INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[Saris]

some of the baby's.

Cute!

Also I have been helping a chick for 2 days and it finally hatched!
@Sally Sunshine

Yay!

I figured I owed it to the world at large to sire someone to carry on my genes

I feel the same about mine. Plus a possible mini army of my own is nice.

this made me smile, as usual Saris just love you! @Saris

Glad you are smiling!!!

what does that come to in grams?

87.03 grams

Sally, one of these days when I'm not already overrun with too many chicks, I'm going to ask to buy some hatching eggs from your project birds - I have been SO impressed...

Well, folks, I think I may have a stress fracture or some similar type injury of my foot. It hurts A LOT, and it's that deep bone pain hurt, and it's swollen. I had SO much I needed to do today, and I got almost none of it done - though I did partially puzzle out my egg eater situation. (Dax, I've been thinking about you constantly - is your injury left or right?)

I can't have this - I HAVE A THREE DAY WEEKEND! AND CHORES TO DO! AND ANOTHER BROODER TO SET UP! AND GROWOUT PENS TO BUILD! AND AND AND....

Sorry, I wasn't intending to complain so much as I just needed to vent my frustration.

- Ant Farm

Oh no, I hope you heal up right quick.

Hello friends, am glad to be apart of you. Am Ugandan from Africa
Started back yard chicken last September 2015. The project is interesting. The birds are laying eggs. But they all insist on using one nest so I have found hatching difficult.
Most of the eggs are wasted. Can I incubate using the cheapest means possible.
Thanks
Rhoda

Welcome!!!

If one of your hens is broody ( wanting to hatch eggs) you can find a way to separate her and give her some fertile eggs to set on.

 

[gotro17]

A bit off topic, and a little after hours... My dad died on September 2nd, 2015. He was a polio survivor, and guinea pig for the vaccine, a Vietnam nam veteran (having some part of some crazy secret service we only found out about post mortem...), he was the most positive and wonderful dad, and person, on this earth... I am in the minority to have had a man like him to call "Dad". Today marks my mother's first Valentines Day, in 49 years, without him. It simply sucks ***. I love to cook, just like him, and I am excellent at it... a bit like him (except he liked to "experiment",). Tonight we invited his valentine over to be with us. I made "his dinner" of, filet mignon, baked potato with fixings, asparagus with hollandaise, crab cakes with home made aioli, and excellent wine... No matter how hard I tried, it wasn't the same. Things were delicious but timing was off- it really only made us miss him that much more. I was SO lucky to be this patriot's daughter and I know how much he would have loved you all so. If your dad, or mom, or special family mentor, is alive, let them know how grateful you are they are In your life...

Happy Valentines Day

@Sally Sunshine @Jessimom

 

[ChickenCanoe]

No, I haven't tried it. I was just reading up on fruit trees the other day to see what is recommended for Missouri. They article was talking about which root stocks were better for our area than others. Hubby asked what I wanted for my B'day (in March) and I said fruit trees. He asked me for a list so I spent the afternoon researching & compiling a list. Then, last night he said he is going to try to get the root cellar turned into a brooder/isolation/hospital like I had mentioned. So... I guess, no fruit trees for me this year. Maybe I'll just buy some myself!

That sounds like a great plan.
I never thought I would have birds in the cellar but when you run out of buildings and that's the only space left in dead of winter, what else is there.

So found a great idea for a water tray in any homemade incubator. I wanted something that when you fill it from the outside it fills up 1 spot then over flows into the next increasing humidity if you needed to because of surface area. Ice cube trays! The one that worked for me is a stick type meant to make ice sticks for water bottles. The regular ice cube trays are too long I got both of these from dollar stores, blue one from dollar tree and white one from 99cent store.




Should work great for a cooler bator too!

Nice.
Another thing that would work in a similar way is the beetle trap tray from a fully screened bottom board for bee hives.

Maran hatch final thought... I was looking at the chicks and it occurred to me all 12 Wheaton Marans hatched. Out of 14 bcm eggs only 3 hatched. Could this have anything to do with the terrible hatch rate? Or was it just something I did wrong? I know I should do an eggtopsy but not sure if I have the stomach for it.

If they went through the same incubation conditions, I would first look at breeder fertility and nutrition. Fertility could be low from inbreeding.

Looks like I got the message mixed up I thought we were talking tomatoes and grafting them. Maxifort is a tomato grafting tomato stock not for fruit trees. Lol
As I get older the fruit tree root stock that the fruit tree stays dwarf or semi dwarf is looking much better to me. Can't stay on the ladders like I used to. Grafting is fun.

What is the benefit from grafting tomatoes onto rootstock?

3 hours away from day 16.... I'm worried about the clears. Can you really leave them in for the entire 21 days? I'd hate it if I wasn't seeing the right stuff and killed a viable egg. I'd hate it even more if one exploded though....

If they don't leak or stink, you can easily leave them for 21 days and beyond.

