m thinking I have a pretty special cockerel, huh? Thanks, Paul!

Okay. I think I\'m ready. Bring on the chicks!

Sharon

[Mike Gilbert]

Sharon wrote, \"This is interesting. Are you talking about the Quaker 1 minute oatmeal you buy in a large round container? I knew about the warm water, just never heard about the oatmeal.\"

Yes, I think most any kind of uncooked oatmeal flakes would work.  It is not a 100% preventative, but I have noticed that it helps.  Apparently the chick starter is just a little too rich at first for some strains, especially bantams.  I use a 20% protein medicated starter, and once they get going on it, they do fine.

[greeneggsandham]

To prevent pasting, I start the chicks on raw oatmeal flakes for the first two days, then gradually change them over to medicated chick starter.  

This is interesting. Are you talking about the Quaker 1 minute oatmeal you buy in a large round container? I knew about the warm water, just never heard about the oatmeal.

I read the article by Peter Brown. That was very informative and helpful. I didn\'t know he had had a heart attack. I sometime catch him on Mondays on the Chicken Whisperer program, but have missed it lately. Let us know if you hear an update.

I watched the YouTube video. Made me cringe at how those babies are handled. I\'m also hearing that the vaccine lasts for up to 2 hours. I can see how it\'s best to keep the 1 hour plan in mind, but at least I\'ll have a little breathing room if the first few times goes a little slower than planned. And it\'s also good to know the chicks can be vaccinated later than a day old if they don\'t all hatch at once. It seems that my splash pen is a very aggressive hatcher. They are always the first ones out, and last month when my thermometer got messed up and my bator was too high, the splash hatched out (early) anyway. None of the others made it. And another person got eggs from me and didn\'t know a still air incubator was supposed to be set at 102 instead of 99.5 (I didn\'t know either) 4 splash made it out. I\'m thinking I have a pretty special cockerel, huh? Thanks, Paul!

Okay. I think I\'m ready. Bring on the chicks!

Sharon

The Chicken Whisperer? :stare:

I\'m all into the Dog Whisperer and would love to hear the Chicken Whisperer.  What is this, a local tv show or something?  Youtube?  Never seen or heard of it before.

[Sharon Yorks]

Here is a link to find out more about the chicken whisperer:

http://www.chickenwhisperer.net/

[Sharon Yorks]

The chicks started hatching at 8:00pm on Wednesday. The first one wanted out so bad, I heard it chirping in the shell and within 10 minutes from the time it first pipped, it was out. 3 came out that night, and the next morning, I noticed 9 more had started to pip a little. The plastic thermometer that I have lays across the top of the eggs and is about 5 inches wide. It\'s very large! I have a 1583 Hovabator, and with 25 eggs in there, there wasn\'t much room for the thermometer once the eggs start to hatch.

The temperature on the incubator had been holding a steady 99.5 so I decided to take the 3 active chicks and thermometer out. After several hours, I noticed that none of the pipped eggs had gone any farther than before. I don\'t know what made me do it, but I put the thermometer back in. The temperature had shot to 103 and I don\'t know how long it had been that high. The humidity was still holding a good 60-65. I cracked the lid to let some of the heat out, then grabbed two of the pipped eggs and peeled back a little of the shell to see if the chick was still alive. They both were, so I put them back and left them alone. The temp got back to normal and the humidity stayed right. Later that evening, still nothing. This is where I need some education and info.

Right or wrong, where the eggs had pipped, I peeled back a tiny whole so they could breath, then took my fingernail and made a long crack so it would be easier for them to push the end off. I know that helping them out is a no-no, but the membrane was tougher than a rubber band around them and I\'m not sure why. I don\'t see how they could have gotten out on their own.

What made that membrane get real tough? Was it the high temperature? Something in my feeding program? Hens that are eating too much calcium?

After helping them a little with the shell, I now have 17 chicks running around in the brooder and one more that had pipped overnight and I helped get out this morning. I took one of the remaining non-pipped eggs and poked a hole in the air sack. The membrane had dried and shrunk-wrapped tightly around the chick. I dampened it lightly with warm water, then peeled the shell away from what looked like a dead chick. Once I got the top off and it\'s head free, it started breathing a little. I laid it back in the incubator with the bottom still on. It hasn\'t moved since. I\'m pretty sure it isn\'t alive now. I opened the remaining eggs and found the same thing in 3 more. They were full grown chicks that the membrane had shrunk around and dried. The humidity had never dropped below 60 the whole time, so I\'m not sure why it was dried out. I would have never attempted to interfere with the hatch had it not been for the temperature shooting up and probably being that high for over an hour or two.

As a result, I know have 18 out of 25 chicks, and out of the remaining 7 eggs, there were 4 full grown chicks, 2 that hadn\'t absorbed all of the yolk, and one I didn\'t want to open because when I candled it, it looked like fluid floating around.

Last question, if my last chick just hatched this morning, can I vaccinate it for Mareks at around 1:00pm - 2:00pm today?

Sharon

[Mike Gilbert]

\"Last question, if my last chick just hatched this morning, can I vaccinate it for Mareks at around 1:00pm - 2:00pm today? \"

Sure, what have you got to lose?  But I would recommend keeping them confined and exposed as little as possible to the environment before vaccinating.

[Sharon Yorks]

I hatch them out in my home office and then put them under a red heat lamp which is also in my office. They won\'t go outside for a long time. The only way they could be exposed to anything is what I may bring in on my clothes from my other birds...but even then, I try to wear something over my clothes and gloves, then take that off in my mud room and wash up before I go into my office. I was just afraid of that last chick being too young since it was just hatched this morning.

Sharon

[Sharon Yorks]

It\'s been over 3 hours since we vaccinated the peeps and all are still alive and alert enough to peck at each others leg bands. Don\'t know if all of the chicks got the correct amount (needle went clear through a couple of times and some vaccine backed out the hole when I pulled the 21g needle out) but I\'m happy with our first attempt at this. Took less than 30 minutes to vaccinate all 18 chicks. I\'m sure we\'ll get better and more accurate with the needle the more we do it. They love the oatmeal!

I had to move the heat light out of the way to take the picture. They all looked red.

Sharon

[Birdcrazy]

Congratulations! It sounds like the chicks and you both made it through the ordeal in great shape. Now, was it as bad as you had anticipated? Now that you have went through round 1, you will know what to expect and it will go much smoother next time. I expect you will be able to do that many chicks in less than half that time!

[Sharon Yorks]

Now, was it as bad as you had anticipated?

Ah. Twern\'t nothin\'