They are soft, squishy, cuddly little bundles of joy and I can't get enough of them. The blue runner ruck is a girl and the fawn/white a boy, and one of each for the Khakis, too. I'm excited to have the chance to let our ducks and chickens hatch out their own young next year... no more dealing with hatcheries or feed stores, and no more brooders smelling/heating up the spare bedroom!
I took two of the chicks to the vet today along with some stool samples, and they do have coccidiosis. However, since they've had the vaccine, the vet said that they'll likely "develop immunity" and it shouldn't actually make them "sick"... that the ones who died in the first few days probably died from the exposure from the vaccine and the ones who survived should do fine. I'm just supposed to keep an eye on them and make sure they're gaining weight. They're all acting fine, eating and drinking normally, but they feel a little thin, so I'm going to entice them with some treats tonight, me thinks. I split them into two brooder boxes to give them some more room.
Sigh... if I had known that the vaccine itself was so dangerous, I'd have foregone it and just fed them medicated starter feed like I have in years past. But, lessons are learned. Now I just have to see how well the little ones do in the next few weeks. I was happy to have found this vet, given that the many I called don't deal with birds... and she also works with skunks, so our little Flower girl has a doctor nearby if she ever needs one!
I think I'll bring the chicks out into the yard to get some fresh air and grass on this fine warm Spring day. Hopefully the weather remains fair tomorrow for the (hopeful) arrival of our honeybees as well!
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