Coolerbator builders: can I put a viewing window right in front or only on top?

You can put a window anywhere you want. All things are possible. I recommend double pane. One on the inside and one on the outside. That way it is more insulative and much less condensation.

Roundworms

-Kathy
All I can say is WOW!

FWIW, I have used Safeguard on some really sick birds and it hasn't killed them. Problem is that if there is a huge die off it could cause a blockage. Not sure what the best wormer to use in this case would be.

Another option is pyrantel pamoate, which you can get at Petsmart or Petco in the dog and cat sections.

-Kathy

What is the egg withdrawal period with safeguard?

I like how everyone's complaining about really really cold temps and im just sitting here in alaska with temps like 48 with a low of 36

When we get extremely cold here with the Alberta clippers and polar dips, it usually means that warm air has moved into the north pole/Arctic ocean from the north Atlantic, pushing the cold south. At least that's what happens in an El Nino year.

For the amount of times my kids drive me crazy I wouldn't change having them for the world.

Same here. Being a parent is often heartbreaking. It is worth the effort if done well. To do it right takes so much joyous work over an extremely long time. I wouldn't change it but wouldn't want to go through it again.

what does that come to in grams?



Anyone know what a jumbo normally weighs from the groc store? not what they are supposed to be I know that...
@casportpony you ever weigh one? ANYONE have LEGHORN eggs they could weigh? I have a few leghorn in with my legbar roo, their eggs are pullet and already huge. since the legbar is part leghorn I wonder what chicks would look like.

my F1 project birds come out of these






Just weighed the F2 eggs 102.8 grams some of the older ones are up to now.

Those are some monster eggs.
I've never weighed grocery store eggs but legally there is no upper limit on jumbos.
I also never weighed white leghorn eggs many years ago. However, I had black leghorns a few years back and they were in the 50-65 gram range.

good hatches

I have one of the same waterers that is in this photo - is it hanging? I use it raise on cinder blocks.

Would you say it is reliable to hang and not fall/spill?

- Ant Farm

It hangs just fine without spilling. I only have one but it has never been a problem and the best fount I've used.

It appears you can see and post pics, so I'll upload up a few... just for you...

I have one of those founts and two of the feeders too.
A 7 lb. for a rooster coop and a 10 lb. for another small coop's dry feed.
Quote:

It is hanging... which is easy to tell if you look at the "full-size" pic(s). Left clicking on pics opens them in the site's default viewer, but if you right click on pics and open them in a new tab or window, they'll open in original size. There's your tip of the day...

As far as reliability, I can't say. Seems like a lot of weight pushing against the three little tabs that hold it together. It's just temporary until I build a larger waterer with horizontal nipples. Haven't ran across a food-grade 3 gallon bucket just yet, but I will. Will also do away with the feeder once I get enough PVC to build a new feeder.

on the new window tip.

The bigger the bucket you use for horizontal nipples, the more stable it will be. I tried them in a 1 gallon and it just swung all over the place.
You may find 3 gallon buckets at a bakery. Perhaps even the bakery department at a grocer.
I use all 5 gallon pickle buckets that I get from pubs. They throw them away every day. I have at least 20 of them for anywhere from fermented feed to grain and seed storage, to overflow from feed bins when changing food. Currently I use them for restaurant scraps but will have to have a new plan when it gets too warm outside for that.

That hanging water fount is still way better than the heated Farm Innovator's 3 gallon fount. That is a piece of junk. Sadly, I own 2 of them.

I have the same one and it is pretty reliable. I had another break but since they're plastic and exposed to sunlight, they will eventually fail. In mine, one of the tabs broke off but that was after years of service.



Quote:

If she were mine and I decided to use Safeguard I think I would give 0.23ml per pound for five days in a row, that will treat all worms, but if you want to treat just the large roundworms, give it once and repeat in 10 days.

-Kathy

All worms?

I thought it was hanging but wanted to be sure. Yeah, it didn't seem as secure as I'd like for hanging, so I use concrete blocks. Seems to be well put together, but same brand (Harris) feeder just broke while being filled (all tabs cracked), so my confidence isn't great...

I'm going to do buckets and PVC nipple waterers for everyone eventually. It's on the list...

- Ant Farm

I still think they're very good quality. I have those feeders and another that is similar with the baffles but height adjustable. The latter is a pain in the neck and has many parts that can get lost. The Harris feeder is simple (2 parts), a breeze to disassemble and easily cleaned.

Given the massive amount of worms being passed, I would treat for roundworms first, and let her recover for a few days before starting a full-blown de-worming regiment. I think her chances of survival would be much greater that way. Just my 2c...

Not a bad idea. May be best to try two different wormers going that route to limit resistance.

Both of my current runs simply sit on the ground, with no wire buried around the base. I have 4 Solar Nite Eye units set up around the perimeter, and nothing has ever attempted to dig under. I may get proven wrong tonight, but I'm a firm believer in flashing light deterrent. I'm trusting my chicken's lives with it...

I have 2 predator guards. After reading all the reviews I opted for these. Buying 2 or more I got free shipping. According to the reviews, they have replaceable batteries, an on off switch and longer battery life per charge than some of the others.
To cover the whole area I would need about 3 or 4 more. I move them around so animals don't get used to them.
http://www.amazon.com/Predator-Guar...qid=1455527925&sr=8-1&keywords=predator+guard

So it finally happened... Sigh. Tonight when I closed up the chickens, I did my usual check.... And Pebbles has frostbite on the bottom half of his wattles. He was fine last night. My guess is they got wet when he drank, and then it got cold enough he got frostbite. They are blackened and swollen now, so I put him in the cellar.... Anything I need to be doing for him? I'm hoping he doesn't loose them.
-Banti

Any water source in winter has to be such that roosters can't dip their wattles. I just use founts or nipples for roosters.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A bit off topic, and a little after hours... My dad died on September 2nd, 2015. He was a polio survivor, and guinea pig for the vaccine, a Vietnam nam veteran (having some part of some crazy secret service we only found out about post mortem...), he was the most positive and wonderful dad, and person, on this earth... I am in the minority to have had a man like him to call "Dad". Today marks my mother's first Valentines Day, in 49 years, without him. It simply sucks ***. I love to cook, just like him, and I am excellent at it... a bit like him (except he liked to "experiment",). Tonight we invited his valentine over to be with us. I made "his dinner" of, filet mignon, baked potato with fixings, asparagus with hollandaise, crab cakes with home made aioli, and excellent wine... No matter how hard I tried, it wasn't the same. Things were delicious but timing was off- it really only made us miss him that much more. I was SO lucky to be this patriot's daughter and I know how much he would have loved you all so. If your dad, or mom, or special family mentor, is alive, let them know how grateful you are they are In your life...

Happy Valentines Day

@Sally Sunshine @Jessimom

That's a great story. I'm sorry for your loss.
My parents and their parents have been gone a long time. The last was my dad and that was 20 years ago.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Good morning! Well, one of the last two eggs hatched overnight. I'm going to have to investigate the last one in a while after everyone is up and the chores are all done. I have a sneaky suspicion that it may have quit. I guess we'll have to see.

 

[Akrnaf2]

A bit off topic, and a little after hours... My dad died on September 2nd, 2015. He was a polio survivor, and guinea pig for the vaccine, a Vietnam nam veteran (having some part of some crazy secret service we only found out about post mortem...), he was the most positive and wonderful dad, and person, on this earth... I am in the minority to have had a man like him to call "Dad". Today marks my mother's first Valentines Day, in 49 years, without him. It simply sucks ***. I love to cook, just like him, and I am excellent at it... a bit like him (except he liked to "experiment",). Tonight we invited his valentine over to be with us. I made "his dinner" of, filet mignon, baked potato with fixings, asparagus with hollandaise, crab cakes with home made aioli, and excellent wine... No matter how hard I tried, it wasn't the same. Things were delicious but timing was off- it really only made us miss him that much more. I was SO lucky to be this patriot's daughter and I know how much he would have loved you all so. If your dad, or mom, or special family mentor, is alive, let them know how grateful you are they are In your life...

Happy Valentines Day

[@=/u/162672/Sally-Sunshine]@Sally Sunshine[/@] [@=/u/39565/Jessimom]@Jessimom[/@]

That's a great story. I'm sorry for your loss.
My parents and their parents have been gone a long time. The last was my dad and that was 20 years ago.

Agree, he seems to me like a grate men, and a grate fighter!
Unfortunately I have lost my dear fhater when I was just 21 years old! It is now 29 years, and I still miss him allot!

 

[Akrnaf2]

good morning to you all! EYS!

This is lunch today!

 

[daxigait]

Thanks to @sallysunshine for all your articles and advice, and to others here sharing your experiences! We hatched in a bator for the first time and got a 100% hatch rate (we set 9 eggs)!! We used a used basic still air Hovabator I got off of Craigslist and built our own hand turner. We didn't actually plan on it, but we ended up with Valentine babies!!!

Here they are!!

beautiful! Congratulations

 

[mrleeroy]

 

[S5apiotrowski]

@Sally Sunshine

Overall, a good Valentines day Hatch.

13/18 BCM Hatched. 1 non-pipper, 1 early quitter, 3 died after pipping (humidity too high, eggs rolled by other chicks, I think the drowned)
2/3 Welsummers Hatched. One still alive/working on it, has plenty of air, but breathing looks difficult. Don't think it will make it.
1/2 Easter Eggers hatched. 1 was a clear.
1/5 mixed breeds hatched. 3 clear. 1 died in shell - mal-positioned and pip didn't break through internal membrane.

Chicks in the brooder look heathy right now. Much better than the NYH with a low hatch rate and poor survival. I think it was the vent plug!

....so what shall I hatch for Easter?